New York, Previews

First Look: New NY Boutique Rug Show, COVER Connect, Set to Launch

COVER Connect, a new high-end rug event, is scheduled to debut in NYC Sept. 25-27 with a group of U.S. and international rug makers introducing their latest collections at the event.

8/31/2021

New York boutique rug show COVER Connect showcases high-end brands.

NEW YORK -- With real-life design fairs making a long-awaited return, COVER is hosting a new boutique show featuring a select group of high-end rug brands at the Altman Building in Manhattan from Sept. 25-27, 2021.

Scheduled to take place the month that the world’s premier buyers traditionally look to source rugs in New York, September, COVER Connect New York is the first show dedicated to handmade rugs in two years. Twelve exhibitors have been carefully selected, from across North America and beyond, to ensure that a wide variety of styles and premier production from Nepal, India, Turkey and Afghanistan will be available under one roof.

COVER Connect set to debut at the NYC Altman Building at the end of September.

COVER Connect New York registration is free and open now. Visitors are able to obtain a discounted rate on accommodation at Mondrian Park Avenue on bookings made before 24 August. Register and find out more at: www.coverconnectnewyork.com

Below is a preview of debuting area rugs, showcased designs, and what participating area rug manufacturers expect from the event, courtesy of COVER.

ANADOL RUGS
Atlanta

Turkish Angora Ushak 146450 rug, Anadol Rugs

‘We are looking forward to seeing our existing clientele and meeting new clients too. It’s very important to have a rug-focused trade fair in NYC in September. We are exhibiting at CCNY to support and supply the industry. We will bring new Turkish Angora Ushak rugs, the Vintage Velvet collection and launch our new Atlas collection, inspired by the Larsen Ice Shelf in the Antarctic.’"

BATTILOSSI
Turin, Italy

Frost Jazzberry rug, Caleido Concept No.1, Battilossi

"CCNY represents the real first opportunity for Battilossi this year to present not only our latest developments but also our custom-oriented services. Our upcoming business strategy has a strong focus on the U.S. and Canadian markets. This will be a great opportunity for us to present our carpets and the brand to potential new buyers and finally meet our customers in person again.

The show "will be the perfect stage to present Caleido Concept No.1 live for the first time. This represents the first step towards a style which is highly oriented to interior-decoration professionals. Cosy ‘ensembles’ are composed by combinations of dense repeated patterns, achieved with innovative weaving techniques and a highly sophisticated colour palette. Rugs from the Avita collection will also be on show and it experiments with different weaving techniques and embroidery to create a product with such complex workmanship that the difference between a hand-knotted carpet and a flatweave creation is blurred. Battilossi icons from the Pattern Mix, Tocca, and Eclectica collections will be displayed too."

CARAVAN RUGS
Beverly Hills, California

Onyx Dijon rug, Caravan Rugs

‘Most of our sales over the past year have been online and we have a program line that most retailers are using. We strongly feel that a specialist fair in New York should exist, due to our positive pre-COVID experience of such shows. We are expecting a decent turnout at CCNY as a result of not having had a show in the city for the past two years. We are presenting a series of collections which include modern and transitional rugs.’

CREATIVE MATTERS
Toronto

Hymn, Sonance collection, Creative Matters

"It will be an absolute joy for the Creative Matters team to see their friends in the business after this long period of working from home. Selling rugs by way of imagery is particularly difficult because you cannot see the quality. We have a very high-end product and it’s hard to explain the value when you can’t touch the rugs. January 2020 was the last time we attended an in-person trade show. We’ve still been remarkably productive working differently, but we’re feeling hungry for this opportunity. The closest we had to a trade show was the COVER Connect virtual event in January 2021. That offered its own advantages, but for Creative Matters, CCNY is feeling pretty vital.

"We are debuting two new collections: Macrame—made in India—which celebrates the irresistible appeal of undyed wool alongside a complementary palette. And Sonance—hand-knotted in Nepal— which addresses the question: ‘Can sound be reflected through art?’ We will also have new designs from the Halcyon and Storytelling collections and rugs from our Stacked collection on display, including the Carpet Design Award-winning Stripes flatweave."

FRENCH ACCENTS
New York

Ml411d rug, French Accents

‘We are so excited to participate. It will be a fantastic event for buyers! They will have the opportunity to view an amazing selection of new products from major rug producers under one roof. The pandemic forced us to reimagine the way we do business. We successfully used technology to reach out to our customers but in-person presentation has greater impact. We will be showcasing over 150 new designs, more than half in new sizes. We have created a brand new worn classic texture that will be available in an array of aesthetics and will introduce a new collection of modern fine wool rugs and a bespoke silk collection."

KNOTS RUGS
London

Wood Structure rug, Knots Rugs x Brian Coleman

"We are thrilled to be participating. It will be great to re-connect with the rug community in such a beautiful building, surrounded by some of the best in the business. As a newer brand in the American market, we are always looking to expand and showcase our pieces and CCNY gives us the chance for us to continue doing this.

