Established in 2009 in Mumbai, premier carpet brand Cocoon Fine Rugs has four stores across India, besides being available online. At the recent annual international consumer goods trade show, Ambiente Fair, held at Messe, Frankurt (Germany), the company bagged an international award for ‘Outstanding Design Quality in Home Textiles and Home Accessories’ category for its Chand LC Collection. Here are excerpts from an interview with founder, Ayush Choudhary:
Cocoon Fine Rugs completes a decade in business. What changes have you seen in the last 10 years?
The carpet industry has evolved and become organised, and there are more players now. There is more awareness among public, and more people now consulting interior design professionals to get their interiors done. Due to the presence of social media, even newer businesses have a greater reach among consumers. While new technology is important, old techniques and ideas still hold relevance.
You recently won an award. What changes do awards bring to a business?
It’s great to be recognised for one’s work. Recognition within the worldwide art and design community eventually means greater growth in business.
Common thought is that carpets and rugs adversely impact the indoor air quality..
If you live in a dusty area, you need to vacuum your rugs regularly to rule out accumulation of dust. Similarly, if you entertain a lot at home, you need to make sure food particles don’t settle into the rugs. This is basic hygiene and cleanliness that you should follow anyway. It is your environment/lifestyle that determines how you need to maintain your high-end rugs. And our rugs are environment-friendly as these can be cleaned using water and gentle soap.
Does the carpet industry face any challenges?
Rug making in India is a traditional craft which has been handed down from one generation to another. As construction, IT and infrastructure gain more prominence in rural areas, younger generations don’t want to continue weaving rugs unless it leads to a substantial improvement in their lifestyle. With Cocoon, our product has continued to be relevant in the design circles who understand and appreciate the value of a fine hand-knotted rug.
We ensure that the communities we operate in are well taken care of which allows families to continue their association with us since our inception 40 years back. We are a part of GoodWeave, an organisation founded by Kailash Satyarthi. Through this, a part of all our sales proceeds, goes to the upliftment of weaving communities.
The brand has partnered with eminent designerslike JJ Valaya, VarunBahl, Rooshad Shroff and Ashiesh Shah. What does this entail?
We work closely with designers. Several meetings are held for exchange of ideas and concepts after which the final version goes into manufacturing. A designer always starts with a certain vision of what the collection should look like -- with techniques, textures and finishes, this evolves and we jointly decide how to bring it to life.
The evolving industry
The carpet industry has evolved and become organised, and there are more players now. There is more awareness among public, and more people now consulting interior design professionals to get their interiors done. Due to the presence of social media, even newer businesses have a greater reach among consumers. While new technology is important, old techniques and ideas still hold relevance.