Elsa Hosk On Helsa, Her New Scandinavian-Inspired Fashion Line

Two decades of magazine covers, fashion week runways, and cultivating a dedicated social media following hasn't just made Elsa Hosk one of today's most recognized models. It's taught her what transforms a mere outfit into a look.

"I've modeled now for over 20 years, and that's meant I’ve gotten to try on more clothes than probably most people on the planet," Hosk tells BAZAAR.com. The clothing she's worn for fittings, runways, and photoshoots have taught her a few things about what works (and what doesn't). "You start seeing the little details, what makes something special, and what makes you really want something. You learn how something falls on the body, how it shoots, how it makes you feel."

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Hosk is now channeling the lessons of her experience into Helsa, a clothing line infused with her Scandinavian heritage. (Helsa can be read as a mash-up of the designer's first and last names, as well as a nod to the Swedish word for wellness.) The initial lineup includes what Hosk calls her essentials—knitwear, tailoring, workwear, base-layers, and outerwear—all crafted in natural tones. Many of the pieces are made with Recover, a recycled, heavy-duty cotton. The line is exclusively sold on Revolve and FWRD—sites where Hosk says she actually shops, in addition to collaborating with them for many years.

Some of Helsa's first pieces are more trend-driven, like loose-fitting cargo pants and a leather bustier top. But the majority are closet essentials—the knit cardigan, the denim overshirt, the blanket coat—you can wear season after season. That second category reflects the best of what Hosk has modeled herself, she says.

"Being a model, you’re supposed to make whatever you’re wearing work and look good. In doing that, you see very clearly when you actually don’t have to work. When the outfit is truly great, it does the work for you. That’s what I wanted to create for Helsa."

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Hosk also calls the line "an ode to nature and my love letter to Scandinavia, where I grew up." You'll see the homages to Swedish scenery, as well as nods to past editorials and dreamy interiors, on the Instagram account serving as the label's publicly-accessible mood board. Of all the references, the cozy simplicity of her childhood is maybe the most central. "As I’ve gotten older and had a child of my own, I’ve been going back to my roots and acknowledged that what’s shaped me as a person, my values, my taste, how I live and what I love is how I grew up," Hosk explains. "We’d go to the islands in the summers and live so simply, pack a bag of favorite clothes, a small house on a cliff by the ocean, sharing a room all of us, we’d be outside and enjoy nature from sunrise to sunset."

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The sun-soaked campaign and brand imagery evoke an endless summer and simple, casual dressing. But Hosk's favorite moments designing actually focused on more buttoned-up workwear. "They’re pieces you can wear and look incredible, put-together, and cool, but at the same time you don’t have to be afraid they’re going to stain, break, or wrinkle," she explains. But, they still translate to off-duty moments. "You can wear them to a nice dinner or playing with kids. Ever since I got the samples, they’re all I want to wear."

Wherever you wear Helsa, Hosk says you'll feel three things: "Effortless, timeless, chic"—the best qualities of the outfits she's spent a lifetime modeling.

Helsa is now available to shop at Revolve and FWRD.

The article originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR US.

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