KZRZ – Skating, Fixed Bikes, Bags, and a War

Maksym makes great-looking bags and accessories under his brand KZRZ in Dnipro, Ukraine. I reached out to him about a month ago when Russia’s invasion had just started. I am thankful he found time to get back to me amidst all this craziness. Read the interview below, and please check out his Instagram @kzrz_limited!

Hi Maksym, thanks for taking the time for this interview! Please let us know where you are based and how the situation is at the moment.

Hello there, my name is Maksym; I am from Ukraine from the city of Dnipro, located on the banks of the Dnieper River (one of the longest rivers in Europe); this is one of the largest industrial cities in Ukraine. With about 980,000 people, the city is the fourth most populous in Ukraine. Dnipro is known for a large number of metallurgical plants. The city is considered the “space capital of Ukraine” thanks to Yuzhmash, a large Ukrainian space-rocket manufacturing enterprise, which made the design of the 1st stage of the American Antares launch vehicle and the engine for the stage of another European launch vehicle, and much more. The city has a wide range of different educational facilities and 17 universities, which offer more than 300 study programs for Ukrainian and international students. Dnipro is a multicultural city. We have the world’s largest Jewish public complex, “Menorah,” cathedrals and churches from the 18th century. And even though Dnipro is an industrial city, it has a significant number of parks and recreational areas, and it’s not flooded with skyscrapers, so we could still enjoy the sunlight on a bright sunny day. But that’s all like a story from the past now; the war painted everything in dark colors.

On February 24 at 05:29 (am), I was awakened by explosions.

On February 24 at 05:29 (am), I was awakened by explosions. Until recently, I did not believe that this could be a sign of the start of hostilities by Russia. I sat for a while, did not hear any more explosions, so I went back to sleep. In the morning, when I woke up, thanks to the news, I learned that the Russian army had launched a full-scale invasion of the territory of Ukraine. For two or three days, I did not know what to do as my sewing workshop was dismantled entirely, and I was in the process of moving to another place. I stood between the choice of joining the territorial defense or somehow helping the volunteers with the tailoring of tactical equipment. Since I have no combat experience and I have never held a weapon in my hands, I’ve decided to throw a sofa and two armchairs out of the apartment to free up space and arrange sewing equipment in my apartment so that I can be at least somehow useful to volunteers and the Ukrainian army. I also created a Telegram chat where I gathered all my former competitors in the clothing business, who also produced bike bags, backpacks, and hiking equipment.

There are more than 800 like-minded people who share patterns, drawings, fabrics.

I also invited all fabric suppliers, sales managers, so that we could help each other in real time in creating equipment for the Ukrainian army. The chat was called “Sewing Army” now
 There are more than 800 like-minded people who share patterns, drawings, fabrics. As for security… If you look at the map, Dnipro is located in the central part of Ukraine, there are no Russian military operations in the city or in the region. But sometimes missiles of the Russian army arrive, in most cases the anti-aircraft defense system destroys the missiles while still in the air, but some missiles still fly into the city. Fortunately, most of the affected facilities were industrial areas and the number of deaths is much less than in other cities. Up to date, the city of Mariupol, the city of Chernihiv and a great part of Kharkov have been wiped off the face of the earth. The entire infrastructure : civil, educational and medical facilities have vanished , the number of people who stayed under these ruins is terrifying.

How is your business impacted, has everything stopped?

My business has completely stopped; now, I work exclusively for the army’s needs as long as I have enough fabric, braid, and accessories stocks. But unfortunately, it all ends quickly, and there is practically no opportunity to purchase it in Ukraine. I tried to look for suppliers in Europe, and literally today, I arranged a sale on my Instagram page for the rest of the products that I did not manage to sell. Despite the war, the postal service of Ukraine continues its work; in addition, the inhabitants of Ukraine waited for Paypal to enter the territory of Ukraine, which significantly simplifies financial transactions between clients. In the coming days, I plan to post on Instagram with data for monetary donations, thanks to which I will be able to buy fabrics and accessories. If I don’t have the opportunity, I can always transfer this money to state volunteer organizations to help the Ukrainian army. Since the beginning of the war, many of my European friends have responded with help and support, which is extremely helpful and boosts morale. I bow to all of them, and many thanks from the entire Ukrainian people.

What is your prediction about the future?

No matter how sad it is, I think more and more that this can affect all countries on different continents of the whole world and develop into the 3rd World War. Of course, we all pray that this does not happen, but no one expected that the neighboring “friendly” state could take away part of the territory, unleash a war in eastern Ukraine and subsequently go on a full-scale offensive invasion with the total destruction of cities and the genocide of the Ukrainian people.

…no one expected that the neighboring “friendly” state could take away part of the territory, unleash a war in eastern Ukraine and subsequently go on a full-scale offensive invasion

On my own behalf, I want to add that the wording “Only Putin is to blame for the war” is categorically not correct, the war is going on with the Russian people who support the present government. At the moment, according to the latest information from independent polls, the war on the territory of Ukraine is supported by 70% of Russian citizens. Cities and villages in Ukraine are destroyed by the Russian army Putin only gives orders, all this is done by Russian people who bomb maternity hospitals, schools, civilian infrastructure, cultural heritage.

