The Label-STEP Carpet: Making-of
Part 1: Designing the Label STEP Carpet
Part 2: Meet the Weavers
Part 3: Getting to the Finish Line
Getting to the Finish Line
Weaving is by far the most time-consuming and skillful work step in carpet production. But equally important is the preparation and dyeing of the raw materials – in our case Tibetan highland wool and Chinese natural silk – and the finishing of the carpet.
- Rajesh Pushpakar finishing the Label STEP carpet
Creating the special shape of a custom design like the Label STEP carpet is a delicate matter that requires specific know-how. In the Nepalese carpet industry it’s mostly Indian experts and craftsmen taking care of the finishing processes. For our carpet Rajesh Pushpakar is doing this. He originates from Bhadohi, a centre of the Indian carpet industry. Rajesh came to Kathmandu 14 years ago and has been working for the same producer since 12 years now. He is glad that his skills are required in Nepal and that he can earn a better salary than back home. On holidays he travels to Bhadohi where his family lives.
After the weaving of the Label STEP carpet is completed, Rajesh Pushpakar is cutting the stylized fringes out of the rectangular carpet. He then fastens every single loose thread. The carpet’s pile is also clipped to an even height and the design’s outlines are sharpened. Now the carpet just needs to be washed – and shipped. Label STEP will present it at Domotex trade show from January 14 to 17 in Hannover. Pictures will follow… or come and have a look!
- Rajesh comes from Bhadohi, India, and visits his family back home on holidays
Meet the Weavers
Label STEP visits the workshop in Kathmandu where its carpet is produced and meets Dilla and Vijaya, the weavers of the Label STEP carpet.
- Vijaya...
- ...and his wife Dilla...
- ...are weaving the Label STEP carpet
Dilla (28) and Vijaya (32) work in a small carpet workshop in Kathmandu’s Baudha neighbourhood. This part of Kathmandu is home to numerous small carpet production sites. Due to political pressure and instability Nepal’s big carpet factories had to close down a few years ago. Today most of the weaving takes place in much smaller, less exposed workshops. Unfortunately this development went hand in hand with a general decline of working and living conditions of the workers and challenges to maintain the high quality level of Nepal’s carpet production.
That’s why Label STEP, together with its licensees and their suppliers in Nepal, lobbies for a return the former centralised production structures. In the meantime Label STEP closely monitors these new workshops and makes sure they comply with fair trade standards.
Dilla and Vijaya benefit from the advances of fair trade: Label STEP inspectors control if their workplace is safe, clean and well-lit. Their living quarters – also inspected by Label STEP – are decent and provided by the workshop owner, as well as free electricity and drinking water. And last but not least Label STEP regularly checks if the workers’ wages meet the living wage level necessary to provide for their families’ livelihood.
Under such fair trade circumstances the carpet industry is an important provider of attractive jobs for thousands of people – in a country that suffers from a lack of employment opportunities. Therefore thousands of Nepalese leave their country for jobs in the Gulf region. Most of these migrant workers are males, leaving their wives and children behind.
Dilla and Vijaya prove that that the opposite way is also an option. Their families lived in India for two generations. Now they both work together in Kathmandu’s carpet industry since more than twelve years. They have a one-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son who already goes to school. This is very important for the weaver couple because they both went to school for one or two years only and they want to provide their children a better education.
Leaving the country for work abroad is out of question for Vijaya: “We are a family and want to stay together. Here is our home and here is where our children should grow up and go to school.”
- A wonderful family: Vijaya, Dilla and their two kids
Designing the Label STEP carpet
Label STEP makes its own carpet! Just in time for Domotex, the leading trade show for handmade carpets in January 2012, Label STEP will have its logo produced as a carpet. The project shows the impressive capabilities of the Nepalese carpet industry and informs about fair carpet trade.
The carpet will measure 1.4 x 2.1 meters. It will be hand knotted in wool and silk. The shape will be the same as Label STEP’s logo – thus taking the logo’s stylized carpet shape from abstraction back to reality. The carpet should be finished by January 2012 when the Domotex trade fair will take place. Makalu design will be carrying out the project. The German company is not only recognized for its specialty in custom design carpets, it is also a longtime Label STEP partner and can therefore guarantee that the carpet is produced according to fair trade standards.
We have talked to Petra Both, Chief Designer at Makalu, about the project:
- Petra Both, designer at Label STEP partner MakaluSIMULATED WITH 2)Computer animation of the Label STEP carpet
Label STEP: Makalu Design is famous for the realization of custom design carpets. How come?
Petra Both: It seems like word has gotten around that Makalu can count on long standing know-how in this field. We have become specialists for custom designs. That’s why we get a lot of orders, especially for complicated projects.
Is there a trend towards individually designed handmade carpets?
Yes, you could say so. We’re receiving a lot of orders from private customers through our retail partners as well as from interior designers. There’s definitely a trend to customizing carpets according to specific interior situations.
Do you sometimes receive designs that you as a design professional find terrible?
(laughs) … yes that can happen. But at the end of the day the customer should like the carpet, not me. That’s why we always take our customers’ demands very seriously. However, sometimes we discuss designs and improve it together with the customer.
When we ordered our carpet, we were surprised how easily our ideas can be realized. Are there any limits to what’s possible?
It is truly amazing what our factory in Nepal is able to produce in terms of both designs and complex shapes. But of course: the finer the patterns and color gradients are, the more difficult the production of the carpet becomes… at the end it’s often a question of costs.
The shape of our Label STEP logo carpet with its stylized fringes causes no problems in production?
No, we could make even more complex shapes.
Digital Photoshop design and traditional craftsmanship – how can that work together?
It’s in the nature of carpet weaving that you get minor irregularities. But our customers do not only accept this – they embrace the tiny imperfections. It’s part of the beauty of a handmade product! Because these carpets are handmade, they have this organic charisma and individual character.
The official Label STEP red comes from the Pantone color system. How do you choose the colors for the wool?
Our color range consists of 300 different shades and enables almost infinite design options. I’m choosing the matching color with the help of special color charts. But still you have to keep in mind that the color of your carpet will change according to the lightning conditions… again this also contributes to the carpet’s liveliness.
When it comes to choosing raw materials we settled for a mixture of wool and silk…
…I love to play with different materials, this is one of the greatest things about carpets; it gives you so many creative options! The background of the Label STEP carpet will be knotted in Tibetan highland wool – one of the best wool qualities in the world. The writing is done in pure natural silk. The contrast between these two materials results in a charming look and an exciting touch.
Another important thing is the density of the knots. How many knots will the Label STEP carpet count?
A carpet’s knots are like the pixels on a computer screen or for print: the higher the density – or the resolution – the finer and more detailed the image gets. For the Label STEP carpet, we settled for the Nepalese 100 knots quality; that means 100 knots are made per one inch². This very high quality is necessary to implement the fine writing of the Label STEP claim of “Fair Trade Carpets” accurately.
Please tell us something about the Nepalese factory that will produce our carpet.
Makalu Design has been working with its producers in Nepal for more than 20 years. Since the beginning we were placing emphasis on a fair partnership and good working conditions. This is also rewarded with excellent quality and reliability in production. Until today we maintain an amicable relationship with our partner in Nepal.
- Detail: The design is copied on a graph which guides the weaver through the carpet – knot by knot. The knot density determines the design’s level of detail. The difference between 60 knots (above) …
- … and 100 knots, which are used for the Label STEP carpet, is obvious.
