From Lviv to the Lido: Oksana Mukha’s Ukrainian Couture Shining at Venice Biennale 2026
By Yvonne Heinen-Foudeh, Senior International Correspondent
On one of the world’s most closely watched red carpets at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, among plenty of spectacular gowns, three stood out and blew us away. Then, in an announcement, we learn who is behind those extraordinary appearances: Oksana Mukha.
The name may or may not ring a bell to you – yet this portrait will introduce Needle’s Eye readers to the Ukrainian designer and entrepreneur.
.jpg "image title")
Oksana Mukha: “I believe in timeless beauty. But at the same time, I follow new materials, technologies, and the needs of modern women.”
As we learn more about her work and philosophy for her OKSANA MUKHA brand, with bridal and eveningwear at the core, we see how much it is built around an individual couture approach, precise construction, body-conscious fit, and a high level of craftsmanship rather than mass production. Day-to-day or corporate-type womenswear is not currently part of the brand’s core positioning.
Mukha, born in 1964 in Lviv (the sixth-largest city in Ukraine and the largest in the country's western region, with a population of 723,403 as of 2025 estimates), studied at the Lviv National Academy of Arts. Her interest in fashion began early: she was already creating clothing while still at school. Early artistic instinct laid the foundation for a career devoted to bridal and evening wear.
In the early 1990s, she began developing her business. In 1991, Oksana Mukha established her wedding and evening-dress brand, initially working on a small scale before expanding into a professional studio and, eventually, an international fashion company. She created her first bridal collections in a workshop connected to her home and later produced them in rented premises. Over the following decades, the enterprise grew from a local Lviv initiative into a recognized Ukrainian fashion brand.
Product development, production, and distribution
Today, OKSANA MUKHA LLC, along with 150 employees, also has her son, Vsevolod Yalovyi, as executive director on the board, while her daughter, Kateryna Yalova, serves as creative director and collaborates with bridal and eveningwear partners internationally. US, France, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Romania, and Poland - currently representing its principal export markets. The organization's international strategy combines direct brand presence with relationships with boutiques and specialist retailers for bridal dresses, couture bridalwear, evening gowns, bridesmaid, and occasionalwear collections as well.
All OKSANA MUKHA gowns are produced in Lviv, Ukraine, where the brand’s in-house production team oversees each stage of creation and maintains close control over quality and execution.
“I learned to see a dress as a work of art, not just clothing.”From her native spot in Lviv, Oksana Mukha has developed a fashion house celebrated for romantic wedding gowns, glamorous evening dresses, and couture-inspired craftsmanship. Her designs combine the drama of haute couture with the intimacy of a garment made for one unforgettable woman: “For Oksana Mukha, a gown begins with the woman who will wear it, her individuality, the way she feels in the dress, and the significance of the moment for which it is created,” explains Alina Tsymbal, responsible for communication & PR, to us. “Form, proportion, and craftsmanship give the design its structure, while emotion remains equally important to her approach.”
About resilience
Inevitably, we also address the constraints OKSANA MUKHA LLC faces as a company, given the recent war in Ukraine. Our exchange closes with the entrepreneur’s somewhat encouraging platitude: “For us as a company, resilience also means continuity – continuing to create, produce, and fulfill our commitments to partners despite challenging circumstances.”
Summer 2026 cover of RUNWAY Magazine, with American television host and actress Claudia Jordan wearing an OKSANA MUKHA gown.
83rd Venice International Film Festival
Over 10 days, from September 2 to 12, 2026, this year’s edition once again brought together established filmmakers and emerging voices across a program spanning different cinematic languages, countries, and forms of storytelling.
For insight on all award winners, check out: Venice Film Festival 2026: All the Winners of the 83rd Edition - Cinema & Video International.
Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia – as for the mega event's original Italian title, [International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale] is the world's oldest film festival and one of the "Big Five" International film festivals worldwide, which include the big three European Film Festivals (Venice, Cannes, Berlin), alongside the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada and the Sundance Film Festival in the United States.
Translating the visual language of contemporary cinema: dramatic enough for the flash of photographers and sufficient to allow the wearer to project her own identity: Elpidia Pierre, actress, producer, and entrepreneur. OKSANA MUKHA at the 83rd Venice Film Festival.
The richly colored red gown Italian actress Sara Zanier wore at the Venice red carpet, with its formal evening silhouette, pearls, crystals, beads, and hand-applied embellishments, conveyed a distinctly theatrical attitude.