About Yana Brikker
Arriving in Canada with her parents from St Petersburg, Russia, with nothing more than a few suitcases and the mere clothing on her back, life for 10 year-old Yana was not easy. Being at the helm of needing to relearn everything she held dear in her past life, one thing remained untouched, and that was the importance the role of fashion had played in her life from a very young age.
During her adolescent childhood, Yana spent a lot of time admiring her grandmother’s unique artisan hand-worked clothing and methods of outfit preparation. A seamstress and educator at the Fashion Design Academy by trade, Yana still speaks fondly of her as she recalls the stories from her past. As the popular adage goes, “the apple does not fall far from the tree”, rings particularly true when one takes a look at Yana’s mother's impeccable style. Until this very day, she still assists Yana with her extravagant outfit preparation for major events and ceremonies.
It wasn’t until Yana garnered a stronger command of the written and spoken English language, did her career path steer on an upward trajectory that still shows no signs of slowing down. Despite being raised in a fashion forward family, Yana’s unique style has always differed from that of the North American mainstream. From being a Russian immigrant to working on the high-end fashion strip of Bloor Street, Yana never lost sight of her one true passion - her love for fashion! Blessed with a keen eye, and giving heart, it didn’t take long before Yana's friends sought her fashion advice and counsel. Quickly gaining a reputation as a fashion stylist of sorts and an influencer in her social circles, her bubbly personality and distinctive voice had earned Yana close ties within the fashion industry, as well as business community.
Unbeknown to her at the time, a walk along Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles would have changed her world completely! After stumbling across the lesser- known brand in Canada at the time (Ed Hardy) and spending way more than she would have liked to on the trendy, fashion - forward clothing, the admiration she drew from her friends and family when she got back to Canada sparked the idea of starting a wholesale fashion distribution business. It was not before long Luxury Life Brands Inc. was co-founded and managed under Yana and backed by her amazing team. Revolutionary at the time in Canada, Luxury Life Brands Inc. introduced brands such as Ed Hardy, Roberto Cavalli and Deepak Chopra with exclusive rights to the mainstream Canadian fashion scene.
As they say, the rest is history. Fast-forward a few years and Ask Yana Inc., the brain child of her philanthropic personality, was born. Ask Yana Inc. was created for people with fashion and passion in mind. As a business, our mission is to completely transform people and their lifestyles.