A few lessons $5,000 rugs could teach us
Lissa Wyman, Rug Editor -- Furniture Today, June 12, 2006
Last week's International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York was by far the most interesting show I've attended this year. Green was the mood of the day, both as an ecological statement and a fashion color. Apple green carpeting covered the show floor, and dried twigs likely were the most-used display accessory.
Rugs were an integral part of the organic moment. After all, wool is probably the most ancient and sustainable material known to man, and weaving is one of the world's first professions. OK, that's the crunchy granola part of my report. Now for the nitty-gritty.
Not only were rugs at the show fun, exotic and ecologically correct, they were very, very, very high end. Suggested retails started at about $100 per square foot (about $5,400 for a 6 by 9) and went up to a whopping $450 per square foot (about $24,300 for a 6 by 9). Mainstream rugs range from about $150 to $1,500 in that size.
Who the heck buys these things? The exhibitors were too refined to just come out and say, "Rich people, you twit." Instead, they talked about their clients as people who collaborate in the creative process. They described a world where people wanted to own a unique piece of decorative art, something that had a story, and something they were willing to wait for until it was perfect. Programmed, reorderable rugs? Horrors!
Aside from the price, display technique is the most obvious difference between the worlds of high fashion and high volume. I don't remember seeing even one swing-arm rack at ICFF. Most exhibitors — from large, architect-designed structures down to the smallest booths — displayed rugs like works of art. Some were even framed. You could see each piece in its entirety. Each company showcased only a fraction of its line, but the presentation made each piece important.
Another big difference between the rugs at ICFF and big-volume shows was that well over half were hand woven in Nepal. I said jokingly to one exhibitor that, judging from this show, it looked like Nepal was the center of the rug world. "For this market, it is," came the acerbic reply. By the way, some rugs at ICFF were actually hand made in the United States, but no one wanted to tell me where.
I recently wrote about the lack of profitability in the mainstream rug business. I didn't hear one peep about profits here. I'm certainly not saying that everyone's profit problems could be cured by suddenly offering only Nepalese-made rugs retailing for $5,000. What I do suggest is that mainstream producers borrow some marketing and merchandising ideas from their high-end cousins.
Rugs are among the most beautiful home products, but most people in the business treat them like commodities. Maybe we would hear less moaning about profitability if rug makers put some glamour and excitement back in the business, some attention to merchandising and some pride in unique designs and colors. It would be more fun too.
