Livid's Jens Olav Dankertsen wins Tribute Award: Person of the Year 2026

Photos by Anna Stokland.
‍
A new award as of this year, The Person of the Year Award received many great nominations from across the industry. The Jury has singled out Jens Olav Dankertsen, Founder of Livid, as the winner of the 2026 Tribute Award: Person of the Year.‍
‍
The Jury reasons:
‍
This year's winner is recognised for challenging the way fashion is made, communicated and built as a business. Over the past year, Dankertsen has pushed Livid's transparency work even further – openly sharing the realities and complexities of building a more responsible value chain, and bringing consumers closer to how their clothes are actually made.

– Jens Olav Dankertsen wins this award for building a solid fashion business for himself – and still questions the system it operates within. Over the past year, he has pushed Livid’s commitment to transparency further, bringing the realities and complexities of its value chain into the open, and inviting consumers closer to the making of their clothes, explains Elin O. Carlsen, Chair of the Jury, Oslo Runway Tribute Award.

– From provocative art performances challenging overconsumption to a digital product journey designed to educate and reveal what lies behind each garment, Jens continues to turn transparency into reflection and education. He does not shy away from the difficult questions, but shares the process, the challenges and the learnings with the industry. In doing so, he not only builds Livid – he helps move our industry forward, Carlsen continues.

What the jury especially appreciated is that Dankertsen brings people with him. He is generous in uplifting his team and giving them opportunities to share their experiences with the wider industry – raising the bar for the industry as a whole.

Explore Livid in our Image Bank here and read more about the Oslo Runway Tribute Awards here.