The Man in the Olive Green Tee, How Zelensky of Ukraine transformed the meaning of a piece of cotton

[Demovictory9]

The Man in the Olive Green Tee
How President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine transformed the meaning of a piece of cotton.




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But over the last four weeks, as the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has shed his former navy suits, white shirts and ties — the uniform of the politician — for the T-shirt, wearing it in his daily videos to his country; in his speeches to the European Parliament, to the British Parliament, to the American Congress; in his interview over the weekend with CNN (and his widely tweeted Zoom call with supporters Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis). It has become something more: a symbol of the strength and patriotism of the Ukrainian people, a host of values and purpose packed into an outline everyone knows.

Along with the photos of bodies lying lifeless on the streets, and bombed out theaters and apartment buildings, it will be one of the defining images of the conflict. It is a metaphor in cloth for the growing narrative of a Russian Goliath and Ukrainian David, of hubris and heroism, that is being played out in blood and arms.

The T-shirt is a reminder of Mr. Zelensky’s origins as a regular guy; a connection between him and the citizen-soldiers fighting on the streets; a sign he shares their hardship. He could, as the commander in chief, have remained in his formal wear, as Churchill did when he visited the bombed-out sites of Coventry in his black homburg, overcoat and bow tie in World War II. That Mr. Zelensky choose instead to adopt what may be the single most accessible garment around — the T-shirt — is as clear a statement of solidarity with his people as any of his rhetoric.

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And in his dress, as in his actions and his words, Mr. Zelensky has placed himself in opposition to the guy on the other side: President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, famous for his elaborate, gilded palaces and his love of a luxury label; his Cartier sunglasses and Patek Philippe watches.

Even addressing the crowd during a rally in Moscow on March 18 celebrating Russia’s annexation of Crimea and “universal values,” Mr. Putin wore a Loro Piana puffer that costs more than $10,000

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/21/style/volodymyr-zelensky-t-shirt.html

[Sapient Donkey]

1. They've been really good with this sort of stuff

I mean, the people in Ukraine have won me over. Their PR/propaganda is very effective. Although, they get a huge bonus considering they are in a very sympathetic situation and Russia/Putin is easy to to dislike.

[calimary]

2. David versus Goliath, 2022-style.

[Sapient Donkey]

3. Yeah, that's definitely a large part of it.

I don't want to get into this discussion too much now, but I think the country that it's happening to also plays a role. This point has been mentioned by many, but a good portion of them are doing so in order to distract from Russia's actions, as opposed to it being a good faith discussion about a real issue. I'm not going to play into that right, but at some point when things settle I think it will be worth addressing.

[tanyev]

4. Pootie's coat cost over $10,000?

Who the heck would spend that much money on a puffer coat?

[mitch96]

5. When you have more money than you know what to do with?? O'l Vlad Putin.He would spend that much.