PARIS, FRANCE – MARCH 06: Fashion designer Ellen Hodakova walks the runway during the Hodakova Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2025-2026 fashion show as part of the Paris Fashion Week on March 6, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
In April of 2025, on the 23rd, The Swedish School of Textiles [SST] unveiled their rendition of the United Nations tour guide uniforms, designed with Swedish shirt maker Eton, a design collaboration between SST and the UN, designed by a handful of graduation students. The uniforms were presented in New York at the UN headquarters, marking a national achievement for the country of Sweden and its design acumen as a whole, representing fashion through functionality, sustainability, and fashion innovation, producing the next generation of design talent.
A redesigned uniform for the United Nations tour guides at its New York Headquarters, created by students from the Swedish School of Textiles at the University of Borås.
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More recently, on May 27, 2025, the Swedish School of Textiles, located in the city of Borås presented its Textile & Fashion Future celebration and forum, which included honoring the Bachelor’s in Fine Arts and Master’s in Fine Arts programs for graduating students. The EXIT25 runway show, named by former alum for their departure from studies to application in the real world. Featuring 17 student collections who showcased the Textile design and Fashion design program output, students’ sartorial perspectives, exploring themes of identity, memories, and imperfection were defined by each graduate’s design and culture of aesthetics.
Zuzana Vrabelova; The project speculates on garments as beings or organisms – structures that emerge independently of the human body, yet engage with it. Using experimental knitting techniques and unusual materials like paper yarn, the pieces take on organic, animal-like, or botanical forms. The focus is on the material life of the garment itself and the intuitive, evolving process of making. Some works reference historical clothing, but these references become distorted and blurred through the act of creation.
Courtesy of Swedish School of Textiles
The collections featured BFA and MFA students, including Zuzana Vrabel ‘Ova, Andrea Rehbein, Yuting Xia, Matilda Olofsson, Gabriela Arias Egana, My Willaume, Jonas Gustavsson, Frida Elise Henriksen, Susanna Soujanen, Margot Leverrier, Wictor Ljunggren, Siri Bratt, Lan Krebs, Anîas Dahl Perret, Josephine Jarlhem, Charlie Malmsten, and Pawel Robuta. Supported by Swedish entrepreneur and investor Paul Frankenius and his epitomes Foundation Stipendium, the phenomenal designs and creations revealed on the runway, students were awarded for their innovative approaches to fashion design.
Andrea Rehbein; The Project proposes garments as an intimate field in which to explore the liminal boundaries connecting subjects, bodies, and space. Abstract, sculptural forms emerge from engraved cut leather, generating unexpected shapes beyond the designer ́s control. These volumes are traced and transplanted into archetypical garments through experimental pattern drafting techniques. The sensitivity of pattern drafting —where even minor changes reshape the whole— leads to ongoing iterations that alter both the garment and its relationship to the body. The focus is on the process of making: from deadstock materials to an abstract anatomy in a continuous state of becoming.
Courtesy of Swedish School of Textiles
The University of Fashion & Textiles award ceremony honored five graduate students from the Swedish School of Textiles. Recipient winners were Jonas Gustavsson, Zuzana Vrabelov, Kristian Falden, Ida Romme, and Wictor Ljunggren, recognized for their creativity and innovation. Each student inherently aims to fill the fashion gamut with their design perspective, finding circular process, defying textile material bounds, and aspires to have their unique voice reverb throughout the industry representing the Swedish design aura and legacy.
PARIS, FRANCE – MARCH 21: Ellen Hodakova Larsson poses with her work during “Liminal Objects” Preview at Maison du Danemark on March 21, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Foc Kan/WireImage)
WireImage
From being a student herself, to visionary designer crafting circular processes for designing avant-garde collections, the Swedish School of Textiles alum, Ellen Hodakova Larsson, recent LVMH Prize 2023 winner, revisited her design journey in conversation with editor Albam Adam, during the Textile & Fashion Future forum. Returning to her alma mater SST, she provided an in-real-life example of how each student can impact fashion through this institution’s radical approach to fashion education.
Gabriela Arias Egaña; This collection is an attempt of comprehension and idealization: How can diasporic identities from conflicting cultural origins be manifested in contemporary contexts to stay relevant.
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“You never mention sustainability in interviews?” Adams asked during the public conversation with the Hodakova founder and creative director. “It’s not just a buzzword,” Larsson laments. “It has to be at the core of a brand. Embrace it as a practice, making it the new normal that shapes every conversation and action.”
Wictor Ljunggren; Cinched In-Functional Silhouettes; This degree project investigates transformable garments using cord systems, drawing inspiration from the functional design of hiking garments and elastic cords with stoppers. Aiming to revalue cord systems by proposing adjustable garments that can shift in silhouette and functionality, in alignment with the kinaesthetic structure of the human body.
Courtesy of Swedish School of Textiles
Larsson’s rise to the fashion echelons has been meteoric in that she has defined a novel silhouette in fashion through unconventional means. Deconstructed, upcycled, architecturally crafted garments have put her on the path to sartorial royalty while grounding her talent in meaningful, intentional, conscious design.
MY WILLAUME, BA FASHION; Assemblage: Pistacia A series of peeled layers This project positions itself as a quiet form of activism in creating ”something out of nothing”, challenging the accelerating pace of the fashion industry by advocating for slowness, material intimacy, and the value of making by hand. The exploration phase insists on the relevance of tactile processes by applying the philosophies of –knowing through making– and using time as a design component.
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Conversing with Alban Adam in the studios where she first learned to dissect garments, Hodakova reminisced, “I started textiles in 2016, and it was the best time. It gave me the force to believe in my visions. Before that, I studied sculpture, but I was more interested in sculpting on the body than in abstract forms.”
