Exclusive T-shirts from President’s merch presented in Minsk on National Unity Day eve
A large number of customers came to see the new items at Minsk’s Stolitsa shopping centre, which houses the store with the Head of State’s merch. The newly-designed goods include three T-shirts with the President’s quote ‘Time has chosen us’ – available in red, green and basic black.
“We are very passionate about new products, and we always think about what occasion to coincide with their release, what semantic load they will carry. Our country is now entering an important electoral period, with presidential election ahead. Many meetings and forums are already taking place throughout the country. It will be even more dynamic further on, and goods with the Head of State’s merch are in high demand at such events,” Chairperson of Bellegprom Concern Tatiana Lugina noted before the start of sales.
“It is not by chance that we chose the phrase that the President very clearly outlined at the 7th Belarusian People’s Congress. He underlined that the world will change rapidly. Sometimes it is not easy to adapt to new conditions, but, as Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed, the time has chosen us. We must continue our efforts to strengthen the sovereignty and economy of our country, no matter what difficulties. We understand the importance of every Belarusian in this large mechanism, in which each of us has a separate role. We need to fulfil those official duties, do the work that time has assigned us. If each of us really conscientiously does their job in the entrusted area for the benefit of the country and the whole people, then Belarus will be able to pass this turbulent time, demonstrating its strength and unity to the whole world,” Ms. Lugina explained exactly what the designers wanted to emphasise with the President’s phrase ‘Time has chosen us’ on the T-shirt.
The new items are really stylish – being perfect for both youngsters and mature people.
The colour scheme is quite calm, because many people take these goods to wear under jackets at work. For those who appreciate colour, blue, green and bluish ‘tops’ are offered.
There are a lot of visitors in the store, and it’s quite clear, since everyone wants to get something new. Having served customers, seller Viktoria Valezhnaya talks about their preferences, “Since September is very warm, men’s and women’s T-shirts remain the most popular merchandise. When it gets a little colder, jumpers with and without a hood will be in good demand, so if you were looking for something warm for autumn, it’s better to buy it in advance while everything is available. Regardless of the season, baseball caps also sell well.”
The top most popular President’s quotes still include ‘Get undressed and work’ and ‘Facts on the table’. These phrases of Aleksandr Lukashenko are so famous that they are chosen not only by Belarusians, but also by foreign tourists. Anton Zanosko, an employee of the Emergencies Ministry, is among the visitors of the store. He says he has a President’s merch model in his wardrobe, “Our President is very eloquent, and his quotes are succinct and powerful. I’m convinced designers have no shortage of bright phrases for new collections. I have already had a T-shirt with the quote ‘They don’t become presidents, they are born presidents’. And his most favourite quote is ‘The power is in the truth’. You can’t say it better. Maybe I’ll get a cap with these words on it.”
If we assess sales from a gender perspective, then items for men are in the lead. According to sellers, girls today prefer oversize, so they often take things from the men’s department.
Meanwhile, there are even more visitors in store. Darya Shestopalova arrived in Minsk from Gomel together with her husband and daughter, and dropped into the Pervyi [First] store.
“I saw the news about the store with our President’s quotes on Instagram, but I’ve never been inside. And so it happened. The T-shirts are cool. Dense, high-quality cotton will last a long time. I’m slightly afraid of the red colour, but I would definitely take the green one for myself,” Darya Shestopalova shares her impressions of the new products.
Answering a question from our reporter about the likelihood of opening an online merch store from the President, Tatiana Lugina promised to explore such a possibility, “Customers are gradually coming to understand that there is not only retail, but also online commerce. The time has come to bring new products from the Head of State to this sphere. In the near future, we will arrange a brainstorming session with our developers, the authors of the project and discuss how to organise it so that it is accessible to everyone.”
The possibility of opening such retail outlets in regional centres is also being considered.
“We approach this issue very scrupulously. We are sensitive to design, product quality, and service level. We want supply and demand to be balanced. In my opinion, there are not enough such places in regional centres. This is especially felt in the current period of the election campaign,” Ms. Lugina noted.
These are not all new items. As always, there is a lot of interesting ahead.
