NEW YORK -- In a two-part round up, RugNews.com brings you the top designs that were hits among big box and e-commerce buyers at New York Home Fashions Market -- and offers a first-look at designs heading to High Point.
Surveyed NY market participants unanimously agreed that business was brisk this fall and big box and e-commerce accounts were on the hunt for the newest fashion looks in area rugs. Sought after by many of the attending buyers were promotionally priced rugs that offered up something special, including unusual yarn blends, high-end features like saddle stitching or extremely textural designs. Buyers were also on the lookout for innovative indoor-outdoor rugs, scatter rugs and welcome mats to fill out their offering.
Below, RugNews.com makes the rounds of top rug showrooms participating in New York Home Fashions Market to suss out top sellers, and get a preview of designs heading to High Point. Make sure not to miss RugNews.com's continued coverage of New York Market, by checking out Part 2.
COURISTAN
Couristan showcased the vibrant designs of its new digitally printed Caledonia collection, printed on a machine-woven base of 100 percent polyester. Shown, Arcadia
Couristan brought new indoor and indoor-outdoor designs to New York Market in a range of constructions. Among the top indoor rug hits is the newly released digitally printed Caledonia, which is hit with buyers for its vibrant designs and accessible pricing, and high-end saddle-stitch finish. In addition, the successful Gypsy collection adds two new designs, both cross-woven on Wilton looms, in a soft low pile of 100 percent heat-set Courtron polypropylene.
For buyers looking for outdoor rugs, the company previewed several new products for March 2020 deliveries. One range very well received in New York, the Marseille collection, features seven indoor-outdoor styles power-loomed in Belgium of 100 percent fiber-enhanced Courtron polypropylene.
Couristan adds to its popular Gypsy collection with two new cross-woven Wilton designs in heat-set polypropylene. Shown, AY96/0965
DYNAMIC RUGS
Joe Walsh and Lara Pfeiffer of Joe Mascari's Carpets & Rugs International, Anoosha Rouhanian of Dynamic Rugs, and Joe Mascari, owner, pose with Dynamic Rugs' Joe Katz, Caitlin Taylor and Matthew Rouhanian in front of rugs from the Million, Avery and Torino collections.
Dynamic Rugs showcased a range of styles that grabbed the attention of buyers in New York (
read full story). Among the top sellers are the Southwest-inspired designs of Avery, machine-made of 100 percent heat-set frieze polypropylene; the Million collection's finely woven, high detail 100 percent polyester styles; and the textural Torino, made of 100 percent shrink polyester and polyester.
In all, the company introduced designs in 12 collections, all in an effort to stay ahead of the fast moving e-commerce rug business. Positioning itself as a fashion leader, Dynamic Rugs showcased warm neutrals, black and white patterns from farmhouse plaids to Persian medallions and plush shags. Buyers stopping by the company's 295 Fifth Ave. showroom also got a sneak peek at its forecast for 2020 colors.
A top seller at Dynamic Rugs for NY Market was Avery, machine-made of 100 percent heat-set frieze polypropylene. Shown, Avery 6540-190
FEIZY RUGS
Feizy Rugs's Kerry Hasselbach shows RugNews.com's Carol Tisch the rug maker's popular black and white story with PET indoor-outdoor rugs behind them: Crosby plaid (left) and Beckett flatweave.
Feizy showcased its design trend forecasts in a series of showroom vignettes featuring rugs and accents curated for NY Home Fashions Market shoppers. Buyer response to the new fur-like Luxe Velour collection of rugs and throw pillows, sampled for NY market, influenced Feizy to roll out the program, which includes ultra-soft rectangular and animal contour shapes in five colors.
"Animal patterns are trending -- jungle animals and folk-like treatments that are more elevated -- and we're doing them in a way that is more tonal, like a toile," Kerry Hasselbach said, pointing to a collection of two-color flatweave designs. Also big with Feizy customers were black and white farmhouse looks, and designs illustrating the global nomad trend with tribal motifs, unexpected colors and varied weaves.
At New York market, Feizy's Payton collection, hand-knotted in pure wool, was picked up by retailers for its pastel colors and styling illustrating the company's Global Nomad trend. Shown on the wall, the best-selling Payton pink multi.
HAROUNIAN RUGS INTERNATIONAL (HRI)
Harounian Rugs International (HRI) introduces New York buyers to intricate medallion designs in its indoor-outdoor collection, Outdoor Heirlooms.
Big box retailers visiting HRI's Manhattan showroom last week saw fresh machine-made collections and the new Outdoor Heirlooms collection, the rug maker's new -- and first -- range of outdoor designs, which feature bordered center medallion polypropylene rugs and overall borderless designs in affordable modern-day heirloom looks (
read full story). The company also previewed a few of its Sunbrella indoor-outdoor rugs, which officially debut at the fall 2019 High Point Market.
In the indoor category, HRI introduced 15 additional machine-woven collections, signaling its commitment to growing its offerings in popular price ranges for e-commerce and national chains. Among the more popular new collections was Olympic, machine-made in Turkey of viscose and acrylic, with an erased-look mosaic pattern a top seller at market within that line.
HRI debuts the machine-made Olympic collection, featuring the top-selling mosaic design at NY market.
