LAS VEGAS -- With a positive start to the beginning of the year, Harounian Rugs International (HRI) heads confidently to Las Vegas expecting its latest area rugs and its Wesley Mancini license program to result in a strong summer market.
"We're focusing on market segments that have been trending so well for us," Greg Jordt, HRI told RugNews.com. "This year really got off to a strong start to because of a phenomenal end of 2018 -- the Rug Show at the Javits in September in New York and High Point in October were great."
Jordt noted that HRI participated for the last time in Atlanta in January and added that traffic in Vegas later that month was "terrific."
"Vegas has really become strong as a market. It was always looked on as a regional show with Western buyers. But it is amazing how many accounts are going to that market from the Midwest and the East," Jordt said. "We're excited about the summer in Vegas. We can't wait. We'll continue showing our launch of the Mancini collection, which performed very well at spring High Point."
MUST-SEE SUMMER INTROS
Mancini's Tonal Takes
The Studio collection by Wesley Mancini for HRI features oversize patterns in tonal colorways.
HRI will be showcasing its popular license program with textile designer Wesley Mancini, which debuted earlier this year. "Our new Wesley Mancini hand-knotted collections will be shown for the first time to Las Vegas shoppers. The hand knots have been well received because they are right on trend." Mancini's license also includes a machine-made private label program, Jordt told RugNews.com. "But that's a container purchase program and those items aren't sampled and backed up with stock -- they're direct purchases," he explained.
Mancini reworks geometrics into large-scale motifs that are resonating with buyers. His Theory collection, which will be on show in Vegas, features oversize geometric tribal designs inspired from the textile designer's private collection of antique tribal fabrics. Theory designs are colored in soft washed neutrals to easily coordinate with trending upholstery fabrics. Available sizes include 6x9, 8x10, 9x12 and 10x14, with custom sizes available by special order.
Textile designer Wesley Mancini creates Theory by HRI, a tonal range based on antique tribal fabrics.
Likewise, Mancini's Studio collection, with its soft tone on tone colorways is created to be easy to decorate with. This hand-knot range is made of a dense cut and loop pile of wool with dramatic large scale designs in viscose. And, Uptown, the third collection from Mancini, is another large-scale geometric with a tailored and sophisticated energy, featuring a dense texture of wool loop and viscose pile construction.
The sophisticated Uptown collection by Wesley Mancini for HRI will debut in Vegas.
"The more we can get our products to be an easy to coordinate with what's happening in upholstery fabrics, the better it is for everyone and that has been a reason for the success of what we've been working on and doing recently."
Large-scale Florals, Sweater-looks & Abstracts
HRI's hand-knotted Premia collection is a big hit with its large-scale Oushak motifs.
Large-scale florals have also performed very strongly for HRI and Jordt expects that to continue at Vegas. "We have a new collection called Premia that's doing amazing. It's a borderless large-scale Oushak design in contemporary colors."
Premia, a collection of five classic large-scale distressed Oushak design, is hand-knotted in India if fine New Zealand wool and finished in HRI's exclusive luster wash finish. These programmed rugs are available in 6x9, 8x10, 9x12 and 10x14, with custom sizes available by special order.
In addition, texture continues strong, and is reflected in not only the Mancini designs with their high-low designs but also with Dorset. "We also have what's called the "sweater look" in one collection [Dorset] that's going crazy. There are eight SKUs in that collection -- each one is a different texture."