Matilda Olofsson; This project focuses on the construction of bridalwear and challenges traditional silhouettes. Instead of centring design around the torso, it explores how volume and cuts can be distributed across the body to create new expressions. Through research into historical and contemporary bridalwear, common cuts and forms are identified and reinterpreted through experimental construction techniques. The result is a collection of five bridal garments that redefine the silhouette by shifting volume and altering garment architecture. While retaining recognisable bridal elements such as white tones, the designs offer a forward-thinking approach that balances innovation with tradition.
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Her education became the foundation for her signature approach. Hodakova and Larsson blend conceptual thinking and hands-on craftsmanship, attracting the likes of celebrity style influencers like Kylie Jenner and Cate Blanchett. She recalls, “I learned to dissect garments – understanding their construction, from maximalist shapes to the tiniest details. That combination of technical skill and artistic vision shaped my work.”
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 06: Cate Blanchett attends the “Borderlands” Los Angeles Fan Event at TCL Chinese Theatre on August 06, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate)
Getty Images for Lionsgate
Larsson’s unconventional path was recounted in her description of her post-graduation hustle. Partaking in the random styling gigs, set design work, and the pivotal DIY video that landed on Vogue Runway, these efforts spawned her blossoming era. “That video ended up on Vogue Runway and sparked a lot of interest. The belt bag was a turning point—a product between art and fashion that led to meeting investors.”
Lan Krebs; JERSEY DIVERSITY; reinventing application of single jersey material Jersey is often perceived as a simple, plain fabric, functional and modest in its appearance. This work challenges that assumption by transforming jersey into a dynamic material language. Using machine-made tubular knits, I explored the potential of layering, wrapping and sculpting fabric directly on the body without imposing rigid definitions of what a garment should be.
Courtesy of Swedish School of Textiles
“The belt bag crystallized the brand. It was a clear product between art and fashion, and it helped me meet investors,” she notes. She described working with men’s wardrobe to the delight of the SST graduating class presenting their EXIT25 collections. She mentioned, “I was deep-diving into the men’s wardrobe because those pieces had more material to play with. Dissecting and reshaping them became the foundation.”
Susanna Suojanen; TRANSLATING WARDROBES; Exploring dimension altering sewing techniques in upcycling post-consumer garments. Translating Wardrobes is a study of transformation, of how worn garments can be reshaped into something entirely new. Through draping and sewing techniques that shift structure and silhouette, the collection explores how clothing can move beyond its original form and meaning. At its core lies a fascination with the dialogue between form and texture, and how their encounter can dissolve the familiarity of a garment and invite a reimagined identity to emerge.
Courtesy of Swedish School of Textiles
Winning the LVMH Prize in 2023 has launched Hodakova into the global spotlight with designs that remain defiant and unique. As luxury brands operate to mass produce, Larsson embraces scarcity and slow fashion creation. “We can’t just push a button and make a thousand pieces,” Larsson said. “Our garments take time—they carry a history, a soul. That’s what makes them valuable.”
JONAS GUSTAVSSON; MFA FASHION DESIGN; ASTRAL PROJECT; Addressing alternative perspective on gender, knitting and dress This collection explores gender beyond binary limits, reimagining identity through knitwear as both material and metaphor. Drawing inspiration from Charles Fourier’s vision of a third gender—and its echoes in global spiritual traditions—the work challenges traditional constructs by centering the abstract body and the being within.
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The Hodakova process goes from sourcing deadstock fabrics, vintage garments, and discarded materials, to transforming materials into high-fashion statement pieces. “I’m not capitalizing on ‘sustainability’,” she remarks. “It’s just how I work. Recontextualizing materials change their value from nothing to something extraordinary.”
Paweł Robuta – Master in Fashion Design 2025; Liquid Relics; Staining as a form to explore body relations in fashion design Liquid Relics is a collection of nine experimental draped silhouettes exploring the concept of the stain. Stains, often seen as marks of guilt or imperfection, are reimagined here as symbols of presence, intimacy, and transformation. Bodily fluids, typically the source of stains, can elevate garments to artifacts – like the Shroud of Turin – imbued with reverence. In this project, destruction is seen as creation; stains become a beginning, not an end.
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Without diluting her vision for marketability, she flips the idea of sustainability’s inability to market itself to mass markets, Hodakova is setting a new trend. She divulges, “There’s always an easier path, but I choose the hard one because it gives purpose. The industry needs change, and I believe in doing things differently.”
Anaïs Dahl Perret; Morphogenesis in Motion; Shaping Transformable Fashion through Modularity, Circularity, and Connection This project reimagines garments as living systems. Inspired by cellular behavior, the collection uses knit and laser-cut techniques to create modular, transformable garments adaptable to individual needs and tastes. Each textile module, connected via drawstrings, enables users to personalize, reshape, and disassemble the pieces, fostering emotional durability and supporting circular design.
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“The demand has grown, but we won’t scale artificially. Our pieces are about time, thought, and reinvention. Not endless growth.” Currently employing a small, yet, dedicated team, Hodakova teeters between creativity and business, calling her method “controlled chaos.”
Wictor Ljunggren’s design details.
Courtesy of Swedish School of Textiles
She concluded, “Building something from scratch means understanding every part; the mistakes, flexibility, and knowing when to scale. It’s about staying true to the vision.” While Hodkova explores material experimentation, inspiring the SST students to do similarly in the blurring of art and fashion boundaries, Larsson left a lasting note for novel design, and the fashion-hungry listeners, “Luxury isn’t about logos. It’s about what you do with the materials, and the stories they carry.” Hodkova is one of many designers who have traversed the walls of The Swedish School of Textiles and has shown what limits can be reached, in efforts to create further bounds for creativity and impactful, circular design.
