Karastan debuts two dozen area rug collections at Las Vegas Market, including Bespoke, its first collection of hand-knotted imported designs.
LAS VEGAS -- At Las Vegas Market, the big news at Karastan was the debut of its first collection of imported hand-knotted rugs, and the launch of 24 collections, including the show-stopping printed, foldable Antiquity range.
The Karastan Kiosk, a new digital display unit, was a winner for the company in Vegas -- not just at World Market, but also at the huge Mohawk Industries space at this year's Surfaces show, held last week at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. At both venues flooring dealers, retailers and designers got to interact with the unit, prototypes of which have been under test with Karastan rug retailers for nearly a year. The kiosk previewed at the CCA Global convention in early January, with many of the buying group's members among those first to sign up for the kiosks, which are scheduled to ship in June.
At the Karastan showroom, Keith Trau, vice president at CCA Global Partners -- the parent of Carpet One, Flooring America/Flooring Canada, ProSource and more -- spoke with RugNews.com about the kiosk. "The members like it. We're very excited about it. It leverages the brand for dealers who've invested in promoting Karastan carpet," Trau said.
Karastan's hit digital kiosk debuted to West Coast shoppers at both Surfaces and Las Vegas Market, where Bruce Odette of Carpet Exchange checks it out with Karastan Rugs' Mike Riley.
"We have more than 200 in stores already," said Mike Riley, senior vice president/general manager of Karastan Rugs at Las Vegas Market. "This is just the beginning," he said of the current features of the kiosk. "It's a precursor to future developments. We're looking ahead to when consumers will be able to upload a photo of their room, and see it with Karastan hard surface flooring and a rug over it," he noted.
To that point Mohawk Industries launched its first-ever Karastan brand hardwood flooring and luxury vinyl tile (LVT) at Surfaces -- categories that resonate with everyone from Millennials to Baby Boomers. Karastan dealers will now be able to offer consumers whole-home floor covering solutions with brand-consistent styling and quality with Karastan carpet, rugs, and the new BelleLuxe hardwood, and LuxeCraft luxury vinyl tile.
LAS VEGAS MARKET INTROS
As it continues to broaden its appeal to Millennials, while also targeting designers and a wide range of longtime brand loyalists, Karastan showcased a diverse area rug offering in Vegas. "The end game is to carry our 92-year legacy forward to the future," Riley told RugNews.com.
Bespoke Collection
Karastan's display of imported hand-knotted Bespoke collection rugs was a draw for Las Vegas Market shoppers.
Front and center at the Karastan showroom, the Bespoke collection debuted at Las Vegas Market with a sampling of hand-knotted transitional and contemporary designs. "Bespoke is our first leap into imported rugs," said Erika Banks, product director, home, during a line review. "They are sourced from around the world -- curated to give our customers the ability to have hand-knotted rugs with the consumer trust and loyalty of the Karastan brand."
And retail customers will not have to worry about the reliability of overseas vendors or the quality of the rugs, Banks pointed out, because they will be dealing with Karastan. "These are hand-knotteds with the power of a 92-year-old brand behind them."
The addition of hand-knotted rugs fills a void in the high-end category resulting from Karastan's move away from its legacy Axminster production in Eden, North Carolina. "There will be no more Karastan Axminsters -- those left are very valuable as they are what we have been known for since Eden began," she said.
Antiquity Collection
Karastan introduced the Antiquity collection of machine-woven digitally printed rugs at Las Vegas Market (above), and illustrated their foldability in the vignette below.
Also rolling out in Vegas, the new printed Antiquity collection was a hit with market shoppers. A room display presented a full complement of traditional designs in a warm color palette, and a vignette illustrating the foldability of the new rug line. "These are machine-made in our Georgia facilities of 100 percent SmartStrand silk, and digitally printed. Antiquity features our own foldable backing. You can completely fold it and it flattens right out," Banks said.
Zephyr Collection
A classic Zephyr collection medallion design in updated fashion colors debuted at Las Vegas Market.
Karastan put its spin on fashion and texture in the machine-made category with the Zephyr collection, which is made in the US from SmartStrand and EverStrand with a hint of reflex polyester. Banks noted a positive reaction to the color palette especially designs in black mixed with copper that looks like the color of distressed leather.
The Zephyr collection from Karastan features these erased look transitional designs.
Axiom Collection
The Axiom collection by Karastan launched at Las Vegas Market.
Another Las Vegas roll out, the new Axiom range is machine-woven of EverStrand and viscose with a low pile and with a palette including on trend tones of blue, gold and indigo.
A showroom display wall featured the Axiom collection's Chisel design in three fashion colorways.
Haberdasher Collection
The Haberdasher collection by Karastan is menswear-inspired.
Among other Karastan debuts is the Haberdasher collection woven of wool and polyester with menswear looks in tone on tone textures, prominently displayed with tailor shop threads, fabrics and fitting mannequin.
Tryst Collection
A hit design in the Tryst collection by Karastan is Marseille (RG0733).
A top-seller since its introduction at High Point in October 2019, Karastan's machine-woven Tryst collection features a high point count favored by market shoppers and a low-profile cut pile of polyester shrink and viscose yarns. New styles were added in Vegas.