Wesley Mancini Rugs Due from Classical Elements

By Cecile B. Corral -- Home Textiles Today, 9/8/2008 12:00:00 AM

Charlotte, N.C. —

Wesley Mancini Ltd. and Classical Elements Inc. have partnered to launch a new upscale rug line come January during the ShowTime trade event here at High Point.

Branded the Classical Elements/Wesley Mancini collection, these rugs will be made using vegetable dyes — not chemical — and will be hand-spun by nomadic tribes in Pakistan and Afghanistan which adhere to all International Labor Organization standards.

The new line is a major development for Wesley Mancini Ltd. as well as a natural extension of its other product lines — which now include bedding, drapery, decorative trimming and drapery hardware, the company said.

"With having advance color and design direction based on both the jobbing and furniture industries, I know what colors and design themes will be available two years in advance to the public, which is a great advantage for designing rugs," Mancini said. "We will now be able to design larger scale patterns that will blend with our other interior textiles. We are designing high-end rugs with the best quality wool, best quality vegetable dyes, as well as finishing. There is also an opportunity to have custom sizes made for the design trade."

Stuart Gans, president of decorative accessories supplier Classical Elements, which specializes in trimmings, drapery hardware and fine hand-knotted Persian rugs, expects Mancini's textile designs "will translate into incredible rugs," he said. "The rugs will be thoroughly high-end, from design through the production. We will only be offering these in hand-knotted, vegetable-dyed wool."