Store showcases rugs made with heart and soul

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This article was published 29/03/2024 (700 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Almost 300 rugs, runners, placemats and pillows — all handmade and fair trade — are on their way to Brandon’s Ten Thousand Villages on Rosser Avenue for the store’s Fair Trade Rug Event coming up next week.

The reason, says store manager Stephanie De la Luz, is to help give stability to artisans and their families living in a disadvantaged country, specifically Pakistan.

“These artisans put their heart and soul into their rugs,” De la Luz said. “They are families who may be in poverty living in areas where there is a lot of poverty, and they might not have the opportunity to market their wares. So, this helps them rise above, practise their art form and have access to these markets,” she said.

Besides the traditional floor rugs that will be up for sale, artisans have also created coasters — or mug rugs — in various sizes.

“They are hand spun, 100 per cent wool and they’re such high quality that they’ll last a lifetime and wear very well in your space with kids or pets,” said De la Luz.

“We have the mug rug coasters all the way up to a nine- by 12-foot rug for your living room or dining room and runners for hallways — even sizes for the bathroom,” she said.

An international fair-trade wholesaler called Bunyaad is bringing the products to sell in Brandon. The word bunyaad means foundation in the Urdu language, the official language of Pakistan.

The mission of Bunyaad is to provide essential and fair income to Pakistani rug artisans who are not able to promote or sell their own arts and crafts to customers worldwide, said Yousef Chamandir, director of the rug program.

“And the best part is people don’t have to leave their villages because that’s a big problem for developing countries,” said Chamandir.

“People want to migrate to the cities for a better life and in reality, they end up with a worse situation. So, if they can sustain their life in the villages, have those basic needs met from education to good living condition, they want to live in those villages. So that’s our goal, and this is also an equal opportunity for both men and women,” he said.

Additionally, the retailer encourages individuality from each creator, as stated on its website: “We believe in the inherent value of art for art’s sake. And, just as we wouldn’t ask a painter to make 150 copies of the same painting, we also wouldn’t ask our knotters to knot 150 of the same rug.”

Fair trade, said De la Luz, means the artisan is paid 50 per cent before the project has even started, with the other half paid once the rug is complete, so each person has already been paid in full.

When creating a rug, many artisans have weaving looms set up in their homes and work on their wares when they can.

The process includes designing what the rug will look like, deciding on the colours, and then creating a script — or directions to follow. Those directions are then shared with the people running the loom, and most often, De la Luz said, they are members of the whole family.

“So, for example, by the time you’ve purchased and received an eight- by 10-foot or a nine- by 12-foot Persian or chobi rug, you have employed eight to 12 people for a year and a half of work, effort, perseverance, family, community and artistry,” said De la Luz.

It’s also a great opportunity to see and feel Persian, chobi, kazak and kilim rugs, she added — names that are recognized worldwide and sought after by those who are looking for quality over quantity.

Persian rugs are one of the oldest types of hand-knotted oriental rugs, with their traditional patterns and warm, rich colours. The oldest known rug is thought to date back to the fourth or fifth century B.C.

The word chobi means wood in Farsi, the modern Persian language. Chobi rugs are known for their wood-like colours because of the 100 per cent natural dyes used to make them, drawn from hand-gathered fruits, vegetables, roots, tree bark and dried shells.

Kazak rugs date back to the 1800s in Pakistan with wool that is tightly spun before knotting, making a dense rug, but one that is flat and thin.

The weavers use a special wash at the end of the process that gives the rug a soft and gently aged look.

Weavers who create a kilim rug are known to use diagonal patterns and geometrical designs, as well as floral flourishes. Kilim rugs can be used as floor coverings or as art pieces hung on the wall.

Ten Thousand Village’s Fair Trade Rug Event runs April 4-22, with the kickoff event on April 4 from 4-6 p.m.

That event will feature speakers from Bunyaad, Brandon artist Weiming Zhao, professional violinist Becky Chinn from Brandon University, other local musicians, representatives from the store’s board of directors, and giveaways and snacks.

For people wanting a sneak peak of some of the rugs, De la Luz said they have Persian, chobi, kazak and kilim rugs on hand now.

“People are getting excited and they are welcome to come by,” De la Luz said. “And as a fair trade store, we’re always harkening quality over quantity. So, if you want something good that’s going to last a lifetime, you’re going to want to check out these rugs.”

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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