Victoria Yakusha

Victoria Yakusha is the founder of FAINA, a Kyiv-based design studio that has become one of the most recognized platforms for Ukrainian collectible design internationally. Her practice is grounded in "live minimalism," a philosophy that treats materiality as a living extension of cultural memory rather than an aesthetic choice.

Trained as an architect, Yakusha began her career designing residential and commercial interiors before turning her attention to furniture and objects. Her transition to collectible design was driven by a conviction that objects should carry a cultural footprint, encoding craftsmanship, geology, and local knowledge into their form. This led her to develop ZTISTA, a proprietary compostable material made from cellulose, clay, flax fiber, wood chips, and a biopolymer coating. ZTISTA appears across FAINA's most recognized collections, including SKARB, shown at Milan Design Week 2024, and PLYN, which draws critical attention for its treatment of material as memory.

In 2024, Victoria Yakusha was named among the Dezeen 50 Most Powerful Women in Architecture and Design. Her other recognitions include the ELLE Decoration Designer of the Year title (2019), the Dezeen Awards Public Vote for Best Emerging Design Studio (2021), the Interior Designer of the Year GOLD Award (2024), and the selection of a Yakusha Design interior among the five best offices in the world at the Dezeen Awards (2019).

Yakusha also founded the FAINA Gallery in Antwerp, housed in a 500-year-old historic building, giving Ukrainian collectible design a permanent European platform. Her design expeditions initiative connects global artists with Ukrainian artisans, extending the studio's reach into cultural mediation. FAINA's work has been shown at the Venice Biennale, Paris Design Week, Collectible fair, and Salon Art + Design 2024, where the DZHERELO collection was presented.

FAINA's collections are available on Monde Singulier as part of a curated selection of Ukrainian collectible design.