Designer Olga Soldatova, for example, has turned one of the most iconic Soviet symbols and the brightest memories of her Soviet childhood – blazing red stars – into a fashion brand.

“When we’d get top marks at school, our teacher would slide a velvet red star between the pages of our exercise books. Getting one was amazing and a great boost to study better!” Olga told RT.

In Olga’s shop, stars and other Soviet staples spring up from every corner.

Quite a few Russians seem to be in the throes of nostalgia for the days of when they were young and the USSR was a superpower. This “back to the USSR” sentiment has gathered so much pace that a TV channel called “Nostalgia” has been set up broadcasting old Soviet shows and movies.

“We’re living in such a hectic world that people need something to unite them. Our nostalgia isn’t about the terrible Communist regime. It’s about our youth, the things we grew up with, that music, that poetry, those football teams we had,” believes Vladimir Molchanov, a talk-show host at Nostalgia channel.

Another way to regain the spirit of the time is to enjoy a delicious meal in a cozy basement of the so-called House on the Embankment, which used to be home to the high-ranking party leaders, the Red Army’s top brass and socialist celebrities.

“It’s our history. I remember it and I respect it. And that’s the atmosphere that more and more people want. I’ve noticed that lots of young people have started coming here with great interest,” Zinaida Shushakova, executive director of the restaurant told RT.

Fish in white-wine sauce called “Soviet” may not have been an average meal in the USSR, but the glass-holders are as Soviet as it gets.

“It was a time when people actually cooked,” recalls, Kirill Yelchaninov who was born in the USSR. “It may have been something simple, but they did their best to prepare a feast when marking a holiday or celebrating. Now we have plenty of restaurants, but there was a real cult of the home then, and life was tastier and cozier.”

Apart from their memories, plenty of Russians still have many quite tangible things to remind them of their Soviet past. The art gallery called “Babushka” – or “Grandmother” – lovingly preserves and proudly shows off things straight out of a Soviet grandmother’s chest.

Anna Yusupova, the artistic director of “Babushka” gallery, says visitors to the gallery are often very emotional.

“I’ve seen men crying after coming here and finding things they had when they were little. For me, it’s about the spirit of a big and powerful state that we lost. The USSR is our Atlantis gone forever. Yes, it’s nostalgia, but a heartwarming one,” Yusupova says.

A Soviet poet once wrote: “Envy me – I’m a citizen of the Soviet Union”. And while, after years of embracing the global market economy, few Russians would truly want to go back, the brand “Made in the USSR” looks like it could stay around for even longer than the Union itself did.