Exclusive Stories

One day we may wonder “Whatever happened to New Zealand wool?” While New Zealand wool is mentioned in most articles featuring new, trendy production worldwide, wool for carpet production peaked more than 35 years ago in 1984. In 2020 then it seems only wise to ask “What is the future of New Zealand wool in carpet production?”

Handwoven Textiles Made in Maine

Luddites were weavers who rightly feared industrialization would take their jobs, arguing not against the societal advances, but the loss of their livelihoods. It’s a prescient understanding of the effects of industrialization on production, without accounting for the benefits which later come. In a world wherein so much is mass produced, it seems the appreciation of handwork is on the rebound.

I introduced our Fall 2020 issue to our advertisers by stating, “Everything is modern in its time and thus the modern man, which is truly to say the modern human, is bound inextricably to the era in which they live. As the rug and carpet trade is likewise caught up in the repercussions of the ongoing pandemic as well as the subsequent socio-economic ripples, RUG INSIDER Magazine is examining the role of modernity in the rug trade, but with ­­a twist!”

Transplanted Techniques Define the Modern Era

In the Fall 2017 issue of Rug Insider we explored traditional Iranian felt making at the hands of Peace Industries in the article Revivalist Modern, pages 39-41. But seeing as no one country or region holds a monopoly on the technique it is such that we now explore traditional Turkish felt making, made modern and transplanted as it has been to Massachusetts. This is the story of The Ram and The Worm.

Exclusive and unique, Samad’s Nirvana collection elevates the aesthetics of machine-made rugs to heights nearing that of some hand-knotted. Rug Insider finds out more.

On first glance the carpets of Samad’s Nirvana collection do not appear to be machine-made in construction—even to experienced rug and carpet professionals. Possessing a soft hand, a comparatively supple handle, and aesthetics comparable to many of the hand-knotted rugs and carpets which currently resonate with consumers, the Nirvana carpets strike a compelling balance between form, function, and price.

More than marketing hype, the differences at New Moon are tangible.

Erika Kurtz is the second-generation principal of New Moon Rugs, an early pioneer of the modern era’s genre of hand-knotted Nepali-Tibetan rugs. Founded in 1993 by John Kurtz with an unwavering dedication to the highest standards of craftsmanship and design, New Moon continues to foster the deep-rooted commitment to socially responsible business practices upon which the firm was founded. Since 2004, John’s daughter Erika has been guiding the production, design, and management of the business. These are her thoughts on being a woman in the evolving rug and carpet industry.

Leveraging technology to reduce waste.

The use of rug samples has become a staple of rug and carpet showrooms the world over. They’re consumer friendly but horribly inefficient in terms of resource use. They also produce excessive waste, all the while making no-one money. “The Showroom of the Future” offers one possible solution.

Whether it’s for the war rugs woven during the era of the Soviet invasion, or for weaving in exile in Pakistan during turbulent years under the Taliban, the weavers of Afghanistan are renown for two things: the quality of their craft and the inimitable qualities of the region’s Ghazni wool. Equally as unique is the will of its people, particularly its women—standard bearers of the Afghan carpet—as the country enters into a 21st century global economy.