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04 Aug 2021
Wallace Sewell Rugs: the full story
We launched our collection of exquisite hand-knotted lambswool rugs in 2017 with three designs: Emmeline, Staffa and Fielden. Since then we have expanded the range to include more colourways across the 3 collections, the most recent addition being Erno.
These densely knotted rugs have a soft luxurious feel underfoot and make a stunning centrepiece for any space. As with all our manufacturing, we take great care to ensure that the quality is of the highest standard and we work with skilled makers in a fair and respectful partnership. Read on to find out the full story from start to finished rug!
We work with Rug Maker, a company based in St Albans in the UK that manufactures bespoke handmade modern rugs in Nepal. Baudha is the hub of carpet making in Kathmandu, Nepal and the dying and washing plants are located nearby. Co-founder of Rug Maker, Julian Blair tells us how they came to work with their manufacturers:
"Way back in 2007, on the recommendation of a Canadian rug specialist, I visited Kathmandu Nepal. He had given me a list of three manufacturers who he thought would work in harmony with me. On my last day, I met Puspa and from the onset liked his ethos and enthusiasm, his ability to convert any designs, the excellent quality of his products and short lead times. The other very important factor was that he employed families who worked together weaving in their homes, were paid a very good wage and were regulated by Goodweave International."
GoodWeave are an award-winning team of business-minded experts and advocates for social change dedicated to ending child labour, forced labour, and bonded labour in global supply chains. They ensure good practice and fair conditions and award manufacturers that meet these standards with aGoodWeave Label, that ensures that workers are protected and consumers are confident when they make purchases.
These photos have been taken by Puspa during production in Kathmandu, and we were able to ask him all about the manufacturing process.
The wool used is mainly from New Zealand but Tibetan wool from the highlands of China and Nepal is also used. Since it comes from the cold zone, the Tibetan wool is naturally very greasy and goes through several washing processes before being used in production. The dyes used to colour the wool are from
Nepal and are Azo-free.
Puspa told us it normally takes just a few months for an individual to learn the entire basics of weaving, and in about a year they will have the experience to be able to weave any designs from simple to complex. There is a mix of both male and female makers, and often family members will work together - there are a few weavers who have been with Puspa for over a decade!
Watch a short film created by Rug Maker to showcase the production of these incredible rugs by clicking here.
The rugs are created by hand-tied knots of wool, which makes them dense and hard-wearing but also luxuriously soft underfoot. The standard knotting proportion used is 3.3 knots and 2 lines per centimeter. To put this in perspective, our standard-sized rugs are 1.2 x 1.8m or 396 knots wide by 360 lines... which makes a total of 142,560 knots overall!
Due to the huge amount of work required to create each rug, they are made to order but remarkably, due to the talent of the weavers, it only takes 12-14 weeks for a customer to get their rug delivered. This way of working allows us to ensure we only make what we can sell, but also allows us to offer an individual service.
We can make bespoke rugs to any dimension to custom fit your space: we can either scale up or repeat the designs to fit so please get in touch if you would like to plan this with us. Bespoke rugs cost £725 p/m2.
Explore 6 designs across 3 collections of Wallace Sewell rugs, featuring the GoodWeave label on our website or view one in store.