Paris has never needed an excuse to bring fashion, art and beauty into the same room.
On September 30, 2026, the city became the setting for the VUGA TV Award 2026, an international celebration of creative talent spanning fashion design, beauty, modeling, visual art and contemporary culture.
Conceived as more than a traditional awards ceremony, VUGA TV Award brought together a cross-section of professionals whose work shapes the way fashion and culture are seen today – from designers and image-makers to hairstylists, makeup artists, models, artists and creative entrepreneurs.
At its core, the project is built around recognition: of established careers, emerging voices, technical mastery and the ideas that continue to push the creative industries forward.
The evening was hosted by Anna Sashina– art curator, editor of LAZIN Magazine and VUGA TV presenter, whose work moves between contemporary art and fashion and includes the development and curation of international cultural projects in Paris.
DESIGNERS: A STUDY IN INDIVIDUALITY
The Designers Award opened with Anna Rud, founder of children’s label ANNA SOUL, whose work approaches childrenswear through a couture lens. Intricate detailing, a sense of fantasy and handcrafted elements define the brand’s visual language, turning children’s fashion into something closer to storytelling than simple dressing. Anna Rud – Best Kidswear Designer. The designer also presented her latest ANNA SOUL collection during the ceremony, transforming the award moment into a live fashion presentation.
Next came Anna Sarkisian, fashion designer, entrepreneur and founder of womenswear label ARWEN. Her creative universe is grounded in femininity, individuality and self-expression, with clothing used as a medium through which confidence, sensuality and personal character can emerge.
Ukrainian designer Yuliia Volosovych, founder of lev•i•Rosa, brought a distinctly multidisciplinary perspective to the category. With a background spanning architecture, fashion design and 3D modeling, Volosovych has developed a contemporary ready-to-wear language shaped by structure, concept and narrative. Yuliia Volosovych – Best Ready-to-Wear Designer.
For Kateryna Frumina, founder of La Magnetique, the starting point is ease. Pajama-inspired forms and loungewear references are reworked into sophisticated silhouettes where softness meets structure and comfort becomes part of the design statement. Kateryna Frumina – Best Conceptual Designer.
Closing the category was STOPYCHEVA BRAND, accompanied by a special fashion presentation. Founder Olga Stopycheva has built the label around a polished vision of luxury – refined, international and unapologetically elegant. Olga Stopycheva – Best Luxury and International Designer.
BEAUTY: THE ART BEHIND THE IMAGE
Fashion may begin with clothing, but its final image is rarely created by fashion alone.
The Beauty Award focused on the artists working behind the scenes — the professionals who define faces, shape hair, build visual identities and translate a creative concept into a complete image.
MICHÉLE MAGDIĆ was recognized for work that sits naturally between makeup artistry and fashion, where makeup becomes an integral part of the editorial or runway narrative. MICHÉLE MAGDIĆ – Best Makeup Artist (Fashion).
Nataliia Naltana Kruk of NALTANA BEAUTY was celebrated for a practice that moves fluidly between artistic, conceptual, fashion and editorial makeup. Her strength lies in versatility – the ability to shift creative language according to the demands of a project without losing technical precision. NALTANA – Best Makeup Artist for All Categories: Art, Fashion & Editorial.
Several other Beauty winners were recognized remotely.
Elena Zaborskaia – Best Makeup Artist (Natural and Fashion Beauty). Zaborskaia was recognized for an approach in which restraint, precision and adaptability allow natural beauty and fashion-focused makeup to coexist.
Veronika Zaborskaia – Best Makeup Artist (Editorial). Her work was acknowledged for the visual intelligence required in editorial makeup, where concept, photography and character must come together in a single frame.
Yuliia Baranovska – Best Hairstylist (Editorial) and Best Beauty Expert. Baranovska was recognized for combining editorial hairstyling with a broader understanding of beauty, treating hair and image as part of one complete visual composition.
