We could already be acquainted with Elton Ilirjani, the pioneering supermodel trailblazer for gender inclusivity within the trend world.
Making historical past as the primary genderless mannequin to stroll the runway at Seoul Style Week in 2023, Elton has since walked for runway reveals at Paris Style Week, Milan Style Week, Tokyo Style Week, and extra. A really pioneering spirit within the modeling world, Elton’s modeling alias is HANKO, which is his mom’s first identify.
Identified for his inventive aptitude and dedication to pushing boundaries, Ilirjani’s alternative of utilizing HANKO as his modeling identify is deeply private. It is a homage to his mom, the girl who considerably influenced his journey.
HANKO isn’t only a mere identify; it embodies a transformative journey that interconnects a bridge between historical past alongside skilled evolution. Ilirjani selected this identify as a tribute to his mom, whose values and teachings have been a guiding power all through his life. By adopting HANKO, he seeks to own the power, resilience, and compassion that his mom instilled in him.
“My mom was all the time singing, calling me ‘my HANKO,’” mentioned Elton.
She would say: “‘Oh, you’re lovely, you’re totally different, you’re each; you’re a woman and a boy on the similar time. You might be extra.’ She mentioned to me: ‘Be pleased with that, since you are each on the one. You might be two in a single.’”
That gave Elton an ethos to start out modeling, as her voice got here into his head, saying to him, “Elton, go stroll, since you are two in a single, you’ll be able to carry out because the boy and as a woman.”
Now that his mom is in her final days of her life, that’s the reason he took her identify whereas modeling. “I carry her identify to honor her,” mentioned Elton.
Ilirjani’s perspective in modeling goes past simply meager easy aesthetics. By way of HANKO, he goals to inform his story that relates with audiences on a deeper degree. His work challenges standard norms and encourages self-expression, aligning along with his mom’s perception in authenticity and individuality. By doing so, he hopes to affect others to embrace their true selves and honor their roots, very similar to he has performed with HANKO.
Style has all the time been a robust medium for storytelling, and Ilirjani leverages this platform to maintain his mom’s legacy alive. Every runway present, photoshoot, and public look as HANKO is a chance to have fun her affect. His modeling work usually incorporates components that mirror his cultural heritage and private experiences, making a wealthy tapestry of narratives that honor his mom’s enduring affect.
Past private tribute, HANKO serves as a automobile for advocacy and empowerment. Ilirjani is fervid about utilizing his platform to help causes that uplift segregated communities and nurture equality. This focus in the direction of social justice mirrors his mom’s personal values and dedication to creating a distinction on the planet. By way of HANKO, Ilirjani continues to stick to those causes, guaranteeing that his mom’s legacy is certainly one of self-empowerment and an everlasting affect of a mom’s legacy.
His determination to honor his mom on this approach demonstrates a deep respect for the previous and a dedication to carrying ahead her values into his future. His story serves as a robust instance of how private drives can form skilled manufacturers, and the way deeply private relations can type a powerful basis for achievement. It additionally highlights the significance of authenticity and transparency in constructing an enduring and poignant profession.
Elton just lately shot a trend movie, “Je Suis Mona,” in Albania, which was directed by Malan Productions Cinemalan, which was produced by trend filmmaker and designer Malan Breton. The movie, which options Elton sporting Malan’s clothes, is a trend documentary demonstrating the panorama of his homeland. It was partly shot in Gjirokastër, the place the Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha was born.
“I wore white outfits within the streets to carry the concept that folks ought to put on nicely, as a result of ardour is freedom,” mentioned Elton. “In dictatorships like previous communist Albania, 30 years in the past, folks had been sporting the identical clothes, as a result of they couldn’t put on colours and be totally different. Freedom was not favored by dictators.”
The movie received two prizes; one was the Trailblazers prize on the New York Metropolis Worldwide Style Movie Competition, and the opposite one was one of the best LGBT expertise on the London Movie Style Movie Competition.
Subsequent 12 months, Elton will begin taking pictures a movie that honors one other lady – Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. He’ll star as a genderless Marilyn Monroe, writing a narrative that fuses her historical past into the storyline.
“We needed to make a film that recreates all of her basic outfits from the start of her profession,” mentioned Elton. “I need to revisit all of the locations she lived and her dream to stay in Brooklyn.”
As he explains: “Marilyn Monroe had a component of magic in her, which was the will for freedom, the will for survival. The movie will present how girls are nonetheless discriminated in opposition to these days, and the way folks will attempt to use her garments for publicity. The conveyance of the movie will probably be to point out how pure magnificence can nonetheless prevail. She nonetheless shines as a beacon of freedom.”
