Ulyana Sergeenko SS26 Haute Couture: Archive Collection Celebrates 15 Years
For her twenty-third couture ollection, Ulyana Sergeenko looks back in order to move forward. Marking fifteen years of the Ulyana Sergeenko Maison, the Spring–Summer 2026 season revisits the house’s archives, reworking the motifs and silhouettes that have shaped its visual identity.
The collection unfolds like a passage through past seasons. Echoes of Slavic fairy tales surface throughout, alongside floral and natural motifs, while birds emerge as a recurring theme — playful in radiant yellow, dramatic in black. Certain pieces reference earlier collections directly: a corset paired with a scarf-skirt made from striped silk recalls the Bekasam stripes of the Kazakhstan collection of 2014, while a dress constructed from layered “scarves” revisits the romantic mood of Quiet Flows the Don (2019).
Sergeenko tempers the drama with a touch of whimsy. Rooster embroidery and hen-shaped bags and headpieces — drawn from Russian folk tales and childhood imagery — punctuate the silhouettes with unexpected humour. Even the bridal look carries playful details, with crystal cat heads scattered across the gown — a subtle nod to the feline motif explored in the Party collection of 2020.
The palette revolves around red, snow white, black and gold. Crimson — a colour long associated with the house and with the Maison’s emblem, the rocking horse — appears in rich berry tones, while the black looks heighten the drama of lace and embroidery. One striking ensemble revisits the look worn by Natalia Vodianova at the brand’s Paris couture debut, its gown and veil embroidered with delicate handcrafted blueberries made from layers of tulle in varying shades. The atelier’s artisans spent no fewer than one hundred hours creating the blueberries for this look alone.
Craft remains central to the collection. Sergeenko continues her collaborations with Russian artisans, including Yelets lace-makers, whose contribution to a single look required more than 1,500 hours of work, as well as crystal masters from Gus-Khrustalny. This season also introduces new partnerships with specialists in Balakhna lace and Kazakovo filigree, both techniques deeply rooted in Russian decorative tradition. Balakhna lace appears in a look inspired by The Snow Queen and nineteenth-century winter dress: a tailcoat gown with beret sleeves paired with a bodice handwoven by Balakhna lace artisans and centred with a crystal element, while the transparent skirt is embroidered with ostrich feathers and voluminous fabric flowers. The spherical headpiece is composed of hundreds of finely crafted, handmade elements.
These collaborations reflect the designer’s ongoing commitment to keeping regional craft visible and relevant.
Accessories extend the narrative, from gilded hen-shaped headbands and filigree handbags to miniature suitcase bags recalling the Kazakhstan collection. Archival hats created with the legendary milliner Stephen Jones appear alongside new designs, while footwear ranges from berry-toned stocking boots to embroidered evening shoes.
Fifteen years in, Sergeenko has found a way to make memory generative rather than sentimental. The archive is not a museum here — it is a working studio.