Let us know about yourself and how or why you started the brand!

I am a skateboarder with more than 20 years of experience, I have been riding a board since 2001. Back in 2004 I decided to sew a skateboard cover for myself. It was an ordinary hand-operated sewing machine. I had no experience in sewing and understanding in fabrics. I bought camouflage tarp and tried to sew something like a skateboard cover. It worked out pretty well, I even managed to sell a few to my skater friends. But since it was very difficult to find fabrics and accessories in my city and in Ukraine in general, I quickly abandoned this occupation. Then in 2012 I was introduced to the culture of fixed gear. I quickly fell in love because it seemed to me the same punk rock and hooliganism as a skateboard. Friends helped me assemble my first setup, it was an old steel track frame made in Ukraine by KhVZ (Kharkiv Bicycle Plant). In the same year, while riding a skateboard, I injured my knee meniscus and my career as a professional skater was over. I started getting more involved with fixed gear. You can say, “Not a good idea for a guy with meniscus issues” (laughs) but that didn’t stop me. In 2015, I had to undergo knee surgery. The doctors recommended that I stay at home for 2-3 weeks. In order not to go crazy, I bought the simplest household sewing machine. Before the operation, I needed a good bicycle bag for long trips, and I decided to sew something for myself while I was at home in rehab. I came up with a good bag that all my friends appreciated and said: “It feels like this bag was made in a facto.” As I said, this is 2015 and this is the time of the first hostilities in eastern Ukraine, the occupation of part of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. At that time, my friends joined a volunteer battalion and needed gun cases so that they could move with them in transport and around the city. Of course they asked me to help, to which I gladly agreed. So I earned my first money on tailoring. Of course it was a symbolic cost, I did not take full payment from friends. Thus, I realized that sewing can make money.

While skateboarding, I got a nickname Kazarez, which translates into English as Goat Butcher

While skateboarding, I got the nickname Kazarez, which translates into English as Goat Butcher (laughs). Friends insisted on naming the company Kazarez, as I am known under this nickname among skaters and fixers all over Ukraine. But I decided to make a simplified name hence the abbreviation KZRZ. But to be honest, I still don’t like this idea (laughs). In 2017, I created the first model of a bag called the Street slayer, combining compactness, reliability, versatility, and style. It took about a year to develop the bag to achieve the perfect design, and so in 2017, the world saw the Street Slayer model fanny pack with the KZRZ tag. In the future, I proceeded from the needs of cyclists and made bags that could make their life easier. Trying to make a neutral appearance so as not to borrow someone else’s design is very difficult in the cycling industry. Currently, behind KZRZ are 38 countries that have chosen my products. And all this thanks to Steff Gutovska (@steff.gutovska), who, having received my first bag, marked me in the story, and cyclists from all over Europe learned about me. Now Stefa came to Ukraine from Oslo and is engaged in volunteer activities on the border with Ukraine. She is a powerful and courageous girl, exactly like all other people who help the Ukrainian army and the Ukrainian people.

What is your vision for the future of KZRZ?

 I really dream of my personal workshop, which would be not just a workplace but also a great place for my friends and clients to relax. I can tell you exactly when it will all be over, and I will finish sewing the last tactical equipment; I will hug each of my friends, each sales manager who helped me look for fabric and accessories.

I really dream of my personal workshop, which would be not just a workplace, but also a great place for my friends and clients to relax.

All my friends were waiting for a big courier messenger from me (laughs very hard); I have been promising for more than a year, so that is something to be accomplished first. I do not have a specific vision of development; we will help rebuild destroyed cities and help those in need for a long time. Against the background of all this, I will gradually get involved in the work, gain new experience and make new acquaintances. Today is the 28th of March. I am giving you this interview, I am still alive, and none of us knows what will happen tomorrow. But each of the Ukrainians believes in victory and wholeheartedly expects a peaceful sky.

Check out KZRZ on Instagram @kzrz_limited. They ship worldwide, and you can enquire directly via Instagram direct message. Please support Maksym and the Ukrainian cause. I will post a link where you can donate directly to Maksym and his cause later this week.

Update 7 Apr 2022: Maksym posted the following message on his IG (for safety, I am not sharing the bank account details, please contact me at florian@yellowcrank.com or go to the KZRZ Instagram account. You can, of course, also just use the provided PayPal details).

Greetings friends, since the first days of the war, many of you have been interested in the possibility of supporting KZRZ, until the last moment I counted on my own strength and delayed this moment as long as possible. Therefore, if you have a desire to support the Ukrainian army, data for donations will be provided below. The proceeds will be used to purchase fabric, accessories, webbing tape and everything that is needed for tailoring military equipment.

PayPal
kzrzlimited@gmail.com

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