Issue 68
9
Editor Lucy Upward Executive Editor Ben Evans Senior Editor Malin Lonnberg Assistant Editor Rachel Meek Contributing Editors Jane Audas, Denna Jones, Corinne Julius, Katie Loux, Elisabeth Parker, Ros Weaver Design & Production Radostina Dobreva, Kanittha Mairaing Sales & Marketing Director David Young Ad & Event Sales Raquel Diaz Downey, David Phillips Digital and Social Media Executive Elena Wyszynski Administration and Subscription Manager Katie Welch
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EDITORIAL
Curiosity brings creativity
A prosperous rug industry also requires a great deal of creativity. New ideas are ultimately driven by curiosity and a need to find answers to problems or questions
September marks the second ‘start’ of the year, a time when we expect to see a plethora of newly released designs at a swathe of exciting design shows. It is heartening to see that most of the design events are now back on the agenda for autumn 2022, including our second COVER Connect New York on 11–13 September. This year twenty-two premium companies will be exhibiting with us at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan. After speaking to many rug companies and retailers it is clear to COVER that an annual high-end rug event is needed. Rug retailer Larry Stone from The Scarab comments in this issue: ‘It is absolutely imperative to maintain a well-curated rug show in NYC. The city is the heart of the United States and the network of people coming together are the essential ingredients for a prosperous handmade-rug industry.’
A prosperous rug industry also requires a great deal of creativity. New ideas are ultimately driven by curiosity and a need to find answers to problems or questions. During lockdown many people started to ask themselves questions that led to pleasing solutions, the notion of which is reflected in our article with rug brand Tissage. In that strange, quiet period the company’s creative director, Nikhil Kapoor, looked for a clear and intelligent way to express the artistry of rugs to today’s discerning buyers. Kapoor hopes that the industry will keep pushing rugs’ ‘aspiration value’ by creative means.
As if in response to this, Jan Kath’s Rug Bombs collection—currently on show at the Alte Brüderkirche in Kassel—also features in this issue. Having changed the course of rug design several years ago with his eponymous rug company, Kath is now creating rug art with a strong message to deliver. Visitors to the show are responding to this expression of art through the medium of rugs.
Also here is an interview with Marko Nichols-Marcy of Noreen Seabrook, who— with contemporary designs based on music, sport, design and what you could describe as a branch of ‘popular culture’—is introducing carpets to audiences that would never normally think of rugs as a creative medium. ‘When I started talking about rugs I realised there is interest among the younger community,’ he tells us.
Creativity abounds, in those brands mentioned and many more, such as nanimarquina, talking in this issue about creative ways to reach carbon zero. We must always keeping looking for exciting solutions. Lucy Upward, Editor