This Is Not Fake

Filed under: Fashion Smashion

Shot by famed photog Annie Leibovitz, Mikhail Gorbachev stars in a series of new ads for Louis Vuitton.

What the eff?????

Posted: Jul 27, 2007 at 12:59 pm / Email this »

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186 comments to “This Is Not Fake”

More comments: [1] 2 »

hjhj says – reply to this

1

huh? Second!
Meni says – reply to this

2

Who????
hi says – reply to this

3

first..lolz!!
always first says – reply to this

4

OMG if youre FIRST say FIRST omg!
Jamis says – reply to this

5

Who's next? George Dubya????
sparky69 says – reply to this

6

first
Joli Adore says – reply to this

7

I just bought the speedy 40 yesterday! ahhhhh.

I heart Louis Vuitton and Perez Hilton! ha ha ha.

who is this guy!?
alybitccch says – reply to this

8

firstttt…=)
THE ULTIMATE IN CAPITALISM says – reply to this

9

HAHAHA. THIS IS REALLY SAD. ON SO MANY LEVELS.
hidEe says – reply to this

10

why why why
Diva says – reply to this

11

it got noticed so it has already achieved the desired result
Sylvia says – reply to this

12

Is he hard up for money??
Becky says – reply to this

13

1st
Maxie says – reply to this

14

First.
ashers says – reply to this

15

the new kate moss eh
valentina says – reply to this

16

wow
lyndsei says – reply to this

17

who is he?
Mo says – reply to this

18

Nice bag.
ray says – reply to this

19

1st, who is he
sad says – reply to this

20

new russian
POOP says – reply to this

21

i878juuu
Lauren says – reply to this

22

haha what the hell?
T Rex says – reply to this

23

weird.
JoeyOh says – reply to this

24

What is Life without Louis
ashley says – reply to this

25

who is that?
Hello says – reply to this

26

FIRST… what the hell… I wonder what made them think of him as a spokesperson for Louis?!?!
Laurie says – reply to this

27

Is that the best they could get?
Brand-a-too-ee says – reply to this

28

I ll take the bag…
lily_69 says – reply to this

29

why??!! he's a politician (i think). that's weird. i rather see celebrities than some [old] grandpa :/
Neil says – reply to this

30

FIRST
brain surgeon says – reply to this

31

IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHO HE IS, GO GET A BRAIN TRANSPLANT, SORRYASS MOFOS.
Michelle says – reply to this

32

mmmm, this grandpa make me want a louie REAL bad…..
Thanner says – reply to this

33

Prior to Mikhail Gorbachev it was suppose to be Linsday Lohan , She was quickly dropped, geee I wonder why?
Elle says – reply to this

34

He was awarded the nobel peace prize…i think that is a better role model the drugged up spoiled celebs.
Yo says – reply to this

35

He pimped Pizza Hut eons ago, why not designer bags? Yo go Gorbi!
fad says – reply to this

36

I suppose he is really hurting for $$.
Do you think he wants to throw himself out of the car?
LasVegas says – reply to this

37

Say whhhhaaat? Sexy! Fidel Castro and Kim Jong-il will be their next spokesmodels for sure.
DUMMIES says – reply to this

38

HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW WHO HE IS???

Anyway, I think it's great photojournalism.

Think outside the box dummies.
you don't know who Gorbachev is??? says – reply to this

39

NO ONE on this page knows who gorbachev is??? that is really really sad.
maybe its the Canadian in me, but come on people…read a paper.
d
dumb americans says – reply to this

40

you guys are seriously dumb, i didnt believe it, but its true.. go get educated instead of sitting here and either: saying who? calling out each other.. wow.. im really impressed.. no wonder you people have the worst reputation in the world… hahahahaha
janie says – reply to this

41

I thought WTF even before I noticed it under the caption. Is this some kind of bad joke or something??? If it's not, then it needs to be because it is!!!!!
Rusky says – reply to this

42

Are you kidding me? He's the former president of Russia. And actually, this ad is a little offensive to most of Russia [lower class citizens]. He's clearly portrayed as a "New Russian". New Russian is the nickname we give to people who are filthy rich off of DIRTY money. They are always either high up in the russian government, military or mafia.

