A Gucci store has popped up in Moscow. With its plush double-G pads, tongue-in-cheek branding and Café Gucci logo, it looks like a real hack, not unlike the Balenciaga hack the luxury house undertook a few years ago.
However, Gucci has ceased operations in Russia – like most international brands since Russia invaded Ukraine. The Gucci-inspired restaurant has since been confirmed as an unauthorized pop-up restaurant. Gucci said last week it had “given no consent, permission or rights, contractual or otherwise, to open and operate this facility to anyone”.
On closer inspection, while the execution is far from Gucci’s true quality – the fabrics, the workmanship, the tableware – the entrepreneurs behind the café weren’t about copying Gucci’s distinctive standards, but about the local people, who miss the presence of Western brands since the sanctions in the country, bring back a familiar luxury.
A GUCCI cafe has been opened in Russia — without Gucci’s permission, of course. The logo is an upside-down GUCCI CAFE, and the furniture inside is upholstered in fabric with GG monograms. The owners also applied for trademarks: inverted GUCCI, DOM GUCCI, and GUCCI CAFE. pic.twitter.com/Q895bqd1ye
— младоолігархат (@Oh_89) April 10, 2023
With the backwards and upside down logo above the entrance and the slightly different placement of the Gs on the monogram pad, the operators believe they have not infringed copyright. Rather, they put a smile on the faces of customers who, instead of buying bags, can enjoy the fake Gucci furniture.
The exodus of global brands and retailers from Ikea to Levi’s came with export restrictions first imposed by the United States and European Union. Many fashion companies have voluntarily withdrawn or temporarily ceased operations in Russia. Some others, like Zara parent Inditex, have sold their Russian operations to local companies and continue to offer their products under new labels and through less direct distribution channels.
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.uk.