Yakusha

Victoria Yakusha, born in 1982 in Dnipro, Ukraine, is a versatile designer, artist, and architect known for her distinctive 'live design' philosophy that seamlessly integrates a profound connection to the earth and ethnic roots.

ABOUT Yakusha

Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity in 2014, Yakusha established FAINA, a design brand specializing in furniture, decor, and lighting deeply rooted in Ukrainian cultural heritage. Since 2022, Victoria Yakusha has pursued her career as an individual designer, collaborating with various brands. Whether in FAINA or her limited collections, she has carved out a unique niche by blending a minimalist aesthetic with rich cultural codes and her architectural background.

Yakusha places a strong emphasis on utilizing living materials native to Ukraine, including clay, wood, wool, and willow vine. Notably, her signature sculptural pieces are crafted from Ztista, a sustainable material she developed, composed of recycled paper, clay, hay, and other natural elements that decompose in soil.

As the founder of YAKUSHA and FAINA, Victoria is the visionary behind live minimalism, a cultural heritage architect, and a global ambassador for Ukrainian design. Recognized as one of the most renowned Ukrainian architects globally, her artistic endeavors shape contemporary Ukrainian design as a brand, creating heritage that gains power, meaning, and value over time, influencing the culture of future generations.

In her role as an architect, she introduced 'live minimalism,' a direction in architecture and design that harmonizes simplicity with environmental friendliness. This approach embodies the connection between living environments and materials that breathe and radiate energy, advocating for co-authorship with nature and leaving a cultural footprint instead of an environmental one.

"Like our ancestors, I believe in the spiritual essence of things, the souls of our objects. And it's one of the core elements of what we call live design — creating something that is alive. Something with a spirit"

Victoria Yakusha.

Victoria Yakusha

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Victoria promotes live ethnics and artisanship as sources of inspiration, conceptualizing design expeditions—a groundbreaking project introducing artists worldwide to the work of Ukrainian artisans and disseminating their ideas globally.

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Fond of Ukrainian primitivists, particularly Maria Prymachenko, Victoria designed the Prymachenko Museum herself. She also oversees the Ivan Honchar Museum and raises awareness of Ukrainian artistic heritage. Additionally, as part of the group responsible for developing and implementing the strategy called Chernihiv, a Sustainable City, the architect aids cities in discovering their cultural, ethical, and aesthetic identity.

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Victoria's work consistently receives global acclaim, earning her awards annually, and her collectible design exhibitions attract thousands of attendees in Europe, Asia, and America. Antwerp’s FAINA Gallery has already emerged as Europe’s primary center for live minimalism.

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Over the years, her work has garnered international acclaim, featured in leading design fairs like Venice Biennale, Paris Design Week, and Milan Design Week. Her designs have graced the pages of Vogue, Architectural Digest, and Elle Decoration, and she's received numerous accolades including Elle Decoration’s Designer of the Year in 2019 and the Dezeen Awards Public Vote for best emerging design studio in 2021. In 2022, she was honored at Design Miami / Basel as "The Best Curio Show of the Year."