KALATY
Mike Kalaty with rug industry sales icon "Handsome Herb" Cantor - soon to celebrate his 90th birthday - at the Kalaty showroom during New York Home Fashions Market.
At its 295 Fifth Ave. showroom, Kalaty catered to its hand-knotted and K-Two customers including national retailers during New York Home Fashions Market. "We typically see clients from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut shopping this market, but we've already had massive e-commerce and big box retailer come in," said Mike Kalaty.
What they saw was lots of newness, including Remy from the more popularly-priced K-Two collections the company's first printed range. Printed on both sides, Remy was previewed in NYC in sample sizes, but fullmsize rugs will be shown in High Point. "We're getting ready for our biggest ever debut in High Point, including additions to the Ankara, Oushak and Oberoi collections," he said.
In NY, Kalaty also introduced Kingsley, which is power-loomed in Turkey of acrylic and viscose, and comes with hand-finished edges for a high-end hand-knotted look. Also popular with New York shoppers were the indoor-outdoor Modena collection rugs and the very success Renzo, both from the K-Two series of collections.
NY shoppers previewed Kalaty's innovative new high-end power-loomed Kingsley collection, which will be showcased at the upcoming High Point Market.
LOLOI
Mary Augustin of Loloi, Lara Pheiffer and Joe Mascari, of Joe Mascari's Carpets & Rugs International, and Ken Breithaupt of Loloi pose for RugNews.com at the rug company's New York showroom.
Loloi, which tailors its entire New York offering to mass merchants and e-commerce retailers attending NY Home Fashions Market, fills 90 percent of its showroom with new product. "If we see something doing well, we will use it as a springboard for designs created for our other retail customers," explained Austin Craley.
One such collection, prominently featured was Thompson, a 100 percent wool hand-woven range from India premiering a completely new construction for Loloi. The heavily textured sweater-look rugs, crafted in natural colors, combines braid-style ribs against a flatweave ground, and caute the attention of retailers from Envizzo, an online platform, to Joe Masari's Carpets & Rugs International of Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Loloi's Cameron Bagheri (left) and Ken Breithaupt flank Chris Fowler of Envizzo, an online platform which offers Loloi rugs exclusively.
Loloi introduces Thompson, hand-woven from 100 percent wool, and in a completely new construction for the rug maker.
MOHAWK HOME
Mohawk Home treated NY market shoppers to top trend forecasts, including Grand Slam, its interpretation of Hollywood Art Deco, in a mix of rugs from prints to wovens.
Mohawk Home stepped up its semi-annual NY Home Fashions Market trend vignettes, already retail buyer must-sees each market, with a refined approach for the fall 2019 edition. "We are mixing everything from prints to wovens and tufted in our latest trend groups," explained Jeff Seagal, director, marketing/product merchandising, noting that the mix and match presentations give retailers the opportunity to show trends in a variety of price points, as well as rugs appropriate for various traffic situations that can be coordinated throughout the home.
A major draw was the company's new "The Designer in You" program, which provides a blueprint for point of sale displays at retail and offers do-it-yourself retailers inspiration for, and confidence in putting together rooms with coordinating rugs and accessories in popular themes and color stories.
A NY market vignette of Mohawk Home's new retail-focused 'The Designer in You' program illustrates inspirational point of sale display concepts for do-it-yourself decorating.
MOMENI
Momeni grows its Kuri collection, machine-made in Turkey of polyester and cotton, with new designs at NY Home Fashions Market. Shown, KUR-7 Blue
New York shoppers reviewed the latest constructions, patterns and concepts from Momeni, many developed specifically for large retailers with an e-commerce focus, including new designs in the Kuri collection, and the promotionally-priced Lexington collection.
Momeni showed a new series from the Novogratz with a range of kid-friendly, fringed animal designs, including lion and giraffe contour rugs. In addition, the Novogratz program introduced a bold range for online shoppers called Jem, which is machine-made of wool and Lurex with on-point gold accents. Finally, plenty of buzz centered on Momeni's upcoming launch of the licensed Lemieux et Cie rug collection by designer Christiane Lemieux, which is set for debut at High Point Market.
Momeni's Addison collection, handmade in India of viscose, wool and cotton, features textural Moroccan-inspired designs that are a hit with buyers.
NATCO
Natco debuts Minerva, made in its factory in Maine of soft polypropylene frieze yarns, a collection which heads to High Point next month.
Natco presented 20 new collections for New York shoppers as a prelude to showcasing them at High Point Market next month. Among the top sellers were Minerva, made in its factory in Maine of soft polypropylene frieze yarns in transitional and traditional designs retailing at $149.
Also well received were expansions to the licensed Trisha Yearwood Renew (indoor) and Refresh (indoor-outdoor) collections, including the domestically-made Melbourne line which debuted a new color creel. Jim Thompson, VP of sales, told RugNews.com that Yearwood's outdoor rugs are doing really well; that Natco is rapidly growing its affordable tufted category, which is made in the company's Georgia facility; and that new high-low effects previewed in New York will be on show in High Point.
Trisha Yearwood expands her Refresh indoor-outdoor series with the Melbourne collection, which adds a new color creel.
*Continue reading Part 2 of RugNews.com's New York Home Fashions Market report.