Why Are Spice Market Rugs So Hot? Q&A with Karastan's Brandon Culpepper

Typically at trade shows, editors are the ones asking the questions.  But at Las Vegas Market the roles reversed when retailers and vendors began querying RugNews.com about Karastan's new Spice Market collection.  Why did a machine-woven line of 20 rugs engender such a response from buyers and competitors?   Read our Q&A with Brandon Culpepper, VP Specialty Sales for Mohawk Home and Karastan Rugs for the the backstory behind the buzz.

RugNews.com:  In Las Vegas, we heard Spice Market was 'on fire'.  Why do you think that is?

Culpepper: That's great to hear, and very flattering. The market loved Spice Market because it is a beautiful, traditional line that looks like the old Karastan Axminsters. The colors are warm, but fashion-forward. It's a real breakthrough: Spice Market is made on cutting edge Van De Weile looms with EverStrand [recycled PET polyester], but customers tell us the rugs are truly worthy of the Karastan label.

RugNews.com:  What about price - wasn't $399 in 5x8 a big factor?

Culpepper: The price is almost unbelievable when you see it and feel it. The rugs are visually gorgeous, soft to the touch and I think it is an amazing value.  It's the total package in machine made rugs. Spice Market is a high tech rug that looks handmade: rich, beautiful and timeless.

RugNews.com:  How did you pull that off?

Culpepper: It's been a labor of love for Tracy Pruitt, who is our VP of design. He's been working hard to come up with an EverStrand product that was built off our yarn system but looked like Karastan. The yarn is space dyed and it was a tough balancing act to pull that off.

RugNews.com:  What makes the colors and designs different from previous Karastan EverStrand lines?

Culpepper: We're using the beautiful design elements and warmer colors that people associate with Karastan. EverStrand has a color bank of 10 colors. The yarn is space dyed, so each color has three shades.  It's tough working with 30 shades of color. We're using a two-color change-out when weaving: we stop, take two colors down and put up two new. Across the entire spectrum there are 36 colors in Spice Market. 

RugNews.com:  Is Spice Market proof that traditional is coming back?

Culpepper: Traditional never went anywhere. The rug business left it, and that was a folly. Traditional is the heart of the rug market and always will be.  Why go chasing trends? Frets are easy; ikats are easy; my daughter can draw a chevron on the back of her notebook. But to do a beautiful Agra or Kashan design that looks like the real thing? That is not easily done. It involves a huge investment in artistic time and ability. 

RugNews.com:  How long has Spice Market been in the works?

Culpepper: Each design was carefully selected because we wanted Spice Market to become a franchise for Karastan.  It took two years to get all 20 designs approved.

RugNews.com:  Were you after a specific demographic, perhaps an older consumer?

Culpepper: No. And that kind of underscores our belief that traditional is not a niche market, but it is the heart of the market. Spice Market appealed to everyone from the millennial product manager to the e-commerce retailer to a buyer at Macy's.  It sold in Atlanta; it sold in Vegas. Sales were not regional: it sold in the east and the west; north and south.

RugNews.com:  Why do you think Spice Market sold across demographic lines?

Culpepper: Again, I don't think traditional people ever went anywhere. The key is: can you design traditional in the right colors? Do you invest in the product development to get the right looks? Can you do it at the right price and also do it with speed to market?  The definition of traditional is so broad now. It could be a busy Persian design or a relaxed traditional.  Spice Market is more relaxed traditional, leaning more toward transitional. The yarn is recycled PET from plastic bottles, so it also has a green story. 

RugNews.com:  Can you tell us best sellers at summer markets?

Culpepper: The number one best seller in Spice Market was Myanmar in aquamarine and the number two was Aden in silver. What sells rugs is color. Color is what is driving Spice Market now.

RugNews.com:  What retail channels are you targeting for Spice Market?

Culpepper: Furniture retailers, flooring retailers and rug retailers. 

RugNews.com:  When will Spice Market be in stores?

Culpepper: We announced a big initiative in Atlanta this summer that focuses on speed to market. We will ship in the same season we launch a collection, so Spice Market launched in July and will ship to in September so the newness will hit quickly.