muslim fashion in the world: Russia

Chechnya or the Chechen Republic is a federal subject of the Russian Federation located at North Caucasus. The population is around 1.3 million with around 96% Muslims. Islam was gaining popularity slowly, but surely here between 16th and 19th centuries with Chechens converting from Christianity and Paganism. Chechens are strong on traditions and that can be seen in their fashion today. Most of the designs created by fashion labels and fashion houses resemble traditional Chechen dress in one way or another.

Chechnya on the territory of Russia in the Caucasus region

Traditional dress
Chechen female costume consists of three parts: tunic, pants and dress. Tunic is made of cotton or silk, it reaches the ankles, has a stand-up collar and long sleeves. Pants are worn underneath the tunic, they are long strapped to the lower parts of the legs. A dress that resembles a robe or a cloak would be worn over the top of everything.

A beautiful silver belt is an important detail of this costume. This is the most valuable thing in the Chechen national dress. Sometimes in addition to silver, gold would also be added to the belt. The belt was made manually, of course, and considered a family jewel, which was handed down from generation to generation and presented to a bride before the wedding.

Colours played an important role as they presented the character of its wearer; it also depended on marital status of a woman, her age, and wealth. White colour was the favourite for Chechen dresses as it represented chastity and modesty.

Sketch of a typical Chechen dress

Traditional wedding dress with golden belt

The jewelry on the chest is part of the dress and is also very traditional to the Chechen dress

Laura&Medni
Laura Arzhieva and Medni Arzhieva are two sisters owning their own brand and a luxury boutique store at the centre of Grozny, the capital city of Chechnya. Their ancestor Hashbekar Gapaev was a legendary master of Chechen clothing, hats and shoes. As girls, the sisters sewed clothes for dolls and then for themselves. The hobby turned into profession after Laura and Medni arrived at Slava Zaitsev fashion laboratory at Moscow. Since then they participated in various fashion events and gained popularity in Russia and Chechnya. Their collection "Emperor's Flowers' was inspired by the Eastern myths and beauty of the Caucasian mountains. The collection was made entirely of luxurious fabrics: French lace, silk, chiffon, velvet and organza. The main colors of the collection: green, blue, pale pink, coral and a classic combination of black and white reminiscent of the proud, the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus. All images are courtesy to Laura&Medni.

Firdwas Fashion Houses
Firdwas ("Gardens of Paradise" in Arabic) is a brain-child of Chechnya's first lady Ms Medni Kadyrova. The brand offers evening and formal wear, wedding dresses, every day wear and business suits. The fashion house was established in 2009 and its main designers are Ms Zarima Yakhaeva and Mr Zaur Mamedov. In March 2012 Firdwas has presented its collection "Lady Chechnya" in Dubai. Ms Kadyrova hopes to expand into the Middle Eastern market and open local boutiques in the future. Her goal is to "conquer the world of Middle Eastern fashion" by creating clothes that are both beautiful and modern but which also adhere to traditional Islamic dress codes.

Firdaws Spring-Summer 2013 Collection