Midtown Blogger/Manhattan Valley Follies: Prague Post- Putin Inspires Cologne

Putin inspires cologne

Category: World News

Published: 26 December 2015

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Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Presidential Press and Information Service

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New scent out just in time for Russian holidays, but gifts with his name aren't always received graciously

A new men’s cologne is being sold in Moscow called Leaders Number One, with the text “Inspired by Vladimir Putin” on the bottle along with the Russian leader’s silhouette. Putin has been Russia's president from 2000 to 2008 and again since 2012. He was prime minister in the interim, due to Russian laws on term limits.

The rectangular black glass bottle is on sale at a stand in Moscow’s GUM department store and online, according to Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda.

The bottle reportedly sells for 6,000 rubles, the equivalent of $85, for 100 milliliters. Only a limited edition of 2,000 bottles will be sold only until Jan. 20.

The cologne is intended for gift giving on Jan. 1, which is the traditional day in Russia, as opposed to Dec. 24 or 25 in much of the world.

The lettering and silhouette are in a thin layer of platinum on the bottle. The scents include lemon, bergamot and black currant at first, with cedar, balsam and musk becoming prominent later.

The scent was designed in France and the bottle in Italy. The man behind the development of the cologne was Vlad Rekunov, a native of Belarus. The idea came from Maxim Fomichyov, the editor in chief of Leaders magazine in Russia — explaining the name Leaders Number One.

Fomichyov cited Putin’s high popularity in Russia for the choice of using his name and likeness. Polls reported in Russian media put Putin’s popularity at around 90 percent.

There is no word on whether Putin has actually used the cologne, but some has been sent to him by the makers.

In related news, Putin also appears in a new 2016 calendar fishing without his shirt, posing with puppies, signing autographs, lifting weights and appearing at major political and public events.

But gifts with his name and likeness do not always go over very well. Remigijus Šimašius — the mayor of Vilnius, Lithuania — took to social media to complain when he was sent a bottle of Putin vodka from the Russian Embassy this year as a holiday gift.

He posted a picture of the bottle on Twitter on Dec. 18 with the text: “Got [it] for Christmas from [the] Russian ambassador. To send it back or to sell to collect some $ for Russian freedom fighters?”

Got for Christmas from Russian ambasador. To send it back or to sell to collect some $ for Russian freedom fighters? pic.twitter.com/L5knJOxQqp
— Remigijus Šimašius (@RemiSimasius) December 18, 2015

Three days later his anger had not died down. On Dec. 21 he tweeted: “Is there any other country in the world, whose ambassador gives vodka named after its president as a Christmas gift?”

Tensions between the Baltic States and Russia have been high since Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014, and the subsequent crisis in eastern Ukraine.

Is there any other country in the world, whose ambasador gives vodka named after it's president as a Christmas gift?
— Remigijus Šimašius (@RemiSimasius) December 21, 2015

Marketing colognes based on politicians in not new. The US store Caswell-Massey has been marketing the fragrance used by first US president George Washington since the late 1700s as well as more recent fragrances used by Dwight Eisenhower (scented soap only) and John F. Kennedy.

The perfumer Creed, now based in Paris, was reportedly used by British, French and Spanish royalty.

Penhaligon's Ltd and J. Floris Ltd both currently have permission from different members of the British royal family to advertise that they supply the members with toiletries.

Ad showing the bottle and packaging of Leaders Number One: