Female Rug Artists, “How is it made?” we might ask when diving deep into the objects we see every day. Most of the time, the object is a mass-produced product with a distinct label on it. Then, you are one Google search away from finding out all the details about it. But it’s quite different when the object is a piece of artwork. Sometimes, the artwork comes with the glittering name of a well-known artist, but sometimes the artist is unknown despite the artwork.
Banksy, the English graffiti artist, is an outstanding example of unknown artists as his works are world-renowned, but still, nobody knows him. Obviously, Banksy wants to remain anonymous. But hundreds of great artists in the world are still unknown and unappreciated: the female rug artists.
Who Are Rug Artisans, and Where Do They Come From?
A rug artisan, as self-explanatory, is the person who takes part in the production process of a handmade rug. Rug weaving is among the primary forms of art in the Middle East and South Asia. They produce rugs from 100% natural resources and knot each warp and weft, which might last for months or even years.
The Correlation Between Female Rug Artists and Rug Industry
Rug artisans are mostly women and young girls living in poor and remote villages. A reliable source of income is absolutely essential to these women. As they already live in a suppressing, unequal and poor society, being financially independent translates into being powerful, self-reliant, and safe.
When a female-headed household gets financially empowered, they are most likely to invest in their children’s education, especially the young girls. This process, if conducted ceaselessly, has the potential to root out the women’s suppressing problem in these developing countries.
Rug Weaving, A Dying Art
Nowadays, fewer and fewer people show any interest in following rug weaving as their career. Now, it’s safe to say rug weaving is a dying art. Rug artisans now find rug weaving a time-consuming career with an unfair and unreliable income.
Despite the high price tags we see on handmade oriental rugs here in the US, rug weavers usually earn a neglectable amount of money for their job. That is because dozens of middlemen stand between the producer and the US customer. That multiplies the price while adding absolutely no value to the rug.
David Khazai, Tackling The Problem
David, the business owner of Khazai rugs in Lexington, has been closely in touch with the issue mentioned above. That is because he has a middle-eastern background. Rarely had anybody felt the pain like David, as he had lived in the region and was born and raised around the rug industry. Taking the situation into account, he came up with a practical solution for the rug artists’ problem. So he started running a rug store in Lexington, KY.
Unlike the other businesses that buy from the go-between dealers, David decided to travel around the world in person and get the rugs directly from the rug artisans themselves. That removed the unnecessary middlemen, reduced the rug’s price at the customer end, and multiplied the rug weavers’ income — a true win-win.
Now his Rug Store in Lexington, KY, warmly welcomes rug lovers with a massive selection of handmade rugs from all over the world.