Good Design Australia celebrates Sasha Titchkosky, co-founder and CEO of Koskela, for her pioneering work in sustainable design, circular business and social impact by awarding her the 2025 Women in Design Award.
In 2000, Titchkosky and her partner Russel Koskela founded Koskela, now one of Australia’s leading sustainability pioneers in furniture and design. From day one their goal was to make things locally, make them well and make them last.
Two decades later, Koskela remains a benchmark for responsible design as Australia’s first certified furniture B Corporation and a leader in sustainable, Australian-made products for workplaces, schools and homes.
Titchkosky is steering the company towards full circularity by 2027 and absolute-zero emissions by 2035, challenging the linear ‘make, use, discard’ model that dominates modern consumerism.
For her, circularity means accountability at every stage.
“[Circularity] means that you take responsibility for a product from the way it’s designed, what goes into it, how you can extend its life for as long as possible and then you take responsibility for it at the end of life,” she states on the Good Design website.
“You build the products to be able to be pulled apart into its components and ideally to go back into the manufacturing of another product.”
While women continue to bring invaluable perspectives to design, Titchkosky thinks the design industry is generally tough, particularly in Australia.
“We haven’t had a great history of understanding what designers do and how it’s far more than just aesthetics or the end appearance of something. There hasn’t been that respect for design like there is in other cultures.
“As for women, it’s quite a hard field to break into. There are some amazing women designers in Australia. I’ve noticed that women can bring a deeper appreciation for the emotional connection a product can create and that’s often what drives their thinking from the start of the design process,” she adds.
“In terms of structural issues, I don’t really know how you overcome them. I don’t think there’s a quick fix. But I think awards like this one are a really great recognition. I think they are still needed, which is kind of really interesting given that we’re in 2025.”
