The young designer Julia Gèsine Stefan is starting her own carpet label Bó Hamsa – from the outset with fair trade Label STEP. The newcomer is presenting her premium collection to the public and trade experts at the Domotex Fair for the first time. Thanks to ideal partnerships, the success is assured.

Julia Gèsine Stefan is launching her first collection with established carpet dealer Mohammad Kazem Hagh-negahdar in Hamburg (Modam GmbH). Haghnegahdar is a giant in the German carpet scene. Together, they share a passion for beautiful carpets and traditional handicraft.

The Bó Hamsa label unites Julia Gèsine Stefan’s bold and modern designs with traditional knotting techniques – resulting in audacious overtones, thrilling to both clients and carpet professionals. With Bó Hamsa, she crafts haute couture for the floor – artistically ambitious and poles apart from mass production. Label STEP is very pleased that for Julia Gèsine Stefan it was beyond question to follow the label’s Fair Trade Guidelines right from the start.

Customers can rest assured that carpet weavers work under fair conditions. The Bó Hamsa carpets are made in Nepal, one of the focus countries of Label STEP. The haute couture for the floor ensures the livelihood of the craftspeople. The advantage of fair trade in the Nepali carpet industry is palpable: workplaces are secure, well-lit and clean. The workers’ children sit at school desks rather than looms. Apartments are provided by the employer, who often also helps support health and education costs. In dying the wool and silk, Label STEP promotes the use of environmentally friendly dyes and supports the construction of purification plants. Label STEP regularly assesses the cost of living and compares this against the salaries being paid in the carpet branch.

The goal of Bó Hamsa is to inspire passionate interior worlds and lifestyles. The designer connects different disciplines and conveys her interest in ethnological tribal textiles, art, fashion, and craft, “I am curious about the world. The tracks of my trips and research are echoed in my carpets. The customer can take these worlds into their living room in the form of a collection. As a designer and importer, I have the additional opportunity to take social responsibility. That is one of the reasons I decided to work with Label STEP.”

Julia Gèsine Stefan studied surface and textile design at the Kunsthochschule KHB Weißensee, characterized by their Bauhaus influence. Following several months in Marrakesh, she dedicated herself to carpet design and craft, setting the goal to reinterpret this tradition. With that, she decided as a young designer against the short-lived fashion circus, transferring her commitment to one of humanity’s oldest cultural assets.

Julia Gèsine Stefan is located at the DOMOTEX in Halle 20, Stand C18 – right next to Label STEP!