--- title: "Sergey Byzov, a Ukrainian Fashion Week Co-Founder and Pioneer of Ukrainian Fashion, Passes Away" description: "Ukrainian designer Sergey Byzov, a co-founder of Ukrainian Fashion Week, has died at 57. His death was announced on November 10. Colleagues remember him as a pioneer of 1990s domestic fashion." date: 2026-11-10T14:42:20.045Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/sergey-byzov-ukrainian-fashion-week-cofounder-dies tags: [ukrainian-fashion-week, sergey-bizzov, designer, fashion, kyiv] author: "Darya Fomina" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Sergey Byzov, a Ukrainian Fashion Week Co-Founder and Pioneer of Ukrainian Fashion, Passes Away ![Sergey Byzov with colleagues at a Ukrainian fashion show in the 1990s](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/10/umer-dizayner-sergey-bizov-osnovatel-ukrainian-fashion-week/umer-dizayner-sergey-bizov-osnovatel-ukrainian-fashion-week-1.webp) ## Key Points - Sergey Byzov, a co-founder of Ukrainian Fashion Week, has died at 57; his death was announced on November 10. - He was born on November 19, 1968, in Kryvyi Rih, worked in Kyiv from 1994, and was among the 13 designers of the first «Fashion Seasons» in 1997. - In February 2022, following a 21-year hiatus, he opened the 50th UFW season with the HEART RATE streetwear collection. - Colleagues Iryna Danylevska and Lilia Pustovit publicly recalled his contribution to the creation of the Ukrainian fashion industry. Ukrainian designer Sergey Byzov, one of the co-founders of Ukrainian Fashion Week and a key figure in domestic fashion during the 1990s and 2000s, has passed away at the age of 57. His death became known on November 10, as announced in an official statement by the Ukrainian Fashion Week organizing committee. Byzov stood at the origins of Ukraine's main fashion event and spent decades shaping its face, remaining one of those who "created a place for Ukrainian fashion in this country," as designer Lilia Pustovit noted in her memoirs. ### From Kryvyi Rih to Kyiv: Entering the Profession Sergey Byzov was born on November 19, 1968, in Kryvyi Rih. After graduating from the Kryvyi Rih Mining Institute, he began his professional journey at the local House of Models. In 1992, he opened the city's first private atelier, and starting in 1994, he lived and worked in Kyiv, where he founded his own atelier and developed his personal brand. It was this transition from an industrial city to the capital that became the starting point for his career in national and international fashion. ### The "Fashion Seasons" from Which Ukrainian Fashion Week Grew In November 1997, the first "Fashion Seasons" took place at the Kyiv Actor's House — a project that later evolved into Ukrainian Fashion Week. Byzov was among the 13 Ukrainian designers who presented their collections at this show. According to Lilia Pustovit's recollections, it was during those years that Byzov became the first to stage a fashion show in the halls of the National Museum in Kyiv, which required considerable courage at the time. He later collaborated with the multi-brand stores Sanahunt, Spazio, and The Icon, expanding the presence of Ukrainian design in retail. ### A Return After a 21-Year Hiatus In February 2022, Sergey Byzov returned to runway shows after a 21-year break to open the 50th season of Ukrainian Fashion Week. His show was dedicated to the HEART RATE streetwear collection: this brand was founded by Svitlana Surkis, while the designer served as its fashion director. Returning to the runways at the project's half-century milestone was a symbolic gesture by a man who once laid its foundations. ### Memories of Colleagues Ukrainian Fashion Week co-founder Iryna Danylevska recalled on Facebook the night in a kitchen on Desiatynna Street in Kyiv when she, along with Byzov and Volodymyr Nechyporuk, discussed the concept, rules, and format of the upcoming Fashion Week: "Remembering that night in the smoky kitchen at my place and Volodya Nechyporuk's on Desiatynna, when Ukrainian Fashion Week was actually born — its concept, rules, and format. Remembering Sergey's collection shows, the standard of which still impresses. I remember our work at l'Officiel. Thank you. I will remember..." Lilia Pustovit, in turn, added: "When I think of Sergey, I hear Björk. Kyiv, the nineties, the halls of the National Museum. Sergey was the first to stage a show there. Today it's hard to feel what courage that required back then." ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Умер дизайнер Сергей Бызов - один из основателей Ukrainian Fashion Week](https://wave.rbc.ua/ukr/style/pomer-sergiy-bizov-odin-iz-zasnovnikiv-ukrainian-1794318584.html) - Primary source: date of death (November 10), age 57, biography (Kryvyi Rih, 1968, mining institute, atelier in 1992, Kyiv since 1994), «Fashion Seasons» 1997, 13 designers, 50th UFW season in February 2022, HEART RATE collection, quotes from Danylevska and Pustovit. - [Умер дизайнер и один из основателей Ukrainian Fashion Week Сергей Бызов](https://kp.ua/culture/a738618-umer-dizajner-i-odin-iz-osnovatelej-ukrainian-fashion-week-serhej-byzov) - Confirms passing, UFW co-founder status, UFW Telegram channel announcement, Lilia Pustovit's quote about the first show in the National Museum halls and Paris in 1996, biographical details. ## FAQ ### Who was Sergey Byzov? A Ukrainian designer and co-founder of Ukrainian Fashion Week who stood at the origins of the «Fashion Seasons» project from which UFW grew. ### When did his death become known? Sergey Byzov's death became known on November 10, when the Ukrainian Fashion Week organizing committee released a statement. ### What is he remembered for in Ukrainian fashion history? He was the first to hold a fashion show in the halls of the National Museum in Kyiv, was among the 13 designers of the 1997 «Fashion Seasons», and in 2022, after a 21-year break, opened the 50th UFW season with the HEART RATE collection.