Textile artist, Rosemary Hallgarten, believes it is a great privilege to be able to align her personal values with her work. To that end, when she began making rugs in Nepal, she joined RugMark. “With RugMark,” she explains, “I am not only sure that the work is done in decent conditions, but also that I am contributing to the education of the workers and their families.” Family is important to Hallgarten. She works closely with families of rug artisans in small communities in Peru, Brazil and Nepal. “Each country has different techniques and materials, and it is important to me that these crafts, these traditions are not lost. I can help preserve them by helping to support the families.” More >

Massachusetts color consultant and artist/designer Barbara Jacobs has, since 1986, used the human response to color to create comfortable, supportive environments for home or work. In early correspondence with a RugMark licensed exporter, Barbara realized that rug weaving could be achieved with artistry, integrity and the assurance that no child labor will ever be a part of its creative process. This realization gave her the confidence to pursue her long-time dream to create fine rugs of her own design. Barbara’s Silk Road Weaves rugs are made by weavers in Nepal, who produce her hand-knotted designs of the finest Himalayan wool and Chinese silk in myriad vibrant and subtle colors. More >

As a carpet designer, Zoë Luyendijk has made her mark by resolutely following her own instincts wherever they take her. Guided by a muse that seems equal parts water sprite, wood nymph, wild child, and fire goddess, Zoë generates something entirely her own.  All of Zoë’s carpets are hand-knotted in Nepal from silk, wool and hemp. The good labor practices and conditions in the mills qualify the company as a member of RugMark. More >

Rug design seems to be such a powerful medium that it draws not only artists trained in textiles, but also people from a variety of disciplines. Product designer Greg Finney, who co-founded 2Modern, a company specializing in modern lifestyle designs for the home, is a case in point. However, Finney was long fascinated with the possibilities and power of rugs to define a room. “A rug can instantly change a space,” he says. “It’s like a magic carpet!” More >

The first U.S. company to join RugMark, Odegard, Inc. was founded by Stephanie Odegard, who initially visited the carpet factories of Nepal in 1987. At the time, she was concerned less with style than with sustenance. She had been hired by the World Bank to help the rug business in Nepal expand into an industry that could offer a better life to greater numbers of locals. She was there as a consultant, “to redesign how they marketed and presented traditional crafts to the rest of the world,” she recounts. That meant everything from pressuring local officials to resolve problems with the wool-supply chain to advising the makers on the types of carpets that affluent Westerners wanted to buy. More >

More than 25 years ago, a mother and two daughters with a flair for design and a penchant for rearranging furniture started an antiques and decorating business in a tiny shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Today, daughters Beth Hughes Sachse and Sallie Hughes continue at SR Hughes, the thriving interiors business they helped found and named after their mother, the late Sara Rogers Hughes. In 2000, their nephew and Sara’s grandson, Brian Hughes, became the third-generation partner at SR Hughes. Other Hughes family members also work and help out at “the shop.”  SR Hughes’ membership in RugMark guarantees the responsible, child-labor-free manufacture of the rugs in their showroom, which is a selling point with today’s socially conscious consumers.  More >

Sacco Carpets serves interior designers of New York with products made on all five continents. Founder Marc Sacco insists on the RugMark label, knowing that it represents a serious effort to improve the lives of many people. More >

Edgar and Kelly Podzemny have always loved Persian carpets. Sixteen years ago, when they decided to transform their passion for beautiful rugs into a business, they took to the road, hosting rug shows throughout Texas. Some 13 years later, those trunk shows have been transformed into a 6,000-square foot gallery uniquely laid out into separate areas for contemporary, antique and traditional rugs. The Podzemnys are proud of their collection of antique, contemporary and traditional rugs from around the world, and even prouder of their alliance with RugMark. According to Edgar Podzemny, Stephanie Odegard, of RugMark licensed importer Odegard Inc., was instrumental in the company's decision to sign on. "She presented the humanitarian option, one that involved no child labor. To us that was clearly the right idea." More >

New York-based Nying Zemo is dedicated to bringing a taste of Tibetan Art to the living areas of décor conscious individuals. Meaning “beautiful” in the Tibetan language, Nying Zemo lives up to its name by providing their workers with an environment that is dignified and child-labor-free. Founders Shalini Acharya and Simmy Pappachen joined RugMark to give back to the communities that keep the time honored tradition of handmade rug weaving alive. More >

