Kalashnikov To Present New Clothing Line in September

Kalashnikov plans to open 60 new shops offering traditional weaponry along with its own brand of clothes and accessories by year end.

As Vladimir Dmitriev, the Marketing Director of the company, told Izvestia, because of the sanctions against Russia the Concern had to seriously revise its marketing strategy. Before the sanctions, up to 70 per cent of hunting and sports rifles were sold to Europe and the US.

After losing those markets, Kalashnikov has turned to the home consumer, offering unlicensed civilian products among others.   So the idea to produce its own sports and casual clothing line as well as souvenirs was born.

"I have many years' experience in the automotive industry and I do not understand why we do not have our own brand of clothes and accessories. Up to 10% of sales of such giants as Caterpillar and Ferrari comes from their own clothing brand. Kalashnikov is an international brand and we have all the reasons to believe that clothes and souvenirs bearing our symbol will be as popular with customers as our main products," Vladimir Dmitriev told the news agency.

"Military style, military trends in clothing are currently popular all over the world," the fashion designer Vyacheslav Zaitsev told Izvestia. "And if we create a clothing line in a professional way, I think this will be a very good business. And in case of Kalashnikov it is even better because its own name will contribute to success — the brand the whole world links with one of the main symbols of Russia."

Kalashnikov is still working on its civilian clothing line. It is going to be presented at the Army-2016 Forum in Kubinka, Moscow, this September. The Concern is going to present not only their own brand of clothes and accessories, but also an updated line of small arms at the Forum.