Yevgeniya Aleksandrovna Yushkova or simply YAY. is a transformational leader in the fashion, retail, and consumer products industries whose career has been defined by her ability to translate creative vision into structured, profitable business models. With more than two decades of experience building and scaling brands, YAY has established a reputation for integrating design, merchandising, and supply chain strategy into disciplined operating systems that drive sustainable growth. Her work sits at the intersection of creativity and operational excellence, enabling organizations to unlock new opportunities across physical, digital, and hybrid retail channels.
Throughout her career, YAY has focused on helping product-driven organizations develop powerful private label ecosystems and scalable merchandising strategies. She has worked across apparel, footwear, accessories, and consumer goods categories, guiding companies through the complexities of product development, sourcing, brand positioning, and go-to-market execution. Her approach combines deep industry insight with a data-driven mindset, allowing her to align creative product innovation with measurable financial performance.
One of the most significant chapters in YAY’s career occurred during her tenure as Apparel Director at Follett Higher Education. In this role, she was tasked with building an omnichannel house brand from the ground up to serve more than 1,200 campus retail locations. Under YAY’s leadership, the brand rapidly gained traction, ultimately generating $80 million in revenue and capturing approximately 40 percent of the addressable market. Her ability to design both the product strategy and operational infrastructure created a scalable model that transformed collegiate retail merchandising.
YAY’s leadership is distinguished by her ability to convert strategic ideas into practical systems that organizations can implement at scale. By applying Lean Six Sigma Black Belt methodologies, she has redesigned procurement and production workflows, reducing traditional supply chain timelines from months to weeks while improving cost efficiency and quality control. These operational innovations have allowed companies to become more responsive to market trends and consumer demand while maintaining strong margins.
Earlier in her career, YAY demonstrated her leadership potential as Head of Design and Product Development for I.D.I Clothing. In this role, she led the development of contemporary collections while managing sourcing, costing, and manufacturing strategies. Her leadership helped grow the company’s annual revenue from $1.5 million to more than $8 million, proving her ability to drive both creative direction and commercial performance simultaneously.
Entrepreneurship has also played a defining role in YAY’s professional journey. As the founder and CEO of Yushkova Design, Inc dba YAY Designs, she launched an international women’s contemporary apparel brand built around innovative convertible clothing concepts. The company expanded its reach through wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels while maintaining a lean operational structure. Within four years, the brand achieved a fivefold return on investment, demonstrating YAY’s ability to transform a creative concept into a globally recognized product line.
Today, YAY continues to shape the future of the fashion and consumer goods industries through strategic consulting and advisory roles. Through YAY Designs, she partners with retailers, manufacturers, and emerging brands to build high-performing private label programs and optimize product development pipelines. Her consulting work helps organizations improve profitability, streamline operations, and create product assortments that resonate with modern consumers.
Beyond consulting, YAY is deeply committed to advancing innovation within the fashion industry. As co-founder of 99 Yards Academy, she is helping build a platform dedicated to educating designers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders about the evolving intersection of fashion and technology. The initiative focuses on empowering the next generation of creatives with knowledge about artificial intelligence, sustainable production systems, and digital product development tools.
YAY also serves as a business advisor to Patchwork, a company pioneering agile “pull” supply chains that enable brands to significantly reduce excess inventory and deadstock. Through this role, she advocates for a more responsive and sustainable production model that allows companies to manufacture closer to real-time demand rather than relying on traditional forecasting methods that often result in waste and inefficiency.
Education and mentorship are central to YAY’s leadership philosophy. Through her work with Fashionpreneur HUB, she helps bridge the gap between traditional academic education and real-world business experience. By developing curriculum and fostering industry partnerships, she supports students in gaining practical knowledge about product development, entrepreneurship, and strategic brand building.
At the core of YAY’s professional philosophy is the belief that creativity must be supported by strong systems and disciplined execution. While fashion and consumer products often begin with inspiration, lasting brands are built through operational excellence, strategic planning, and effective leadership. Her career reflects a continuous commitment to helping organizations build those systems while empowering teams to innovate and grow.
YAY’s educational background reflects this fusion of creativity and analytical thinking. She received a degree in fashion design from Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) and later earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration and Commercial Art from California State University, Long Beach. Complementing her creative education, she obtained Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification from the University of Southern California, equipping her with advanced expertise in process improvement and operational strategy.
As industries continue to evolve in response to technological disruption, sustainability challenges, and rapidly shifting consumer expectations, YAY remains focused on guiding organizations through this transformation. Through her leadership, mentorship, and strategic insight, she continues to help brands transform ideas into scalable product ecosystems that deliver long-term growth and lasting impact.
Character:
YAY demonstrates integrity, resilience, and a deep commitment to responsible leadership throughout her career. She consistently prioritizes long-term value creation over short-term gains, ensuring that the organizations she works with build sustainable foundations for growth. Her dedication to mentorship and education reflects a genuine desire to elevate both individuals and the broader industry.
Knowledge:
She possesses extensive expertise across product design, merchandising, supply chain strategy, and retail operations. Her more than twenty years of hands-on experience building brands provides her with a comprehensive understanding of the full product lifecycle. She continually applies this knowledge to develop innovative solutions that balance creative vision with operational precision.
Strategic:
Strategic thinking is central to YAY’s leadership approach. She has a proven ability to identify growth opportunities, design scalable operating models, and align cross-functional teams around clear objectives. By combining creative insight with analytical discipline, she helps organizations achieve sustainable competitive advantage in dynamic markets.
Communication:
An effective communicator who connects vision with execution through clear and thoughtful dialogue. She excels at working across multidisciplinary teams, bridging the perspectives of designers, executives, technologists, and operational leaders. Her communication style fosters collaboration, clarity, and shared purpose within organizations.
