Hundreds of locals, tourists and even Hollywood star Mickey Rourke have queued up in Moscow's Red Square to get their hands on a Putin t-shirt.
The shirts come in a variety of styles and colours, and despite a somewhat steep price tag of about 35 Australian dollars; the shirts have been flying off the racks.
Actor Mickey Rourke shows off his Putin shirt. (Twitter)
Some designs depict the President on horseback, in camouflage, in dark sunglasses, or in a tropical shirt under the slogan "Welcome to Crimea."
But while many iconic Putin images have been lampooned by Western satirists, designer Ivan Yershov insist this line of merchandise is for pride, not laughs.
"There's no irony here. This is absolutely serious. The things that are written are correct. 'The most polite of people', it's real, we think."
Co-designer Anna Trifonova says the mottos chosen for the shirts "have strong motivational meanings."
Manufacturers say the latest craze has some shoppers buying a shirt of every design, with one retailer claiming he sold 7000 in one day.
Among the crowd, was American actor Mickey Rourke who says he's met Mr Putin a few times and is proud to wear the t-shirt.
"He was a real gentleman, a very cool, regular guy. He looked me right in the eye. I think he is a good guy. If I didn't, believe me, I wouldn't wear the T-shirt," he said.
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