This ad makes me sad for my country.
Manolita says – reply to this

43

How you even dare to ask who is heeeee?¿?¿?¿?¿?what a bunch of ignorants!!!come on,people…
Prettybird says – reply to this

44

i thought he was dead
mwin says – reply to this

45

are you people seriously asking who he is?? all the celeb gossip has made you braindead..terrifying
Beauty says – reply to this

46

I thought he died recently…I guess not!
LobLolly says – reply to this

47

For those of you who don't know who Mikhail GOrbachev is, please take a break from Perez (sorry P, you know I love ya but…) and go read a newspaper or at least go to CNN.com. If it weren't for this man, we would still be in the middle of the Cold War, or in the middle of a Nuclear Winter, or possibly all be speaking Russian by now. But now he's hawking LV…go figure.
Mikhail says – reply to this

48

That's excellent and a bit different!
By the way, Gorbachev is the last (ex) President of the former USSR (now Russia) and a NOBEL Peace Prize Winner! - www.mikhailtank.com
geenah says – reply to this

49

that's so fucked up.
even so, still better than the days when they were part of the effort to shove J. Lo down our throats.

and maybe this celeb soaked culture needs more reminders of the actual world around us
Anna B. says – reply to this

50

shame on you, idiots who don't know him!!! people who want to chat on the internet should seriously get some kind of IQ licenses before being allowed to go online… He is the former president of Soviet Union, who received Nobel Prize for letting the artificially stuck together states go apart and become independent. He was the one to melt down the communist regime. He is a historical figure, unlike Kate Moss, Pharrell and Lindsay Lohan. In Russia he is being widely criticised for some certain steps in his political carreer, but everyone knows he is a positive figure in the history of Russia and the whole of Eastern Europe.
Brilliant step from LV, at least if 20 perezhilton readers find out a thing or two about world history, it was already worth it!!!
cmb21 says – reply to this

51

Wow, the commie offically gave in to capitalism!
always first says – reply to this

52

IF YOURE FIRST SAY FIRST BEETCHES
BronxBitch says – reply to this

53

Gorby ??? Americas next top model??? LOL How fucking random is that ??
Helena says – reply to this

54

This is just so wrong.
Lucy says – reply to this

55

Does the bag come with a gravy stain?
glo says – reply to this

56

Ppl are retarded they dont even know who Gorbachev is..lmfaoo
kd says – reply to this

57

I love your site and all but the annoying first and second comments need to go!!!! It is so childish!
barbara says – reply to this

58

then well see Dubya modeling chanel
stephanie says – reply to this

59

Ohhhh Kayyyy - so LV is advertising that they are opening a new line on the black market? Bags for Beets.

whatever!
dasha says – reply to this

60

omg i can't believe some people actually had no idea who Горбачёв was. that's painful. good you all know by heart the whole Lohan clan and the names of all the puppies Paris Hilton has ever had.
I AM CANADIAN says – reply to this

61

Once again, clear proof that Americans are just STUPID. Maybe you should open up a book once in a while … you live in the richest country in the world, use the resources .. GET A BRAIN. It's free.
Ren C-M says – reply to this

62

Actually, Gorbachev doing advertisements isn't a new phenomenon.

During the 1990's, he was featured in ad's for Pizza Hut in Russia.

I did a project on Gobachev in highschool. I know that you're able to still watch the commercial for Pizza Hut on the net.

Cheers.
joehawkins says – reply to this

63

that's the only remaining section of the BERLIN WALL in the background…
The Drunken Russian says – reply to this

64

Ochin Ochin Ochin Ochin HARASHOW !!!
RussianMafia says – reply to this

65

Speaking for the Russian mafia… We are backing the deal.
Misstdoe says – reply to this

66

So sad that so many have to ask who he is. I love celebrities as much as the next person but expand your horizons for gods sake.
Damn Mr. Gorbachev! says – reply to this

67

I was in utter disbelief when I saw this. Apparently this isn't Gorbachev's first dip into advertising though. According to the NY Times the former president of the USSR appeared in a Pizza Hut commercial about 10 years ago. He'll be appearing along with the legendary Catherine Deneuve, as well as Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf in the upcoming ads.
To all of the tragically uninformed of you out there maybe this will help:
"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" ~ Ronal Reagan
No? In that case this country is going to shit a lot quicker than I had expected.
Dasha says – reply to this

68

and btw… the ad (if it's real): it's brilliant, something that will make people talk and turn their heads (o no, maybe not in America, cuz you don't know who the 'grandpa' is)
ella says – reply to this

69

que extrano.
Emily says – reply to this

70

I think this is a great idea!! At least they put a man who has an education and won a nobel peace prize instead of a dumbass from rehab. Makes me want to buy another Louis!
Joe F says – reply to this

71

Silly Americans…he was the mastermind behind the disgusting ethnic cleansing in the Balkans during the 90s…go read some books and watch the news…not CNN or Fox…some international news like BBC. That truly is nasty…boycott Louis Vuitton!
fidel in dockers says – reply to this