Founded in 1998 by the husband-wife team of Joseph and Aurelie Carini, Carini Lang produces fine handmade rugs from Nepal. The Carinis believe that a rug’s essence is how it appeals to the eyes and heart. Carpets are much more than floor coverings. Each rug represents the energy of all the individuals involved in its making. The conditions and circumstances in which the carpet is produced leave traces in the carpet that will eventually be in someone’s home. So it is essential that the process of making the carpet be positive. This means that a rug made with the use of child labor will send a negative vibe. One can see it in the carpet and feel it in the room. The carpets do indeed speak for themselves. Carini Lang’s participation in RugMark ensures that the rugs speak of beauty – inside and out. More >

Just a little more than a decade ago, The Rug Company co-founders Christopher and Suzanne Sharp were in the business of traveling around the world making films. They certainly didn't dream of being in the rug industry and having showrooms around the world. Collecting rugs was a hobby and a passion for the couple, but the craft of carpets that they loved so much was the compass that led them to founding The Rug Company. Says Christopher Sharp, "Anything that comes out of a passion just works." More >

Someone once said that "buying a rug is like buying a camel, and just about as often." When choosing fine floor coverings for the home or office environment, it's important to work with someone you trust at the point of sale and beyond.  A premier San Francisco designer showroom since 1979, Floordesign is committed to doing everything possible to end child labor in the rug industry, and partnering with RugMark is a positive step toward achieving that goal. More >

Watchful eyes, discerning sketches, intuitive color selection, excellent materials and expert hand knotting are some of the elements that come together to create the luxurious limited-edition and custom rugs of Deliante Designs LLC. Artist and designer Danielle David Grinnen takes care that all carpets are designed and made with integrity, which is why she signed up with RugMark when she launched her rug business in 2005. More >

Stephen Miller Gallery in Menlo Park, California has been offering its clients some of the most beautiful rugs for the past fifteen years. Stephen personally selects his carpets, drawing from the looms of the world’s most creative weavers. In addition to many traditional, antique and vegetable-dyed carpets, the gallery features an extensive Tibetan rug collection, including RugMark certified brands Lapchi and Odegard, Inc. According to Stephen, the RugMark certified carpets’ child-labor-free assurance appeals to his socially conscious clients. More >

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.'" Alexanian, who, with partner and husband Derek Galbraith, founded The Rug Studio, is the third generation of her family of rug importers. "I grew up with rugs," she says. And she grew up with a family with a history of supporting medical and educational services for weavers and their families, so joining RugMark was a perfect fit for the Custom Atelier division of the two year old company. More >

“We had more guts than experience,” laughs Sigal Sasson when she talks about the leap she and her husband, passionate businessman Vidal Sasson, took in opening Rug Art eight years ago. Their guts and talent have paid off. With 2 showrooms in California and others in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Florida, Rug Art designs some of the most sought-after rugs in the industry. The Sassons attribute a great deal of their success to their relationship with their creative weavers in Nepal, and it is that relationship that made joining RugMark a natural choice. “Once we saw those kids, we just looked at their faces and then at each other and said, ‘Let’s do it.’” More >

elson & company was founded with three core values – an emphasis on working with top design talent, producing a premier product and being a philanthropic member of the community. This last concept is what led company founder Diane Elson Bankoff to join RugMark as one of its early U.S. supporters. More >

As a child growing up in Germany and spending hours after school helping out in his father’s rug business, Bijan Koukpari had a natural interest in design. As he puts it, “I think I just absorbed the business.” That early involvement combined with an interest in architecture and development ultimately led to the founding of Satia Art and Floor in Vancouver, Canada. Founding a company that made one-of-a-kind hand knotted carpets from Nepal was a natural fit. Natural, too, was his decision to collaborate with RugMark. “I have the belief the world can change with education.” Koukpari explains. “Wherever there’s education, people develop, and RugMark is investing in children by putting them in schools.” More >

Joan Weissman Custom Rugs are noted for refined aesthetics and impeccable craftsmanship, not to mention rich color and lush textures. Inspired by sources ranging from ancient textiles to 20th century sculpture, Weissman's work reflects her distinctly modern approach to timeless design. Asymmetry and abstraction are hallmarks of the rugs, and restrained understatement characterizes her artistic approach. Weissman's early membership in RugMark reflects her commitment to fair labor practices. More >

When artist Amy Helfand was ready to expand her design portfolio to include rugs in early 2005, contacting RugMark was a natural first step. While established in the art world for more than 15 years, Amy had never contracted production overseas. She wanted the added assurance that the production practices were ethical, as well as the connection to a broader community of rug import companies. More >