YEREVAN—”The Rug Code,” an online shop for handmade rugs from Armenia’s villages launched in 2024, is celebrating a successful first year in the global handmade rug market. In less than a year, the Armenia-based social enterprise achieved significant milestones, including the launch of two handmade rug collections, expansion into bespoke design offerings, and securing funding for two new collections slated for release in 2025.
“We had a very successful first year revitalizing the Armenian value chain for handmade rug production with our local partners, as well as proving that demand exists for quality rugs from Armenia’s villages that have stories and create real economic benefits for local artisans,” said Founding Director Kyle Khandikian. “We fulfilled 40 orders in 2024, generating over 10,000 USD in revenue for village-based weavers in Armenia and achieving only 5/5 star reviews from our worldwide clients.
Khandikian founded The Rug Code in response to the disappearance of traditional rug making in Armenia’s villages, a reality most don’t know but that moved him to act. “Everywhere I go, everyone I speak to says the same thing: rug making is a disappearing art form in Armenia, despite a rich tradition that goes back at least 4,000 years,” he said.
Village-based weavers in Armenia who work at “The Rug Code.” Photo Credit: Narek Harutyunyan
“In just one generation, the local culture of hand making rugs in towns and villages has nearly completely disappeared, simply because local weavers cannot find customers. We’re on a mission to reverse this trend and make it a profitable trade for everyone involved in our production. That includes local shepherds, spinners, dyers, weavers, washers, shearers, blockers, and designers,” Khandikian added.
“We only use local wool threads that are dyed by hand with organic dyestuffs, most of which are sourced in Armenia. We committed ourselves to using only local materials when we first started. If a material is not local, like indigo, which is used to achieve the color blue and historically has always been imported because the plant does not grow in Armenia, we share it transparently with our clients, who receive real-time photo updates from the villages where we work as their rugs are being made. Our commitments to local materials and talent, as well as to a transparent and engaging shopping experience, will not be compromised as we move into year two of our mission,” Khandikian said.
1 of 11 – + 1. VIEW GALLERY: “The Rug Code” weavers designing and weaving rugs in Armenia. Photos By: Narek Harutyunyan 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
The social enterprise’s online shop launched in February 2024 with its flagship collection of flat woven rugs, Improvisia, designed and handmade-to-order by professional woman weavers in Armenia’s Syunik province. The Rug Code’s second collection, Barana, is their first contemporary and first knotted collection, designed by Gyumri-born visual artist Gohar Martirosyan and handmade-to-order in Tavush Province. “Long term, we hope to represent every rug maker in every province of Armenia who wants to make a living through the art form, and ensure that they are able to do so. In 2025 we will launch new products to see what resonates with global clients, including kids’ flat weaves designed for children’s bedrooms, playrooms, and classrooms that celebrate Armenia’s cultural and natural heritage, and a collection of felt rugs made using recycled scrap threads.” said Khandikian.
One of the weaves The Rug Code is proud to represent is Milena Sargsyan, a refugee from Berdzor, Artsakh. Prior to the 2020 Artsakh War, weaving accounted for 21 percent of Milena’s total average monthly household income. After losing her home and relocating to Armenia as a result of the war, Milena’s average monthly household income decreased by 65 percent. Thanks to orders from The Rug Code, however, her family has seen a 124 percent increase in their monthly income in 2024. Weaving now accounts for 55 percent of Milena’s monthly income, a 162 percent increase from before the war.
“We are dedicated to continuously improving working conditions, benefits, and wages for our rural partners, no matter how far they live from Yerevan. Bringing innovation in design and storytelling to traditional rug making is how we’re delivering on our promise and ensuring that local weavers are able and motivated to continue practicing this intangible cultural heritage,” said Khandikian.
The Rug Code is an online shop for handmade rugs from village-based weavers in Armenia. Founded in response to the disappearance of traditional weaving practices in Armenia’s villages, The Rug Code’s mission is to deliver high-quality rugs to shoppers around the world, sharing where they come from, what they’re made of, who makes them, and their codes, or what their ornaments represent, all in a transparent way, creating real economic benefits for rural weavers in the process. For more information, visit the website.
Yorumlar kapatıldı.