As a big advocate of great modern design combined with social responsibility I was thrilled to discover Amy Helfand’s rug designs at ICFF last month. Her Garland Rugs looked stunning with their dynamic patterns and are GoodWeave certified to ensure child-labor-free practices. Fluttering prayer flags of Nepal are the inspiration behind the Garland Rugs. The indigo looked gorgeous juxtaposed with cream and pops of saturated color. Her website illustrates how the Brooklyn based artist arrives at her abstract designs that go through several creative evolutions. In the case of the Garland Rugs you can see photographs of the actual prayer flags that are transformed into sculptures and then into abstract patterns for her rugs. I love how this process makes Eastern imagery accessible for modern home design. The Garland rugs are hand-knotted at 100 knots/inch in Nepal made of Chinese silk and Tibetan wool.
Amy Helfand is a member of the non-profit organization GoodWeave. It ensures that the rugs are produced in a child-labor-free environment. Through her contributions she also helps to fund rehabilitation and education for former child weavers. It’s a great example that designers can be agents of change and I can only hope that more artists will follow. Other companies that collaborate with GoodWeave include Angela Adams, IndiB and Judy Ross Textiles.
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