CARPET TAKE YOUR TIME This carpet is produced by Jan Kath, one of the world s most in demand designers of hand-knotted carpets. It s made from a blend of Chinese silk, Tibetan Highland wool and Nepalese nettle. After washing the raw wool, it is carded and spun by hand with traditional production methods. Yarns are custom coloured with ecologically tested dyes and then prepared for the loom. The quality is 80 Knots per square inch, which is around 125.000 Knots per sqm. It takes about 3 months to weave a carpet measuring 2.5 3.5 meters. After completion, the carpet is sheered, washed and stretched in a frame to dry outside in the sun. At the end the carpet is checked thoroughly and the edges are finished. hand knotted in Nepal The dimensions of this carpet can be made to the wishes of the customer.
QUALITY AND MANUFACTURING Jan Kath is one of the most important carpet designers on the international stage. His carpets can be found everywhere from homes of arabian royalty to the showrooms of important Parisian fashion labels. He is known for putting all efforts in getting the highest quality available. With regard to size, format, and materials, the carpets can be made according to individual wishes. The carpets are hand-woven in the Himalayas, in Agra, the ancient Mogul capital in India, or in the Atlas mountains of Morocco in line with centuries-old traditions and at manufacturing sites that are often still run as small family businesses. There are between 100 and 450 knots in every square inch of carpet (6.45 square centimeters). It takes three to four months to weave a carpet measuring 2.5 3 meters. The basic material is Tibetan highland wool, which is of the highest grade and has the most robust quality available. Shepherds use yaks to bring the wool from the mountains to the base station, where it is washed in the river before being carded (combed) and spun by hand. Only ecologically tested dyes that are purely natural or specially produced in Switzerland are used in the dyeing process. In addition to the wool, the finest Chinese silk and yarn from stinging-nettle fibers help create appealing reflections and an exceptional haptic experience. One-of-a-kind natural materials in combination with manual production techniques lend each carpet its own particular character, making it a unique piece.
HAND- KNOTTED A carpet grows very slowly. Row by row, centimeter by centimeter, the pattern appears like a page emerging from an inkjet printer. When a hand-made rug by jan kath is created, it takes between 100 and 450 knots to complete every 6.45 square centimeters, or one square inch. To produce a piece that is 2.5 meters wide, four or five carpet weavers sit side by side on a bench. Stretched out in front of them on the loom are the warp threads, which form the basic frame of the rug. The carpet weavers need to work in complete harmony and at an equal pace. This is because the rugs grow horizontally. Once a row is complete, the knots are fixed in place with the closing thread and packed tight using a comb hammer. Only then is it possible to begin the next row of knots. It requires real teamwork. The more complex a design is, the more detailed the knot pattern becomes, and the longer it takes to realize a piece in textile form. Jan Kath has always supported the traditional method of tying knots by hand. He favors styles of craftsmanship that have existed for hundreds of years when it comes to production. For 16 years now, the factory workers in Kathmandu, Nepal, have used Tibetan techniques. After the carpet has grown inch by inch over several months on the loom and the last knot has been tied, the second stage can begin: washing. This is an important process that has a major influence on the final look of a piece. It can bring out the brilliance of the colors or give them an emphatically subdued appearance. The wash is therefore responsible for deciding whether a carpet looks brand new or centuries old. In order to give pieces their final shape, they are stretched on a frame when still wet and carefully laid out to dry in the sun in inner courtyards and on the roofs of houses. It is a sophisticated art to get the finer details just right.
FAIR TRADE Fair payment and good working conditions are a matter, of course, for Jan Kath as well. Together with label Step, they are fully committed to adhering to strict social and ecological standards in the production of carpets. STEP was founded as an independent non-governmental organization in 1995 by well-known aid organizations such as Bread for the World, Caritas, and Swissaid. It has an active local presence in all of the major carpet-producing countries, including Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, and Turkey. Independent inspectors regularly visit production sites to check the working conditions. Based on current market prices, label STEP calculates the wages required by carpet weavers and other workers to cover the cost of food, health care, living, energy, clothes, and education for themselves and their families. Both STEP and JAN KATH are firmly against exploitative child labor. A system of fair trade and rigorous regulation helps to prevent child labor and also combats its causes by improving working conditions and increasing wages. It also creates prospects for young people: only when parents earn enough to secure a livelihood for their families, can they afford to send their children to school instead of letting them work. I ve lived and worked in Nepal and Mongolia for several years myself, says Kath. He feels a close con nection with the locals in these countries and visits the production facilities every month. Of course, it s a moral imperative. But it s also in our own interest as a business to make sure that we provide the right working conditions. We set up day cares so our employees children don t run around playing between the weaving stools. This gives our workers the peace and quiet they need to concentrate many of our designs are highly intricate and difficult to create. We also want to keep the craft of weaving appealing. After all, we need a motivated skilled workforce in our factories, both for today and in the future. To find out more, visit www.label-step.org
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