"We have recently launched the third edition of Your Floor Is The Canvas. Our latest Artist collaboration collection features six new pieces which we have translated from American artist Brian Coleman’s original contemporary mixed media artwork into modern masterpieces. Several new designs including Arc, Hudson, and Painted Runner by our in-house design studio capture painterly marks found within the original artworks and are previewing for the first time at CCNY!

LAPCHI
Chicago

Reverie Moab rug, Lapchi

"We very much miss the intimacy from finely curated shows in New York. For well over a decade, Lapchi has relied upon this market for our wholesale clientele. The void was absolutely felt last year. The ability to reconvene with our clients in this setting is super welcome.

"We’re very excited to show off a pretty broad set of new looks and expand on a few old classics. Quite a bit of work went into creating new textures and yarn types for these creations and we’ve developed some unique palettes which our long-time followers will find refreshing. It’s been good for us to take a pause, but it feels exhilarating to renew ourselves and get ready to be seen."

NEW MOON
Wilmington, Delaware

Astrid rug, Nordic collection, Samad

"Coming out of 2020… it’s hard to know what to expect from anything at this point! But we are really looking forward to connecting with old friends, colleagues and clients. Nothing really compares with the conversations and camaraderie that come from being together, sharing stories and feedback. We’ve all gotten very adept at working remotely, but you can never truly replicate the value and the vibrance of meeting in person. After such a long time away from these types of events, it’s so important to reconnect and share information. The casual conversations are as important as the one-on-one meetings with our dealers. Even hearing people’s struggles and goals helps us to be a better partner to our wholesalers. Being involved in a curated show with like-minded companies that are all passionate about the artistry and craftsmanship of rugs is really important to us.

"We have several new designs, and introductory pieces for new collections that are still in production but on their way! Flora Lark Meadow is a reimagining of a classic New Moon design. Bright and joyful, it is and full of lovely treasures that you discover over time. This will be the centrepiece of our new Secret Garden collection debuting this winter. We are also launching the Mirasol collection, a line of indoor/outdoor rugs."

RUG & KILIM
New York

23987 kilim, Scandinavian Nu collection, Rug & Kilim

"We’ve been introducing a number of new collections and we’re very excited to share them. Most importantly we’ve not been in many shows to see our colleagues and friends. We expect this to be very successful because a lot of our clients are going to be attending. People like to come to New York and it’s a great idea to have a show here.

"We now have more than 100 patterns and in seven different qualities and textures in our Scandinavian collections, which are really a testament to our commitment and devotion to the type. We’re introducing two new ones, adding to our Outdoor, Hemp and Linen lines, so it’s continuously expanding with new yarns, new dyes, new scales, new feels. We’ve been embellishing it with some Deco patterns too. The Mid-Century collection is flourishing and we’ve done a modern collection with the best colors on the market today. I’m very proud of this—it’s very encompassing and great value. It’s going to be a good resource for a lot of people and showrooms because these rugs work beautifully with modern Nepalese, with other flatweaves, with antiques, they sit next to anything.

SAMAD
East Rutherford, New Jersey

Astrid rug, Nordic collection, Samad

"As we emerge from the pandemic we are expecting to see customers from all over the States coming to COVER Connect New York this September. For many of our clients this may be their very first buying trip in over 18 months.

"We have been working on several new highly decorative, yet highly affordable hand-knotted collections and we foresee a pent-up demand for new styles and colors. We will launch Catalina and Cascade collections and brand-new designs will be added to our Caspian collection. Nordic collection sales have been incredibly strong and several new additions will be arriving in time for CCNY.

SUMAQ ALPACA
Vancouver

Samples by Sumaq Alpaca

‘We look forward to meeting our existing client base to show them our newest developments and would also love to meet new clients who have never had the chance to touch our super soft alpaca rugs. NYC shows have always been our most successful as we have a huge U.S. client base. We have been trying to develop more visually interesting rugs as we have always been known to sell our rugs based on feel which has been difficult lately. We will launch a new collection of yarns that create more textures and depths in our rugs.’

TAMARIAN
Baltimore

String Theory TK150 rug, Tamarian

"After a long and unexpected hiatus from our previous industry trade show calendar, CCNY will attract a concentration of showroom buyers who are seeing high demand and are eager to view all the new product they have not seen. The show’s more curated vendor list in an intimate NYC setting is a great way to offer a digestible market to people at a time where travel and participation in such events is still not as easy as years prior. Fall is a great time to be merchandising and making plans for the closing of one year and the starting of another.

"We will have many new designs, colors and qualities in various collections from Nepal and India featured at the show. Visitors will also experience some of our new brand identity and will learn more about our enhanced website features, new warehouse and showroom spaces."

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First Look: New NY Boutique Rug Show, COVER Connect, Set to Launch

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