Spring Fashion Analysis:
BROWNS STILL DOMINANT BUT FRESH COLORS BRIGHTEN NEW PRODUCTS

By Janelle Lampp

HIGH POINT, NC – New, more colorful hues are gradually adding freshness and harmony to the tried and trueneutral palette, according to an overview of new rugs introduced at the Spring High Point Market. Brown remains the dominant color in rugs, but the market is cautiously and gradually moving toward more fashionable tints of blue, green, yellow and purple.

Colors in Surya’s expanded Candice Olson licensed collection included fresh green, mid-tone blues, greens and yellow. “Candice and her team brought some fresh new color ideas to us to include in both her new and existing collections,” said Al Mortensen, director of visual merchandising for Surya.

Flat weave leather and suede rugs are also important trends. Chandra Rugs put a new spin on woven leather and suede flat weaves by adding metallic gold and silver finishes to the leather, in the Zanay collection. A 5x8 retails for $299. “We like the way that the combination of texture, sheen and materials create depth and interest, that is more than the sum of the parts,” said Ravi Tiwari, vice president of product development and merchandising.

Surya took the woven leather construction in a new direction with theTrail collection. Combining black, brown, gray and bright colors like turquoise in patchwork  designs made a very contemporary look. “Adding a punch of color to the organic, natural color of hides, brings something new to the construction,” said Mortensen. A 5x8 retails for $699.

Neo-Traditional

Rug design has also been moving away from the strict geometry of classical rug styling.  Asymmetric, borderless, blown up, large-scale and neo-traditional designs remain strong in the mid to lower price points.


Feizy's Saphir collection is machine woven in Turkey and retails for $299 in 5'3" x 7'6."

Feizy's Saphir Collection is an innovative group of 10 designs that mix high/low textures on a flat woven ground. The large scale patterns and assymetrical layout creates a new take on traditional rug design. “This is one of our most popular collections, not only because of it’s unique construction. The large scale patterns really hits a chord with the public,: said Steve Sorrow, vice president of design and product development. The faux silk yarns give a dense feeling and look. The collection is machine woven in Turkey and a 5’3”x7’6” retails for $299.

Shaggy Rug Story

Rizzy Rugs' Straw shag retails for $399. Hand tufted in India.

The appetite for shag rugs has not yet peaked. New shags in High Point were brighter and more colorful than ever, and shags were being shown in a broad variety of textures and patterns.

 Rizzy Rugs added to the growing trend with its Straw collection. Bright colors and contemporary patterns combine to bring even more texture to this construction. Made in India of polyester, a 5x8 retails for $399. “We like patterned shags because they add something new to the category,” said Shauna Snyder, creative director of Rizzy.

Indoor/Outdoor - From Blah to Beautiful


The Grant Design collection of indoor outdoor rugs from Jaipur is a polypropylene hooked construction that is made in China. Suggested retail is $195  in 5'x7'6."

The indoor/outdoor category is also continuing to grow, and vendors are showing a great deal more creativity in a category that was once confined to blah border rugs.

 Jaipur Rugs has added to its successful Grant Collection of polypropylene indoor/outdoor rugs. The collection, designed by the Grant design firm has been so successful that Jaipur has increased the number of designs to seven  and has as many as 20 coming onstream in the next six months. “We challenged Grant to come up with something new and different in rug design. They were hesitant because they had no experience designing rugs. It has been successful beyond our expectations so we are definitely adding to it,” said Asha Chaudhary, chief executive officer of Jaipur.

Name Brand Designers

Name brand designers and celebrities continue to lend excitement to rug lines. Martha Stewart, Paula Deen, Thomas O’Brien, Candice Olson, Jill Rosenwald, B. Smith, Amy Butler and Thomas Paul are just a few of the names in licensing today. The list grows as rug importers continue to add to their stable of designer collections.


Amy Butler design from Chandra Rugs is hand tufted in India and made of New Zealand wool. Suggested retail is $599.

Chandra Rugs recently licensed artist and fabric designer Amy Butler, whose first  rug collection was launched in High Point. Butler is best known for her fabric designs that are often used in the quilting and crafting industries.

“I prefer working with product designers versus celebrities, because they more often have their own point of view,” said Ravi Tiwari.  The Indian-made  New Zealand wool tufted rugs exhibit Butler’s signature style of casual country with a youthful twist, in contemporary, bright colors. The collection consists of 19 designs. A 5x8 retails for $599.

B. Smith design for Surya Rugs is hand tufted in India of New Zealand wool. Suggested retail is $399 in 5x8.

Surya Rugs continues to expand its collection of licensees and to grow their existing designer collections. New York celebrity and restauranteur B. Smith, added six new designs to her Mosaic collection of New Zealand wool-tufted rugs. They are hand tufted in India of New Zealand wool.  from India. A 5x8 retails for $399. Jill Rosenwald also debuted her first collection, showing six new designs in the Fallon collection of wool flat woven rugs retailing at $299 for a 5x8.