Flokati Rugs: A Part of Greek History
by Steve Mazarakis
President, Hellenic Rug Co., Brooklyn, NY
(www.flokati.com)
There are important reasons for writing this paper. My objective is to provide for the protection of an historic product, the legendary "Flokati€VbCrLf rug. I hope to obtain this goal by educating the global consumer about this product, and thereby eliminate any possible misconceptions on what a flokati is or is not.
I will open this paper with the basic definition of Flokati Rugs as defined in Webster's dictionary, The first Webster's entry was made in 1967, after the Greek government gave the product official specifications and standards:
"Flokati: A Hand-woven shaggy 100% wool rug made in Greece."
In a joint effort, the Greek Ministries of Finance, Industry, and Commerce formulated a law in 1966 which defined the particular specifications a rug needed to meet in order to be classified as a "Flokati.€VbCrLf This law was immediately adopted by the Greek Parliament and was subsequently sanctioned by the "International Board of Customs Classifications.€VbCrLf The law specified that for a rug to be classified as a "Flokati€VbCrLf it must be hand woven in Greece and must be made of 100% wool (warp, weft, and pile). Total weight of the rug must be at least 1800 grams of wool per square meter. The Flokati must be subjected to the water friction process for the pile to unravel and fluff out.
Those are the specifications.
This is the history.
Flokati Rugs have enjoyed a rich history of over 2000 years for which we can be fairly certain.
Greece's history has been respected and studied for thousands of years. In The Odyssey, Homer mentions Greek weavers. During the long winters, Alexander, in his great Conquests probably used Flokati for his tents and clothing.
Recorded history of Flokatis takes us to 1500 years ago to settlements in the northern mountain regions of Greece. "Vlachs€VbCrLf who were originally Romans who guarded the Egnatia path connecting Rome and Constantinople, settled these villages. They spoke a Latin dialect to separate themselves from other groups and later from the Turks. Their major industry was dairy products made from goats and sheep. They use the wool from the sheep to weave material to make clothing and other textile products.
The Vlach Tribal Heritage
Flokati was most probably discovered accidentally, either by the Vlachs or possibly even by the Macedonians of Alexander the Great. We know that sheepskins were used for warmth and to protect against rain. Weavers simulated this effect by flocking the material with a high pile. This was a very practical means of enjoying the positive attributes of a sheepskin without needing to slaughter and skin the animal, which would, obviously, end it's productive life. When they washed the early Flokati in the Pindos mountain river water, they probably couldn't help noticing how the pile seemed to get fluffier while the backing got much tighter.
We know these rugs were a part of the Vlach's standard inventory of products which they sold and traded. Every Winter the Vlachan men would form caravans and would embark on long journeys to markets throughout the region where they would sell their various wares, including their dairy products, flokati rugs, and other woven products.
The name "Flokati€VbCrLf was definitely bestowed by the Vlach's. The word is a Latin rooted word based on the word "Flock. " The word ending "ati €VbCrLf was slang for "Like a€VbCrLf. Therefore the word "Flokati€VbCrLf originally meant "like a flock of sheep.€VbCrLf
Flokati quality was measured by the density and total weight of the rug. Producers took pride in having the most plush and heavy Flokati.
Wedding Flokatis
Vlachs, from the Pindos mountain villages, took special pride in their Bridal Flokati rugs. The young women would weave a Flokati and put the colors of the Village on the border of the rug in Christian Cross shapes with small squares.
In those days marriages were typically pre-arranged by parents who would seek an appropriate bride or groom from a neighboring village. On the wedding day, the "Bridal Flokati€VbCrLf would be draped over a horse upon which the bride would ride to the groom's village. The bride would be accompanied by a huge procession, which would include the inhabitants of her entire village. The colors of the "Bridal Flokati€VbCrLf would signify the identity of the bride's village so that all would know from which village she was coming from. It would be later placed on the "Bridal Bed€VbCrLf. Saying goes a Bride's wealth was measured by the amount of quality Flokati rugs she owned.
The Vlach's continued this tradition for centuries, weaving flokatis in the same fashion as their ancestors had done before them. It wasn't until the early 1950's, after World War II, that they migrated from their traditional homelands and moved to the planes of Thessaly, Grevena, and Macedonia, where they first learned how they could utilize modern industrial techniques to improve their productivity when making their Flokati rugs.
We can safely say that all producers of Flokati rugs, even today, were and are direct descendants of the original Vlachs.
FLOCO RUGS
In the 1970's, Flokati became so popular that there were over 200 Flokati production facilities throughout Greece. Because of the price wars, producers were making the rugs lighter and lighter for they were selling them by the total weight of the rug, not by the square footage. This brought a new product to the market called the "Floco" rug. This rug was created to obtain the price that the mass merchant wanted. This rug was produced in a similar manner. The difference was that it was not nearly the required weight and the warp and weft were made of polypropylene, and therefore were appropriately labeled "Floco Rugs€VbCrLf in order not to infringe upon the quality standards of the real "Flokati Rugs.€VbCrLf
Machine Made Rugs Are Not Flokatis
Today, some producers have taken the manufacturing process one step further. They machine tuft the pile in a pre-woven polypropylene backing. From these large fabrics they then cut sizes required by their clients.
The producers are free to manufacture any type of rug they like, but they have absolutely no right to label these products as being authentic Flokati rugs. This is not only misleading, but it is illegal.
Flokati has been a part of Greek tradition for centuries. The definitive Flokati exists and is available to the consumer through various quality retailers and mail order catalogs. Unfortunately, today we are witnessing certain mass merchants systematically misleading consumers by labeling these inferior tufted imitation flokati type rugs as genuine Flokati Rugs woven in the traditional way. One dealer even had the audacity to label it as being "Made in the USA.€VbCrLf
Hellenic Rug Imports, Inc. takes pride in the fact that it has played an instrumental role in the revival of the original Flokati Rug.
Hellenic also manufactures Floco rugs but labels them for what they are. Hellenic is presently working with the Commercial Ministry of Greece, EOMMEX (The Greek organization of handicrafts), and the US Federal Trade Commission, in a joint effort to stop importers from falsely labeling Floco, tufted, or any other imitation rug as being "Flokati€VbCrLf unless they meet the required specifications as prescribed by the Greek ministries in 1966.