Waters of The World. Hodakova SS27

Hodakova’s spring-summer 2027 was a bit of a mess – but sometimes, chaos is needed, right? It was particularly funny to see how infuriated the guests were as the venue’s sea-salt-covered floor heavily smeared everyone’s shoes. Fashion people like their comforts!

On the runway, Ellen Hodakova Larsson was channelling a lengthy story about the sea, sailors and sirens. Some pieces were literally wet – and made me think of going to a banya just to sweat it all out – while eveningwear was made out of fishing nets, both industrial and handmade. One all-black ensemble was cut from leather treated to resemble oversized fish scales.

This ode to the ocean came with an elusive melancholy that has become something of Ellen’s signature. That sadness has its roots in Hodakova’s sensitivity to the treatment of animals – and Mother Earth in general. The waters of the world are being exploited by humans more than ever, not to mention all the waste we keep dumping back into them. Something to think about amidst a fashion month that, overall, seems to pretend that everything’s OK.