We went shopping in Vladimir Putin's Moscow this week. Here's what we found 🧵
Right next to the Kremlin, shelves fully stocked, all the latest gear, a branch of @PaulSmithDesign
16,900 roubles for a tie, 90,000 roubles for a fetching man bag from the latest season (which only arrived in stock a few weeks back)
Spent all week seeking comment from @PaulSmithDesign whose owner Sir Paul was made a Knight of the Realm by Tony Blair. Still waiting.
A few doors down, one of TEN branches of Agent Procateur @TheMissAP still flogging gear to Mr Putin's oligarchs (or their wives)
Agent Provatateur is owned by well known nice guy Mike Ashley. Their Russian locations are advertised on their UK website here (search for Moscow) agentprovocateur.com/store-finder
An assistant told us that the last shipment of new stock arrived just before Christmas and a fresh one is due in March "just in time for International woman's day."
Half a mile away, the big one: @RollsRoyce They are not supposed to be supplying new cars to Russia. But in their showroom we were offered five spanking new 2022 models
Here's one. 57km on the clock. The sales assistant, Igor, said it was made in Goodwood, Sussex last summer and shipped to Moscow via a "CIS" country in the Autumn. Yours for 64m roubles (about £700k)
Rolls-Royce say they are investigating how the five cars, combined value £4m, got to Russia. If they have even vague control of their supply chain, they'll presumably fire the cowboy firms operating their Moscow Franchise. Let's see.
Still trying to work out how these places can legally remain open and fully stocked given that the government supposedly imposed “luxury goods sanctions” on Russia last March. The legislation is here legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/452/…
Either these laws aren’t being properly enforced, or they have more holes in them than a Swiss cheese. I intend to find out what the Hell’s going on in the coming days
Any expert lawyer able to walk me through sanctions and how a scumbag might evade them please get in touch. My DMs are open!
@RollsRoyce It has been pointed out that I have unfairly tagged @RollsRoyce when the actual baddies are @rollsroycecars. Apols to the Derbyshire engine maker!
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Our trip to the @rollsroycecars showroom in central Moscow this week threw up a few surprises 🧵
First: they have brand new cars! Lots of them! £4m worth in fact! All made in Sussex last year and shipped to this terrorist state during the Autumn.
Three are in the showroom and another two in a different place next door. Igor emailed us full details. Here's a "Cullinan" in Arctic white with a gangster-chic "Turchese" interior
A quick 🧵on @PaulSmithDesign and its morally-wonky presence in Vladimir Putin's Russia
Sir Paul's stores in this corrupt gangster state are operated under some sort of partnership/franchise arrangement with Mikhail Kusnirovich, a gazillionaire chum and political ally of Mr Putin. Here are Sir Paul and Mikhail at a party a few years back
Lots of other UK firms operating under similar deals pulled out of Russia as soon as their troops began raping and pillaging their way across Ukraine, eg M&S, Lush, Burberry, Barbour. @PaulSmithDesign is still there and refuses to commment on why