Season's rug designs sophisticated, bold
In face of stiff competition, machine-made resources refuse to back off
By Lissa Wyman -- Furniture Today, February 23, 2003
High Point — Rug vendors, particularly those in the machine-made arena, are reacting to increased competition and price deflation by taking bigger risks, not by dumbing down designs.
The rug designs introduced at the January round of rug and floor covering markets show increasing sophistication in both styling and technology.
In the machine-made sector, that creativity is especially apparent at the $199 to $799 retail price points, which has become the heart of the rug market.
Leading the charge
Among the companies leading the innovation charge this season are Nourison, Shaw Rugs, Oriental Weavers USA, Kas, Karastan, Sabry Rug & Home, Trans-Ocean Imports and Milliken
Nourison made an aggressive move to woo the mid-tier mass-market channels, an area the importing company has not yet penetrated deeply.
The company's Somerset collection is a group of 24 designs made of proprietary Opulon fiber, which has a wool-like look and feel. The rugs retail at $199 and are aimed at selected national chains.
"They also represent a promotional opportunity for traditional stores," said Ed Vairo, director of creative marketing.
The rug designs range from traditional to classical European to florals and contemporary styles.
Nourison also is making inroads into the broadloom business with several high-end wilton-woven lines that co-ordinate with its rug collections.
A major importer of hand-made rugs for many years, Nourison has been involved in the machine-made business for about four years. The company owns power-loom weaving facilities in China.
Since its debut three years ago, Shaw Rugs' Kathy Ireland collection has been one of the company's most successful lines.
This winter, Shaw introduced a large Kathy Ireland Gallery collection. Retailing at about $349 in a 5 by 8 size, it's a stepup product that's still well within the pocketbook of middle America.
The new line is made with a proprietary polypropylene soft yarn called Comfort-Touch. The 22 10-color designs represent traditional and transitional styling.
Weaving technology is more than developing new equipment. It often involves the inventive use of existing machinery.
At Oriental Weavers USA, the Dunes collection features an interplay of jute and polypropylene warp and weft yarns that create an interesting look with texture and natural fiber. Interpreted in simple casual contemporary styles, it retails for about $89 in a 6 by 9.
"That is not a major price point for us, but we want to bring our reputation for style into the entry-level category," said Steve Stultz, vice president of sales and marketing for Oriental Weavers USA.
Causing a buzz
Kas won one of this year's Magnificent Carpet Award trophies for a highly detailed, traditionally styled collection made in 2.5-million-point construction, but it was a contemporary bamboo wood rug that caused quite a buzz at both the Atlanta rug market and the Las Vegas Surfaces show.
The bamboo rugs retail at the $399 price point.
"It's a unique look, inspired by developments in the wood floor business," said Rao Yarlagadda, president of Kas.
Even the venerable Karastan is taking on a new look and new price structure, aimed at a more youthful customer.
In the New Classics collection, the company updates six of its vintage patterns and constructs them in wilton-weave wool. They will retail at about $799 in a 6 by 9, compared to around $1,200 for Karastan's traditional Axminster woven rugs.
In addition, Karastan introduced retro shags and contemporary checks, plaids and animal prints.
Karastan's new products target the $399 to $799 retail range.
"It's not just the price point; it's a look," said Anne Carley, Karastan's director of merchandising. "Younger people have more refined taste levels than ever before."
Parade of polypropylene
Continued developments in polypropylene yarns were seen in many showrooms this winter. Once a fiber that represented the lowest common denominator of price and styling, it is becoming more wool-like every day, according to Mohamed Sabry, president of Sabry Rug & Home.
"We are working with new yarns that have the low-luster look of wool as well as the soft hand that is becoming increasingly popular for both carpet and rugs," he said. "The result is more muted, but without the darkness of an antique look."
Bring on those ink jets
Rug producers also are showing increased interest in ink-jet printing technology. While Milliken made a big splash in Atlanta with its new Claire Murray printed wool line, Trans-Ocean Imports quietly was getting into the print arena with prototypes of Millitron products in Atlanta and at Surfaces.
"I've been wanting to get my hands around this process for several years," said Liora Manne, who heads design at Trans-Ocean. "But I only want to get involved if I can bring something truly different to the market. I think there's a lot of potential that could have wide applications for rugs."
The nylon printed rugs will retail for about $199.
Several designs were based on Manne's lamontage line. Lamontage is a patented felting process with a unique soft look. The lamontage rugs retail for about $800 to nearly $3,000 in a 6 by 9.
"By using overprinting in the Millitron process, we were able to achieve a very soft look, much like the lamontage rugs," she said.
In addition to Manne's distinctive lamontage mosaic designs, the new Trans-Ocean print collection includes contemporary and "new West" styling.
A Claire day for Milliken
Meanwhile, Milliken's extensive line of Claire Murray-designed Millitron-printed rugs will retail at about $349 in a 6 by 9.
The Murray introduction was significant not only because it represented Milliken's first entry into licensed rugs, but because the pile face is wool. Until now, Millitron technology has been used primarily on nylon broadloom substrates.
The new rugs, aimed at every room in the house, are a far cry from Murray's signature hand-hooked rugs, filled with picket fences and bunny rabbits.
"We had high expectations for the Claire Murray collection, but the reaction in Atlanta and Surfaces succeeded those expectations," said Robby Burch, market manager for Milliken area rugs.
"We look forward to growing the Claire Murray collection," he said. "We also may expand our assortment to include other licensing opportunities."
Burch said the Claire Murray rugs will be marketed to Milliken's normal retail distribution channels, including specialty stores and department stores.
The compact group of 10 patterns hits many of today's top design categories, including geometrics, tropicals, toiles, florals, Victorians and botanicals. The artwork expands Murray's design realm far beyond its former boundaries. There are 10 sizes in each pattern, and a new color palette has been developed.
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