THE STORY
THE PROCESS
Unlike many rugs that come from Afghanistan, each of our rugs is 100% produced within the country, from weaving through to finishing (see video for more details!). This means that Afghanistan's artisans capture more value for their work.
Artisans
This piece is produced by master artisans in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban took over in August 2021, we have removed all identifying references of our partners for security reasons. Some of our partners were able to leave Afghanistan. For those who remain, their craft is critical to sustain their livelihoods at a time when the country is in financial collapse and in the grip of a humanitarian disaster. Every order we are able to make with our partners is more important now than ever before.
THE WEAVERS
Each carpet is hand-knotted (32 x 32), taking two weavers approximately four months to make. Carpet weaving is at the heart of Afghanistan’s heritage but four decades of conflict have isolated the artisans from the rest of the world. We partner with NGOs on the ground to ensure a comprehensive set of fair trade standards, including good working and living conditions, fair wages, the prohibition of child labour, and environmentally friendly production.
THE WOOL
The carpets are hand-knotted using Ghazni wool, a variety of wool unique to Afghanistan known for its luxuriant finish as well as its unique way of absorbing colour which gives the carpets Abrash - the technical term used to describe the mottled effect given by each strand of wool's subtle variation of colour.
