Sergiy Byzov dies: co-founder of Ukrainian Fashion Week passes away at 57

Known details about the death of the outstanding designer

Ukrainian fashion has suffered a loss: Sergiy Byzov, one of the founders of Ukrainian Fashion Week, has died. The designer was 57 years old. His death was announced on the official Ukrainian Fashion Week page.

Reminiscences from colleagues

Iryna Danylivska, co-founder of Ukrainian Fashion Week, shared personal memories, recalling the moment the project idea was born. "Пам’ятатиму ту ніч, у прокуреній кухні у нас з Володею Нечипоруком на Десятинній, коли, власне, і народився Український тиждень моди – його концепція, правила і формат. Пам’ятатиму покази колекцій Сергія, рівень яких вражає і досі. Пам’ятатиму нашу роботу в L’Officiel. Дякую тобі, Сергію, за "планку", яку ти завжди тримав" (I will remember that night, in the smoky kitchen of ours and Volodymyr Nechiporuk's in Desyatynna, when, in fact, the Ukrainian Fashion Week was born – its concept, rules and format. I will remember the shows of Sergiy's collections, the level of which still amazes me. I will remember our work at L'Officiel. Thank you, Sergiy, for the "standard" you always maintained), – she wrote.

Designer Liliya Pustovit recalled Byzov's first show at the National Museum. "Коли я думаю про Сергія, я чую Бйорк. Київ, дев’яності, зали Національного музею. Сергій першим зробив там показ. Сьогодні важко відчути, якої сміливості це вимагало тоді. А він уже чув, як у цих залах звучатиме Бйорк" (When I think about Sergiy, I hear Björk. Kyiv, the nineties, the halls of the National Museum. Sergiy was the first to hold a show there. It is hard to feel today how much courage that required at the time. And he already heard how Björk would sound in these halls), – she said.

Liliya Pustovit also emphasised the multifaceted talent of the deceased: "був надзвичайно талановитим і енергійним. У ньому поєднувалися дизайнер, стиліст, архітектор простору і дизайнер інтер’єрів, у нього був абсолютний слух і почуття музики. Він задумував кожен простір цілком, від архітектури й інтер’єру до вибору марок і першого показу. Він змінив Sanahunt. Відкрив там крутий ресторан, у 2000-х привів новітні бренди. Він придумав Spazio, на відкритті якого влаштував показ, де хлопці вийшли в спідницях Comme des Garçons. Потім був створений The Icon" (he was exceptionally talented and energetic. In him were combined a designer, stylist, space architect and interior designer; he had perfect pitch and a sense of music. He conceived every space entirely, from architecture and interior to the choice of brands and the first show. He transformed Sanahunt. He opened a cool restaurant there, brought in the latest brands in the 2000s. He came up with Spazio, at the opening of which he held a show where the guys walked out in Comme des Garçons skirts. Then The Icon was created).

Biography and career

Sergiy Byzov was born on 19 November in Kryvyi Rih. He graduated from the Kryvyi Rih Mining Institute and worked at the Kryvyi Rih House of Models. In 1992, the master founded the first private atelier in his hometown. Later, he opened an atelier in Moscow, where he presented his first collections. The designer lived and worked in Kyiv.

Byzov became one of the initiators of holding Fashion Seasons in Ukraine and founded his own atelier "Sergiy Byzov".