A Russian fashion brand is selling ‘Stalin jackets’ with a £1,300 price tag
A new Russian brand has launched a fashion collection inspired by none other than Joseph Stalin, the former Soviet dictator responsible for as many as six million deaths.
From the 1920s until his death in 1953, the wartime leader ruled through fear and violence, with his totalitarian regime condemned for overseeing famines that killed millions of people, ethnic cleansing and mass executions.
But Moscow-based label NewRuBrand24 chose to honour the anniversary of the brutal Bolshevik’s death by recreating the uniform he wore during his reign of terror.
Stalin’s silhouette was boxy, with broad shoulders and a commanding posture, reflecting the authoritarian ethos of the era.
The price tag for looking like the dictator? A staggering 150,000 rubles (£1,300).
But what is particularly heinous about this launch is the choice of location for the ad campaign.
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It was shot in Ukrainian cities ravaged by Russia’s bombardment – places destroyed and occupied by Vladimir Putin’s army.
The model is shown walking along streets emptied of Ukrainians, surrounded by rubble and buildings where life once flourished.
The contrast of the ‘Stalin’ jackets against the backdrop of this devastation only adds fuel to the fire.
Similar attire was also worn by Putin’s mouthpiece and former president of Russia, Dmitrii Medvedev, on Monday as he stood up in front of hundreds of people and declared: ‘Ukraine is, of course, Russia.’
The brand said about the launch: ‘Stalin’s jacket – the premiere on a memorable date.
Dmitry Medvedev also wore a similar jacket at a public speech in Sochi (Picture: East2West)
‘The jacket has become one of our business cards. It is called “Stalinist”, since the “father of nations” always wore a strict suit in military fashion.
‘On this memorable date, March 5, we are presenting a new model of our jacket – in it we beat the famous Stalinist suit.’
Queues were shown outside the flashy Moscow store as it opened for the first time earlier this week.
But the reaction has not been what NewRuBrand24 may have hoped for.
Under a post on Instagram, one comment read: ‘You urgently need to change something, start with a psychologist!’
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