Aishat Kadyrova, daughter of the head of Russia’s Muslim-majority Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, has been under pressure to quell media speculation about the health of the business she leads.

On Saturday, Kadyrova released a statement on her social media account in an effort to set the record straight about Firdaws, one of the most prominent brands in Russia’s growing modest fashion market.

In response to local reports that a tax inspectorate in Russia initiated enforcement proceedings against the business in relation to non-payment of a small amount of taxes, Kadyrova said that Firdaws’ accounts were blocked due to non-payment in December, but that the company had fully paid the outstanding amount in January, settling the arrears.

On her Instagram page, Kadyrova cited “an error by the chief accountant” and explained that, “as soon as the error was discovered, the debt was immediately repaid.”

She also explained why the brand’s stores in Moscow, Chechnya’s capital Grozny and Makhachkala, capital of the neighbouring Muslim-majority Republic of Dagestan were closed (Firdaws also reportedly has a store in Dubai). Explaining that the production facilities of the fashion house are currently undergoing work, she added that “as soon as these works are completed, the Firdaws stores will reopen their doors to customers.” The brand’s press service reported on Thursday that it had suspended work “for technical reasons and due to the illness of half of the staff of cutters and seamstresses.”

Firdaws, which describes itself as the first “national fashion brand” of the Chechen Republic, was launched in Grozny in 2009 by Medni Kadyrova, wife of the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. The label is based on the traditional Vainakh national costume and values prescribed by the Koran. In 2016, Medni Kadyrova handed over leadership of Firdaws to her daughter Aishat. Since October of last year, Aishat has also been the Minister of Culture of Chechnya.

In 2017 the brand showcased at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia in Moscow. A few years earlier, it appeared in a show in Dubai where the brand is reported to have picked up orders from clients in the UAE. Ulzana Zadulayeva, Firdaws’ spokesperson at the time, told Reuters that the brand intended to expand to other Middle Eastern countries, including Bahrain. Alongside womenswear Firdaws also offers menswear, couture gowns and a children’s range.

In early 2020 Kadyrova made her way to Paris to show the women’s Autumn/Winter 2020/2021 ready-to-wear collection right before the start of the pandemic.

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