MIR is a Brooklyn based clothing co. that features designs inspired by old Russian criminal tattoos. A while back, I asked Roman Belenky, the designer, to tell me about Russian criminal tattoos, which you can read here.
The new line includes a military inspired sub-line called SHTRAFBAT, which repurposes military surplus items through reconstruction, alteration, and silk-screening. Roman says, "ShtrafBat is the Russian word for penal battalion. These were battalions that were compiled of prisoners from various camps during world war II on the orders of Stalin himself. Inmates were promised pardons and leniency, if they survived of course."
After the jump: Roman shares additional lore about Russian criminal tattoo art.
Russian criminal tattoo art is a sub-culture that dates back to pre-revolution days, when the criminals (thieves) who were doing time in various camps decided to form a sort of a group or alliance which would ultimately be called Vory or The Thieves. They didn't recognize the Soviet government that took over the reigns of Russia and they lived by their own codes and laws.
Some of their top laws were: A thief may never work, inside or outside of prison. He can only survive on income from criminal activity. He may never marry or have a home ( a thief's home is prison). He must always pay his debts, no matter what, etc. In the tsarist days of Russia, guards used to forcibly apply tattoos onto the face of inmates, such as BOP (thief) or KAT(short for prisoner), so when they walked through the street, everyone would know who he or she is. After the Revolution, that practice stopped but the thieves decide to keep tattooing themselves, to discern themselves from regular people and to let each other know, who they were and what they were into. This practice slowly died out as Perestroika and democracy were taking over Russia in the late '80s . Tattooing is still going on, but the designs of the past and the stigma of having earned each tattoo that is on your body is long gone.