72

i can't wait for Fidel's GAP print series
suze says – reply to this

73

OMG! I'm so shocked by how many of you here don't know who Mikhail Gorbachev is. Eeek. Proff that our educational system is failing us BIG time.
ellie says – reply to this

74

Can someone please tell me who that is…?
ShopGirl says – reply to this

75

He's still alive???
Lailah says – reply to this

76

I dig it, it's CREATIVE, what real advertising SHOULD BE. I'm sure everyone's sick of celebrities anyway.
Princess Cut Diamonds says – reply to this

77

Because a former USSR political figure hawking LV bags while riding in a chauffered car down what appears to be a graffiti lined street is really going to sell more LV bags. It's marketing genius! (sarcasm)
Muneera says – reply to this

78

is he poor? or does he just want the limelight?
karmachik says – reply to this

79

Everyone asking who Mikhail Gorbachev is needs to GET AN EFF-ING EDUCATION. Geeez, what is this world coming to? I'm scared for our future, people…
Lamb Chop says – reply to this

80

Hey, give him a break. Maybe he needs the ca$hola - I could think of worse ways to earn it.
D says – reply to this

81

ye sad little peoples
first off, as much as I heart Perezito, his posting is incomplete. Go read the NY Times article about this campaign: it also features people like Andre Agassi, and the point of it is to show the bag as a preference of travellers.
Second of all, it was Yeltsin who died recently — get your facts straight.
For those who don't know, Gobachev is an excellent public speaker, who regularly addresses university and professional audiences in the US, as well as in Europe and Russia. His controversial political platform was at first regarded as lunacy, but eventually won him the respect and recognition worldwide; he is responsible for USSR facing its imminent demise, for the end of the Cold War, for the vast improvement of US/Russian relations, for major trade agreements, and more.
Oh — and about that Pizza Hut commercial: you can watch it on YouTube. it's him and his little granddaughter; the ad aired in 1997, almost six years after he lost the first Russian presidential election to Yeltsin. It's more an attempt to humanize the leader than anything.
alana says – reply to this

82

even if he wasn't the former soviet president, i would understand this ad simply because it illustrates louis vuitton's efforts to reach out to a new demographic, the business man. This suave older man in a mysterious car is probably the exact man that many aspiring entrepreneurs relate to.
J Rocket says – reply to this

83

omg. did anyone else think for a second that that was the vice president? haha
nunya says – reply to this

84

Damn!, they sell that much LV in Russia?lol
Katie Lynn says – reply to this

85

Haha…pretty sad that no one recognizes the guy that ended the Cold War…

Read a newspaper once in a while, kiddies.
sexy says – reply to this

86

I want that bag now birth mark not included.
Bebe says – reply to this

87

congrats LV… Gorby is one of the greatest men of our time, he changed the world as we knowed with his "glasnost" and ended the cold war. The ad is distinct and classy. Im off to buy my LV now!
mary says – reply to this

88

love it, perfect decay
LT says – reply to this

89

It was Boris Yeltsin that died, not Gorbachev.
Christine says – reply to this

90

ARMEGDEDON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Marcel says – reply to this

91

That was probably the secret reason why he wanted that Berlin wall down. So he can pose for LV. The Russians will hate him even more now I guess.
joehawkins says – reply to this

92

#77 - Princess Cut Diamonds says:

Because a former USSR political figure hawking LV bags while riding in a chauffered car down what appears to be a graffiti lined street is really going to sell more LV bags. It’s marketing genius! (sarcasm)

———————-
that "graffiti lined street" is the last remnants of the BERLIN WALL
oi says – reply to this

93

i think perez, you should be in the ad. how fun would that be!!! you have a wide fan base already and you can even design it with f**ed up celebretard sayings.
Vicki says – reply to this

94

i kinda love it. really
yeahyeah says – reply to this

95

The reason no one knows this guy, is because we are all on this web site reading about LL and other stupid celebrities!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
aj says – reply to this

96

I think that is pretty cool.
Juniper says – reply to this

97

Looks kinda like the old PSB video "always on my mind"
with the creepy molester looking dude sitting the car and
ranting to the driver…. cool video.
jj says – reply to this

98

omg!
this is too funny!
lola says – reply to this

99

yeah, of course when i think in fashion i think in Gorvachev…of course!!!
WTF!!!!!
christie says – reply to this

100

wondering why an ex-world leader would do such an ad???VERY PUZZLED!!

More comments: [1] 2 »

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