Meet the Artisan

Los Angeles
Leena Simuli, Yaya Situation
After a highly successful fashion career, designing for such esteemed companies as St. John, Jill Sander and Stella McCarthy, Leena Similu decided to try sculpting clay. And wow. A British transplant in LA, she found herself inspired by her Cameroonian roots when she was pregnant with her son, Cosmo, born in 2017.
So, she experimented with clay, and like most things she’s tried, she created magic with her sharp instinct and fearless talent. And in keeping with her intrinsic motivation, she named her studio Yaya Situation – after her West African grandmother, Yaya. Leena’s popular interpretations in clay will attract attention and start conversations wherever you display them.