NEW YORK -- With all the hoopla heaped on contemporary hand-knotted designs at international markets, a surprising number of vendors at the 2018 edition of The Rug Show NY report strong response to traditional offerings.
At the show, held Aug. 25-Aug.28 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, purists like ModRen Rugs, Pacific Collection, Neman International and Woven Legends were the go-to stands for dealers and designers committed to the classics. What's more, dealers of antique carpets were also on attendees' must-see lists. Looms of Persia, a dealer of antique carpets, is but one example. "People actually come to the show to see our antique rugs, and also to see our Gabbeh rugs," said M. Ebrahim Akhavan Farshchi of Looms of Persia, pointing to an antique Serapi and a Khotan runner -- both magnets to his stand.
Addressing the rise of sustainable design and the Bohemian fashion trend, several purists at the show unveiled first-time ventures into the world of modern colors and patterns. Most noteworthy among them were Andkhuy, which introduced its first abstract rugs at the show, and The Persian Carpet, which unveiled its inaugural transitional designs from India.
Of Andkhuy's expansion into modern, Rehman Nazar said his wool and silk hand-knotted abstract designs were from the Turkmen region of Afghanistan near Russian. "People like them, they sold, and we will put them into production. We sold a lot at the show - it's been very good. We're busy packing rugs that sold."
Capitalizing on their success with fun colors, exhibitors specializing in refinished and overdyed carpets are now capturing the hearts and minds of Millennials and e-commerce shoppers with rugs that tell sustainability stories. One example, Bereket Hali of Istanbul, grabbed attention with its eye-popping Turkish Oushak rugs, some carpets newly woven with recycled wool, and others sheered, refinished and embellished with antique recycled yarns.
In this two-part series, we cover exhibitors Afghan Bazar Carpets to ModRen Rugs in Part 1.
Don't miss
Part 2 for news on new designs, weaves and textures from exhibitors Momeni to Woven Legends.
AFGHAN BAZAR CARPETS
First time Rug Show NY exhibitor Abdullah Rahman Qul of Afghan Bazar Carpets said the Hamburg, Germany based company's flatweaves (shown below) were best sellers. "We sold 50 percent of our shipment - I'm very happy," Qul said. 
ANDKHUY RUGS
Rehman Nazar of Andkhuy Rugs introduced the San Francisco company's first modern collection with a thumbs up from Rug Show NY shoppers. Hand-knotted of wool and silk, the abstract designs are a departure from Andkhuy's classic Persian-style offerings. 
ANADOL
Known for its Anatolian Oushak rugs in soft neutrals favored by upscale dealers and designers, Anadol reports that this warm-toned design was its Rug Show New York best seller.
BEREKET HALI
Vivid colors and a Boho vibe distinguished year's Bereket stand at the Rug Show NY, where designers gravitated to this hand-knotted Turkish Oushak rug woven with recycled wool yarn.
Above and below, one of Bereket's Rug Show hits, this vintage 1930s Turkish Oushak rug is sheared, recolored and enhanced by artisans with recycled antique yarn of wool and pure silk for new twist on a long-haired Tulu look.
FRENCH ACCENTS
Front and center at the French Accents stand, design (H953) from the company's Retro Serapi collection grabbed buyers' attention for its fresh color palette of lavender grey with pastel accents updating an ages-old classic.
GLOBAL CRAFT
Neel Panthi and Shailesh Adhikary of Globalcraft Rugs in Houston introduced the 150 knot Sherpa collection at the Rug Show NY. The classic designs (shown below) are woven in pure silk, and quickly became best-sellers at the show. 
HAROONI ORIGINALS
Known for classic Persian designs in pure silk, for large mansion size rugs (12x19), and shapes like an octagon at its Rug Show stand, Harooni introduced its first machine made rugs to show shoppers. The ivory rug above is an Axminster of cotton and bamboo silk; the blue design (below) is machine made in 100 percent silk.
LOOMS OF PERSIA
M. Ebrahim Akhavan Farshchi and Nooshin Akhavan Farshchi of Looms of Persia in Secaucus, New Jersey, told RugNews.com that this 1880s Serapi (below) caught buyers' eyes, as did a vintage Khotan hanging at its Rug Show stand. The company is also renowned for its Gabbehs. 
MOBAYEN
Ramin Mobayen, who manages The Rug Show as well as his namesake company, curated a range of looks from Gabbehs to Suzani motifs, including the vintage Persian design below, which looks surprisingly modern. 
MODREN RUGS
Jeffrey Soleimani of ModRen Rugs showcased his exquisite reproductions of tapestry, Savonnerie and Aubusson carpets. "These are exact replicas of what you would see in the Louvre in Paris. Every knot is woven with at least a couple of colors," Soleimani said.