Kristina Alferuk – Best Celebrity Makeup Artist (Art / Fashion Category). Her recognition reflects a practice positioned between celebrity beauty, fashion and artistic image-making, where individuality and execution are equally essential.
Alina Kuznevych – Best Hairstylist (Fashion). Kuznevych was honored for creating hair concepts that support rather than compete with the designer’s vision, becoming part of the broader fashion narrative.
Alona Ksenofontova – Hairstylist (Art Category). Her work approaches hair not simply as styling, but as an expressive artistic material capable of carrying its own visual statement.
Solomiia Romaniuk – Best Brow Expert. Romaniuk was recognized for precision and an understanding of proportion, using brow design to emphasize the individual architecture of the face.
Together, the category reflected a reality often hidden behind the final image: fashion’s most memorable visuals are collaborative by nature.
ART: BEYOND THE RUNWAY
The evening then moved beyond fashion and beauty into a broader conversation about contemporary creativity.
The Art Award brought together artists, photographers, filmmakers and writers whose work explores identity, memory, visual culture and new forms of expression.
London-based artist, collagist and filmmaker Mirco Piccioli was recognized for a body of work examining beauty, desire, identity and contradiction. Through analog collage and experimental video, Piccioli frequently dismantles and reconstructs imagery drawn from fashion, advertising and contemporary culture. Mirco Piccioli – The Glamour, The Beauty and Its Contradiction Award.
Documentary photographer Komiljon Pattaev was honored for work rooted in the preservation of real moments, human stories and cultural memory. Komiljon Pattaev – Excellence in Documentary Photography.
Roman Zhuchkov – Best Artist. Zhuchkov was recognized for a distinctive visual language, artistic craftsmanship and his contribution to contemporary art.
Kateryna Brovkova – Innovation Award. Brovkova received the award for an experimental approach built around new ideas and unconventional creative solutions.
Elen Sharafullina – Excellence in Contemporary Literature. Sharafullina was recognized for her contribution to contemporary literature, distinctive authorial voice and literary craftsmanship.
Kozhokar Olena – Excellence in Wedding Visual Storytelling. Olena was recognized for her ability to capture the emotion, atmosphere, and individual character of weddings through refined and expressive visual storytelling.
A WIDER CONTRIBUTION TO FASHION
One of the evening’s special distinctions went to Mariia Anosova, whose career crosses several creative disciplines. An international fashion makeup artist, educator and creative professional, Anosova’s work extends into fashion production, education and the development of professional creative communities. Her recognition reflected a career built not only around individual practice, but around the wider infrastructure of the industry. Mariia Anosova – Contribution to the Fashion Industry Award.
MODELS: THE HUMAN ELEMENT OF FASHION
A runway look is static until someone gives it movement.
The Models Award focused on the people who translate a designer’s intention into presence – through posture, expression, movement and an instinctive understanding of image.
Iuliia Bazhan – Best Haute Couture Model. Bazhan was recognized for elegance, presence and an ability to embody the particular visual language of couture.
Anya Marcon – Best Editorial Model. Marcon was honored for communicating narrative and emotion through editorial imagery.
Luana Larkin – Best International Runway Model. Larkin’s award acknowledged the confidence, movement and professional discipline required on international runways.
Marie Rich – Best Beauty Model. Rich was recognized for the precision and camera awareness essential to beauty imagery, where the smallest details become the focus.
Anastasiia Nagornaya – Best International Model. Nagornaya was honored for versatility, professional presence and experience across the international modeling industry.
THE PARTNERS BEHIND THE EVENING
The evening’s creative world extended into fragrance, skincare, jewelry and music.
Austrian jewelry brand Oliver Weber, founded in 1994, contributed its signature combination of European craftsmanship, polished design and crystal detailing.
French luxury skincare house POLARE Paris introduced its science-led approach to rejuvenation, centered around the L’Âge-Miracle collection and its philosophy: “sculpted by science, revealed in an instant.”
Nadine Ahmad presented Musk Thé, the debut fragrance by Young Voyage, released in a strictly limited edition of 1,000 bottles.
