Per Holknekt

Per Olof Holknekt, (born 27 April 1960) is a Swedish fashion designer and entrepreneur. He is also the founder of several magazines and companies, the most successful of which is the clothing company Odd Molly.

Life and career

Holknekt grew up in Falun, Dalarna. His father was a police officer and his mother was a school principal. He moved to Hermosa Beach, California, in 1980, and for several years was a professional skateboarder, winning several international competitions. In 1984, while in California, he founded the skateboarding magazine Transworld Skateboarding. He returned to Sweden in 1984 and studied economics at IHM Business School, after which he started the skateboard company Street Style with his brother Thomas. Later, he founded another skateboard company, Svea, which launched a skateboard brand and a clothing label.

Holknekt developed alcoholism, and went through a life crisis in 2000, during which he lost everything, became homeless, and supported himself by selling the Stockholm street newspaper Situation Sthlm. He sought treatment for his addiction and regained sobriety. After four months of being sober he successfully applied to become a housemate on the first season of the Swedish Big Brother series, in which he finished in second place after being voted off in the final on Day 74. The show was broadcast on Kanal 5.

In 2002, Holknekt started working with fashion designer Karin Jimfelt-Ghatan, and together they started the international clothing company Odd Molly. In 2010 the two were named "Founders of the Year" at Sweden's annual entrepreneurial gala Entreprenörsgalan. In 2013 Holknekt revealed that he would leave Odd Molly after twelve years to start working as a branding consultant for different brands.