Katalin Laszlo, rug design and product development manager at Safavieh, died on May 27, 2020
NEW YORK -- Katalin Laszlo, rug design and product development manager at Safavieh, died on May 27, 2020 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. She was 41.
Ms. Laszlo, who had battled an incurable form of blood cancer since 2016, is survived by her husband Erick and their two daughters, Natalia, 8, and Amelia, 4.
A graduate of The Fashion Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Textile Surface Design, she joined Safavieh in 2006 as a rug designer, quickly moving up the ranks to become manager of the company's Rug Design and Product Development department. "All of us at Safavieh are deeply saddened by the loss of Katalin -- a talented designer, dear friend and co-worker who bravely fought this devastating disease for four years. She was an inspiration to us all, and will be greatly missed," said Arash Yaraghi, company principal.
Born in Romania, where she spent her childhood and teenage years, Katalin dreamed of a career in fashion and design. She moved to New York to pursue that dream at FIT, and then at Safavieh - where she was responsible for trend work and product design, as well as development of licensed collections for design legends such as Martha Stewart, Thomas O'Brien, David Easton, Jamie Drake and Thom Filicia.
Employees at Safavieh have created a Go Fund Me account in Katalin's name to help her family deal with the financial burden of treatment for her illness. Contributions may be made here.