HIGH POINT, N.C. -- Momeni Rugs and its latest licensing partner, e-commerce superstar and designer, Christiane Lemieux, launched a blockbuster area rug collection with a curated global aesthetic that resonated with buyers at High Point Market.
Marketed under the Lemieux et Cie label, the new assortment was specifically created to be sold through brick and mortar retailers and offered several trending looks geared toward that market. Lemieux is the award-winning designer and co-founder and CEO of The Inside, a digitally native, direct-to-consumer home furnishings company. She previously founded Dwell Studio, a fashion and home design brand that was bought by Wayfair in 2013.
Her e-commerce experience and access to consumer purchasing insights gives Lemieux a unique perspective on fashion and decorating trends, as well as the experiences shoppers crave - both in store or online. In fact, at market Lemieux and Kendra Ovesen, head of merchandising for furniture subscription service Feather, shared their approaches to reaching and connecting with consumers at a standing-room-only panel discussion that kicked off the official launch of the new rugs.
Designer and retail guru, Christiane Lemieux poses with rugs from her Lemieux et Cie by Momeni inaugural collection in an image for the collaboration's marketing campaign.
Momeni's design director Katy Repetto explained that many of the rug designers are based on Lemieux's travels. "The entire line is an exposure to many cultures and techniques connected by a common thread. The dusty palette and indigenous-inspired qualities restore and honor the human hand," Repetto said. "The new collections showcased at High Point are hand-made and include hand-knotted and hand-woven designs crafted in natural materials and in earthy palettes."
Left, Kendra Ovesen, head of merchandising, Feather, and Christiane Lemieux, founder of Dwell Studio and The Inside, co-host 'Disruptors in the Industry', a discussion at High Point Market to kick off the Lemieux et Cie by Momeni rug launch.
The first rugs by Lemieux et Cie, the namesake design house created by Lemieux, featured her design aesthetic -- drawn largely on influences from her design education and travels. For example her Argan collection features jute and wool handwoven designs inspired by traditional African mud-cloth patterns. And, the Duar collection is hand-woven of wool and includes styles inspired by everything from Shibori to Scandinavian flat-weaves. Duar rugs are crafted from space-dyed wool in palettes ranging from almost black to deep indigo. The Doukkala collection gives a nod to traditional Moroccan rugs and is hand-knotted of wool with a hand-shorn pile to create irregularity and feature an almost texture underfoot.
A window display featuring rugs curated from the Lemieux et Cie by Momeni program's various collections gives High Point buyers a hint at the attention to natural materials and handmade artistry of the tribal and global designs.
The new Lemieux range features nine distinct qualities and collections make up the line ranging in price point from $399 to $2,399 for an 8x10. Each piece is handmade from natural materials such as leather and jute in the Tugart collection and undyed wool in the Rafalla collection.
Fashion-forward in color, yet faithful to its Moroccan inspiration, this rug from the Doukkala collection by Lemieux et Cie is hand-knotted in wool and features hand-shorn pile to create an irregular, aged look.
Reza Momeni, president of Momeni, said of the company's fourth licensed line, "The Lemieux et Cie collection's design is a result of countless experimental techniques with the goal of conceptualizing a way to curate globally-sourced craftsmanship into an authentic and cohesive line. The result is a line with mood that evokes authenticity through craftsmanship, and part of the value is not only a beautiful rug, but a sense of historical reference and technique."
With color palettes coordinated throughout nine collections, the Lemieux et Cie by Momeni program gives consumers and designers options for a whole home approach to decorating. Shown: Duar collection flatweave rugs DUR-01 and DUR-05 both in deep indigo
A lifestyle display of new Lemieux et Cie by Momeni rugs features, from lef,: the Tugart rug TUG-01 in natural, the Metlili collections MET-01 in terra cotta, and on the floor the Gurara collection rug GUR-02 in natural.
Lemieux et Cie debuts at High Point Market with rugs by Momeni, wallpaper by York, accessories and lighting by Global Views, upholstery and occasional furniture by Precedent Furniture, and more on the way. Shown, Tugart TUG-03 in jute