Santa Fe-based designer Robin Gray launched her rug business hoping to help sustain the native techniques and traditions of gifted artisans whose skills have often been passed down for generations. “My aim,” she says, “is to preserve the cultural heritage and help sustain the livelihoods of my artisan partners.” Robin’s membership in RugMark helps her achieve this goal by ensuring that the skilled adults weaving her rugs are not economically marginalized by competition from child labor. Robin says she sees her association with RugMark as her “small contribution to spreading the word.”

Created to commission, Robin’s rugs allude to traditional designs but are made contemporary and unique through the use of fresh colorations, dimensional textures and striking patterns. Her designs reflect her attraction to the muted hues of natural vegetable dyes and the vivid palettes of Mexico, India and the Middle East. “I love exploring how a design is transformed by simply changing the relationships of the colors,” Robin says. Her patterns are influenced by many elements, including iconic ethnic images from around the world and natural elements such as leaves, bark and stones. Her designs currently encompass seven collections, including hand knotted, hand tufted, hand woven flat-weave and hand woven Kilim weave in natural vegetal and mineral dyes.

Engaged in textile arts since childhood, Robin has worked as a weaver, fiber artist and contemporary quilt designer. Robin has been influenced by the traditional textile designs she has seen and collected during her extensive travels throughout the world.

To learn more about robin gray design, visit www.robingraydesign.com.

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