Editor’s Note
Ukrainian jewelry brand Guzema marks its 10th anniversary with a major milestone: the opening of its first U.S. store. Founder Valeriya reflects on her journey from fashion editor to designer.
Ukrainian jewelry brand Guzema is celebrating multiple milestones this year as it turns 10 and opens its first store in the United States.
Valeriya, what inspired you to transition from fashion editor to jewelry designer and found Guzema in 2016?
“One day, I thought about if I would like to create something, what that would be? I understood that jewelry is the thing I really admire. I was thinking about what it would look like if I would express Ukrainian femininity, Ukrainian symbolism, what kind of shapes I would use if I would express this type of woman. That interested me a lot, and I decided to start.”
“Now I’m laughing with this story, but when I first told this story, I didn’t tell it very lightly. It was about how I was doing at the time, because I didn’t have a lot of money and I didn’t have the capital this industry usually requires for opening a jewelry brand.”
“That’s why I went to my parents. I asked my mom, ‘Maybe you can help me with some money,’ because at that time, I didn’t earn enough. She opened our grandmother’s jewelry box. It’s quite small, but we had it, and we found my grandpa’s [gold] teeth.”
“For me, it was important that the jewelry describes a woman’s beauty, not just catch your eye, but that you feel very special in it.”
What has your experience been creating jewelry during the war in Ukraine?
“I’m a sensitive person, and it touched me so deeply that I just couldn’t find any inspiration. Then I understood that I would show [the impact through] jewelry.”
“That’s why the war had such an influence on me and on the brand and on our collections as well. The culture, the crafts, the jewelry—all this beauty, it didn’t stop just because of war.”
“We have jewelry like a flower of Narbut (a brooch inspired by Ukrainian artist Heorhiy Narbut from which a portion of the proceeds are donated to the Ukrainian School of Political Studies).”
“We worked with the Ukrainian designers. I feel like this space has a combination of both the arts. It’s jewelry, the arts, and something deeply personal.”
Where do you two see your jewelry brand 10 years from now?
Valeriya Guzema and Mariana Lenha look back on the last decade and discuss the Ukrainian brand’s first U.S. store.
Guzema’s founder and creative director Valeriya Guzema (left) and co-owner and CEO Mariana Lenha (right) sat down for a Q&A with National Jeweler ahead of the opening of the brand’s first U.S. store.
The brand was founded in 2016 by former fashion journalist and designer Valeriya Guzema in Kyiv, Ukraine, and has become known for its timeless pieces that evoke a refined, feminine minimalism through geometric shapes.
Over the last decade, it has released more than 20 collections and opened three locations in and around Kyiv.
Since the Russia-Ukraine War began in 2022, the brand has branched out.
Three years ago, it established a U.S. base for its global headquarters, which is led by co-owner and CEO Mariana Lenha.
On Wednesday, it opened its first U.S. store at 112 Wooster St. in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood.
The 1,100-square-foot store was designed in collaboration with Ukrainian architect and designer Victoria Yakusha of Yakusha Studio. The space features soft gray tones and a nearly monochromatic palette punctuated by Yakusha’s “Faina” collection of furniture, lighting, and décor, as well as bespoke works by contemporary artisans.