Music came courtesy of French DJ and producer SØLSTICE, whose sets move across House, Techno, Acid and Hard Techno, built around atmosphere, melody and energy.
During the Art section, Alan Starovoitov, who regularly performs at the Opéra de Paris, brought a classical note to the evening with the Neapolitan song Non ti scordar di me.
THE JURY: EXPERIENCE ACROSS DISCIPLINES
Behind the awards was an international jury drawn from fashion, beauty, art, education and creative business – a mix of specialists whose careers reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the project itself.
Juan Lino. International Hair Director, master hairstylist and educator Juan Lino brings more than two decades of experience to the beauty industry. Trained with Toni&Guy, he is a Platinum.Key Cutting Educator for Kevin Murphy and Hair Professionals Programs Director at Fashion for Futures, where he leads backstage hair teams during international Fashion Week programs. Jury: Beauty, Models & Special Awards
Elena Grishina. Hair expert Elena Grishina brings more than a decade of professional experience in the beauty industry. Jury: Beauty
Fabiana Graziani. International Lead Hair & Makeup Artist and founder of The Backstage Team, Fabiana Graziani has built a career behind the scenes of some of the world’s most influential fashion capitals. Jury: Beauty & Special Awards
Taras Pylypets. With more than 15 years of experience in artistic welding, metalwork and design, Taras Pylypets represents a discipline in which craftsmanship and artistic expression are inseparable. Jury: Art & Special Awards
Mariano Moreno. Fashion designer Mariano Moreno brings nearly 15 years of experience working with leading international fashion names, including Givenchy, Lanvin, Pronovias and Rosa Clará. Jury: Designers, Models & Special Awards
KL Allen. Designer KL Allen is the founder of Perfect Population by KL Allen, a fashion house established in 2011 that moves between sci-fi references, streetwear and haute couture. Jury: Designers, Models & Special Awards
Valeria A. Croatto. Argentine-born, Houston-based designer and entrepreneur Valeria A. Croatto has more than 20 years of experience in business development. In 2021, she founded Leather by Val, a luxury label specializing in custom-made leather pieces produced in collaboration with artisans in Argentina and Italy. Jury: Designers & Special Awards
Ilyssa Wexler Zacchei. Founder and CEO of Fashion for Futures, educator and entrepreneur Ilyssa Wexler Zacchei brings more than 20 years of business experience, with a career spanning Wall Street, fashion education and experiential programs connected to New York, Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks. Jury: Models & Special Awards
Martu E. Freeman-Parker. With more than 25 years in the industry, Martu E. Freeman-Parker is a fashion entrepreneur, educator and executive whose work has focused extensively on designer development and fashion business. She is the Founder and CEO of M.E.F. Productions, former Managing Director of Mana Fashion, and Executive Director of Fashion Alliance Network Inc. Jury: Models & Special Awards
Karl W. Wilkes. American artist Karl W. Wilkes works across historical painting, sculpture, multimedia and abstraction, while also developing artist-in-residence programs, workshops and exhibitions. Jury: Art & Special Awards
L. Scooter Morris. American painter and fabric designer L. Scooter Morris works in a self-defined medium known as “Sculpted Paintings,” exploring subjects ranging from contemporary events and landscape to interpretations of Americana. Jury: Art & Special Awards
AN INTERNATIONAL CREATIVE PLATFORM
By the end of the evening, what emerged was less a collection of separate categories than a portrait of how the creative industries function today. Designers rely on image-makers. Models bring garments to life. Beauty artists construct identity. Artists and photographers shape visual culture. Educators and industry leaders create the structures through which the next generation enters the conversation.
The VUGA TV Award 2026 brought those worlds together in Paris, positioning fashion not as an isolated discipline, but as part of a much larger cultural ecosystem – one shaped by craft, collaboration, experimentation and the people willing to keep redefining it.
Photo: Kristina J. www.photographykristina.com @photographykristina
