GoodWeave

Spotlight On: Rug Studio

St. Jean

There’s a joke in Linda Alexanian’s family. "For the past three generations,” she says laughing, "the first word spoken by any child in our family is 'rug.'" Linda, who founded the Rug Studio with partner and husband Derek Galbraith, is the third generation of her family of rug importers. "I grew up with rugs," she says. And she grew up with a family accustomed to supporting medical and educational services for weavers and their families, so joining GoodWeave was a perfect fit for the Custom Atelier division of the two-year-old company. "When our daughter was in the third grade, she brought home a photo of a child weaving a rug and asked, 'Do children make our rugs?' That's when we knew we had to join GoodWeave," Linda explains.

Linda never intended to go into the family business. She was on her way to law school, two decades ago, when a trip to India with her parents changed her mind. After seeing the conditions of some weavers she decided to devote herself to verifying that her parents' company would use no sources that employed children. "I traveled around India making surprise visits to the weavers, and when I discovered child labor, I simply cut out those suppliers. I was my own GoodWeave."

Two years ago, Linda and Derek launched the Rug Studio, their own high-end brand of parent company Lanart. The Rug Studio sells machine made and handmade rugs of synthetic and natural fibers, but the couple are especially excited about their program, Custom Atelier, which offers custom rugs to high-end furniture stores and design firms throughout North America at an entry-level price point. "It's a chance for people who can’t spend tens of thousands of dollars on a rug to enjoy something custom made."

Those custom creations come from the Rug Studio's four young designers, who travel to all the big trade shows. They offer "fresh approaches" to design, says Linda. "We look for people who come from the fashion industry. They just seem to be ahead of the curve."

One of the most challenging and interesting elements of designing rugs is creating patterns with different textures by using high/low pile, loop and shag all in one design. A favorite piece of Linda’s is a solid ivory New Zealand wool rug with an accent border of lavender silk shag pile. "I just love looking at it." She likes another one, a floral pattern hanging in her home, for more than its beauty: she bought it on her very first purchasing trip to India. "When I look at it, it reminds me of what I set out to do 20 years ago.…help make sure there were no children in the carpet industry."

For more information on the Rug Studio, visit www.rugstudio.ca.

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