Edited by Amanda Gabriele on
It’s not often that 14-year-old interests become career choices. For Yelena Yemchuk, pursuing her love of photography was a no brainer. Yemchuk was born in Kiev, Ukraine and moved to the United States with her family at age 11. Her passion for photography and film grew throughout her childhood and followed her to college. She studied fine art and graphic design at Parson’s in New York. She then jetted to the West Coast to finish her education at the Art Center in Pasadena, California.
Yemchuk has a well-rounded portfolio that includes directing music videos and holding solo shows for her work in both painting and photography. Nowadays, she is balancing her time between clients in New York and Europe. She has shot ad campaigns for fashion powerhouses like Christian Lacroix, Cacharel, Vera Wang, Kenzo and Dries Van Noten. Yemchuk’s editorial contributions include The New Yorker, Japanese and Italian Vogues, V Magazine and i-D.
I stole my first pair of platforms from the Spice Bus in 1997 when Anglophilia was all the rage. Collector of vintage bags, vinyl and kitchen appliances. My dream of becoming a butcher is momentarily on hiatus so I can teach you how to wear muumuus and apply false eyelashes. Follow me on Twitter @CrystlMeatballs.