The first lady of Chechnya has unveiled new designs from her fashion line, Firdaws, in Dubai — the first-ever foreign fashion show for a Chechen company, Interfax reported Monday.
The company, founded by Medni Kadyrova, currently only has boutiques in Grozny but has plans to open one in the United Arab Emirates.
"I am sure that this show in Dubai is the first step to the conquering of the fashion world in the Middle East," Kadyrova said.
The show, named "Lady Chechnya," featured 70 variations of traditional Muslim female dress, decorated with diamonds and other precious stones. It will also be presented later in Saudi Arabia.
"The natural beauty and grace of Eastern women inspired us to create these works of art," she explained.
Celebrated Lebanese designer Zuhair Mirad, who fashioned Jennifer Lopez's controversial semitransparent dress at the Oscars this year, was Kadyrova's guest of honor at the show.
"It's a great honor and pleasure to be here and participate in the event," he told Abu Dhabi-based paper The National.
"The Chechens are very artistic when it comes to embroidery and their combination of colors," he added. "They have a lot of taste."
Firdaws, which means heavenly gardens in Arabic, was founded in 2009 with the support of Kadyrov himself and won the grand prize at the Moscow fashion competition International Couturier of the Year in 2011.
