Elton Ilirjani | |
|---|---|
 Ilirjani in 2023 | |
| Born | October 6, 1980 Tepelenë, Albania |
| Other names | HANKO |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Spouse | Christian (m. 2019) |
Elton Ilirjani (born October 6, 1980), better known by his stage name HANKO, is an American model, businessman, philanthropist and LGBTQ activist.
Ilirjani was born to Hanko Ilirjani, whose first name directly inspired his eventual pseudonym. [1] His father was a hunter, and passed away in 2010. [2] [3] Ilirjani was an only child and realized he was gay at the age of 11. [4] He was raised in Tirana and Tepelenë, Albania, and attended the Abaz Shehu Gymnasium, later receiving a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in political science from the Mediterranean University of Albania . [5] [6] He won a writing prize in 2000 and published two poetry books, Neveria and Fytyrefshehuri. [6] Ilirjani moved to the United States in 2018. [7] [8] From October 2025, he is a Doctor of Science Candidate in Economics at the Mediterranean University of Albania.
In 2016, Ilirjani became the first businessman in Albania to come out as gay, [9] and later became the first Albanian man to kiss another man on live television. [10] In 2018, he was invited by UN Women to speak at the United Nations. [11]
Ilirjani began modelling [12] [13] [14] in 2019 after discovering Asian designers at the 3NY Boutique in New York Fashion Week New York City, and started walking runways in 2022 and 2023 for House of Mua Mua and BESFXXK. [15] [16] [17] [18] He has participated twice during Athens Fashion Week, Athens, Greece, the 33rd and 34th editions. [19] [20] [21] [22] He has walked for Malan Breton [23] Wijnruit [24] and Poet-Lab [25] at London Fashion Week, [26] Miki Takane and 1003 at Asian New York Fashion Week, [27] [28] Jemma Russo, [29] Naoko Tosa, [30] Sandriver [31] and Malan Breton [32] at New York Fashion Week, Ema Savahl at Miami Swim Week, [33] Recep Demiray x Hatun Tekstil, Ay Lelum, Shino [34] and Suzana Perić at Paris Fashion Week, [35] BESFXXK, MMAM, Seokwoon Yoon, Greedilous and Maison Nica at Seoul Fashion Week, [2] ICEWEAR and Arabesque Boudoir Maison at Iceland Fashion Week, [36] Tiscareno Bridal at Milan Fashion Week, [37] and two editions of Costa Rica Fashion Week. [38] [39] He has led the first Fashion Protest during Miami Art Basel, December 2022 [40]
In 2024, Ilirjani participated and was the show opener of Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo walking for House of Mua Mua and 3 other Japanese fashion designers. [41] In 2024, Ilirjani returned to Seoul Fashion Week walking for Greedilous and Maison Nica. [42] In 2025, Ilirjani named as the Guest of Honor at Iceland Fashion Week. [36] In July 2025, Ilirjani was invited to the Osaka Japan Expo 2025, where he performed inside the “Zero Gravity Art” installation created by artist Naoko Tosa in cooperation with Kyoto University, Osaka, Japan. [43] [44] [45] [46] He starred in Malan Breton's fashion film "Je Suis Mona". [1] [47] [48] The film later won the Trailblazer Prize on New York City International Fashion Film Festival (NYCIFFF) 2024 during New York Fashion Week. [49] [50] [51] Later, the film won another prize at the London Fashion Film Festival 2024, where the Best LGBTQIA+ Talent was given to Ilirjani. [52] [53] In October 2025, Ilirjani was chosen as the performer artist by The Netherlands Embassy in Tirana, Albania and the Amsterdam Rainbow Dress created by artists Mattijs van Bergen, Arnout van Krimpen, Jochem Kaan, and Oeri van Woezik to perform at the Villa of the dictator Enver Hoxha in the heart of Tirana. [54] [55] He also participated during Taipei Fashion Week and was special guest of Vogue Fashion Night Out in October 2025. [56] As a businessman, Ilirjani is the CEO of recruitment company The HeadHunter Group, which he founded in 2012, as well as the non-profit organization Dignity Global Foundation. [57] [2] [11] For his human rights activism and worldwide modeling activity, he was featured on Japan NHK. [58]
Ilirjani is based in New York City, having previously lived in Tirana, Albania and Houston, Texas. [11] Ilirjani has cited his runway performance inspirations to be Yoko Ono, Marina Abramović, and Michèle Lamy. [59]
Ilirjani married his husband, Christian, in 2019. [60] [6] He is gay. [61] Ilirjani is of Illyrian descent. [62] [63] He is an opponent of same-sex adoption. [64]
Ilirjani supported singer Parashqevi Simaku in December 2024, who had been homeless for 6 years. He facilitated her everyday living and made possible a meeting between Simaku and her only son. He was also featured in a music video with the singer later on. [65] [66] [67] [68] [69] [70]
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