Foreign goods got to the Soviet Union in different ways. For example, the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance supplied products from socialist countries. In the 1960s, there were even specialized stores: ‘Leipzig’, where they sold goods from East Germany, ‘Balaton’ with goods from Hungary and ‘Wanda’ with Polish goods.
In addition, there were the so-called ‘Berezka’ stores. There, for hard currency and special checks from state organizations (Vneshposyltorg and Vneshtorgabank), they sold imported food, equipment and clothes. But, shopping there was only available to foreign tourists, Soviet diplomats and selected government officials.
There was also underground trade, when goods from abroad were bought from black marketers (‘fartsovschiki’). Shoes and clothing Soviet citizens first saw jeans in 1957, during the Festival of Youth and Students. “They passionately wore multi-colored nylon gloves.
.. they showed off Czech or Hungarian knee-length raincoats, tied their ties in microscopic knots, flaunted their plaid cowboy shirts of an unprecedented new-fashioned cut.
.. and blue pants “seams outside”, as angry old ladies used to say – the first blue jeans,” recalled art historian Michael German of the fashion of the time in his book ‘The Complex Past’.
For jeans sold by ‘fartsovschiki’ (who bought them from foreign tourists), fashionistas were ready to pay 200-300 rubles, more than their monthly salary, which averaged at 120-150 rubles in th.