Mirzapur and Bhadohi district are the oldest hub of carpet-weaving in India. It makes up 60 percent of the sub-continents rug-making industry.
Carpets are not woven in factories, rather in the comfort of the weavers home. From our headquarters in Mirzapur, our production officers visit each loom.
Akbar's master craftsmen at your service
Though carpet weaving in India can be traced back to around 500 B.C where early woven mats and floor coverings have been referenced in medieval literature. The tradition of carpet-weaving came here only as far back as the 16th century during the reign of the Mughal Emperor, Akbar. Artisans that travelled down from Persia via the Grand Trunk Road brought with them the intricate art of hand-knotting carpets and passed their skills down to the craftsman here.
Later, Shah Jahan, the Indian ruler in the 17th century, built the Taj Mahal and was always an important figurehead for the carpet industry in India. During this time the patterns and styles of Indian rugs expanded, and along with Persian designs – landscapes and animals began to feature heavily. During this time, fine silks were used to make rugs, with the most complex featuring 2,000 individual knots per square inch. These rugs could take up to 15 years to complete.
Over the past 5 centuries, the artisans of Mirzapur & Bhadohi have watched their fathers weave, and then apprenticed to become gifted weavers themselves. The tradition of carpet-weaving here, is truly in their blood.
A Work of Art Made by 180 Hands
Its Luxe is a trademark of quality and design that is renowned for its masterpieces. Bringing together the 500 years-old weaving tradition with state-of-the-art attention to sustainability and design, it is the original Indian rug, made contemporary.
Carding & Spinning
Our carefully selected wool becomes yarn in the hand of the Katwaris, artisans that layer its strands together, remove dirt and knots and finally channel centuries of Indiant tradition on a charka, a spinning wheel.
Dyeing
Yarn is wound on a wheel-like frame, and dipped and kept into boiling hot vats of dye to embed its intended colour, then hung to dry in the sun. At “Its Luxe” Rugs, we dye yarn to over 1500 colours.
Designing
From the patterns on a traditional carpet it is possible to see what style and also which origin the carpet has. Earlier the design maps (which the artisan uses to hand make your rug) was made manually on paper, nowadays computes are used to generate CADs for the same.
Weaving
Following a millennial tradition coming from Persia, weavers sit down at the loom and spend up to one year hand-knotting their patterns, line after line, with a meticulous attention to detail.
Washing
Washers methodically pour water and a mild cleansing solution to pull out the dirt that every carpet has attracted. Each stroke flushes out what is unnecessary and at the same time increases the strength of the underlying knots.
Shearing
After carpet is washed the piles are cut to level them to same height. This is necessary for the design to become visible and the carpet design to start getting its finished look.
Seinging
it is the process of burning the protruding fibres on the backside of the carpets. This gives a sharp and neat finish to the carpet.
Side Binding
The sides of the carpet are bound by a separate thread/wool. This gives additional strength to the carpet and stops knots from disintegration, with usage, from the sides.
Stretching
Stretching is done to make the sides straight otherwise the carpet might have some curved edges. This is also done to align the minor differences in the symmetry of the knotted rug design.
Gultarash
Gultarash is a specific technique that translates to “finding the flower”, since it was originally used to create a high-low effect that made the flower patterns pop out. Today it is used to highlight motifs or patterns, but also to create a textural effect.