05052016 Due Process Launches Exclusive Wesley Mancini Rug Designs for Century Furniture and Kravet

HIGH POINT, N.C. -- Technical innovation and design acumen were in the spotlight at Due Process Stable Trading Co.'s Market Square showroom with April 2016 High Point Market introductions designed by Wesley Mancini for the Century Rug Collection and for Kravet Carpet.

Rugnews.com spoke with David Grasse, president of Due Process, and Mancini, president of Wesley Mancini, Ltd., at the rug maker's showroom to learn more about their signature collections for some top names in interior furnishings, their weaving innovations and the synergies between textile and rug design.

What's different about the Century Furniture sisal collection you're introducing this market?

Grasse: It's made on proprietary Wilton looms typically used for wool carpets, but modified to weave our sisal designs. We have eight six-frame looms contracted for the program, and an initial patent on the looms. There are three area rug designs and four broadloom designs for Century, each in five colorways. To my knowledge, no one else is doing wool rug designs of this complexity in sisal.

Mancini: The sisal is from Tanzania, where the finest-grade sisal comes from. In the rug collection, a single design fills the entire surface. Technically, this is the first time a sisal manufacturer can weave a full-width design with no repeat. The Century broadloom has smaller motifs that repeat throughout.

What was the inspiration for the Congo collection for Kravet?

Mancini: Congo is based on what is known as Kuba cloth. Many are familiar with these textiles but don't really know their origin, which is the Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire. They are embroideries, typically done by women when they are pregnant and can't work in the fields. And they are the best examples of non-repetitive patterns in the world.

I did my thesis on non-repetitive pattern at Cranbrook Academy of Art, but not on Kuba, on my own designs. I discovered the world of Kuba after graduation, and started collecting them. I personally own about 100 museum-quality Kuba cloths, some of them rotating in the Mint Museum.

Grasse: The Congo collection is exclusive to Kravet. In Wesley's interpretation, the rugs are woven in natural wool colors, in the design aesthetic of Kuba cloth, but in much softer, contemporary colors.  

Mancini: Neutrals are always top sellers. Congo is based on natural, undyed sheep wool colors, and luckily for us, some sheep are grey! 

 

What does the association with Wesley Mancini bring to Due Process?

Grasse: Our partnership with Wesley has been pivotal in expanding our existing offerings as well as in developing programs at the most sophisticated levels, with for example, Kravet design partners Barbara Barry, Jonathan Adler and Jeffrey Alan Marks. The Kravet program [launched in 2005] is now beyond 400 SKUs, and Century [launched in 2015] has 100 separate, exclusive SKUs.

What was the catalyst for a licensing partnership for rugs with Due Process?

Mancini: I design upholstery, bedding and drapery, so it was a natural progression for me to include rugs with interior textiles. We currently live in a "solid" world where many textiles in interiors are solid fabrics. The last stronghold for pattern is the floor. 

Are most of your rug designs influenced by your work in home textiles? 

Mancini: My experience of designing interior textiles certainly keeps me abreast of current trends in pattern and color within the furniture industry and the decorative jobber markets. I would say about only 10 percent of my fabric line will inspire a rug design, and the same holds true for rug designs (some influence the creation of upholstery). 

I find that creativity is a two-way street not always feeding in one direction. I like that aspect of bouncing back and forth and learning from everything we do.

 

How has the collection evolved over the years?  

Mancini: In the beginning I was incorporating a great deal of complex color but quickly learned that our customers often prefer more subtle, simplistic designs.

Grasse: Our qualities and fiber offerings have expanded and continue to evolve. When a new construction emerges, Wesley will design a collection of about 12 designs for that quality. This gives us a variety of price points from the Tibetan hand knotted to the Indian handloom.

What inspires you when creating rugs? 

Mancini: Fundamentally, it has to start with the quality. We consider its limitations, and whether it is hand knotted or woven on a hand loom. With the quality also comes the fiber content. Fibers have different looks, and they take dye differently. With some, you want the natural characteristic of the fiber to show through. A natural wool or linen can have various values in the individual strand.

If a particular collection is about the natural look of the fiber, that will determine the colors. You want to highlight where the money is, versus covering it up with dye.

So, first, the quality of the construction and the fiber being used; then the design theme for the collection is determined based on the first two criteria. 

 

How often is the Due Process line refreshed, and when will you next show new designs? 

Grasse: There is a constant influx of new designs; always several collections out being woven. The design process never ends, so the pipeline is always full. 

Mancini: We will be introducing new designs during Showtime in High Point in June. Due Process shows at both High Point Market and Showtime, which is also held twice a year.

Why Showtime?