M & M Design International Becomes Certified By Rugmark

Furniture World Magazine

Backed by leading international organizations, such as UNICEF, RUGMARK has certified that M& M Design rugs from Nepal are not made with illegal child labor. This certification can be identified by the RUGMARK label found on the back of every certified rug sold by M& M Design. M & M Design’s involvement with RUGMARK reflects a deep commitment to the communities where their rugs are produced. RUGMARK requires a percentage of every rug produced by M&M Design be sent back to local communities for on-going education of freed child-laborers and other children in the weaving communities. M & M Design President, Mark Karimzadeh says that partnering with RUGMARK is the best way to let people know about the company’s high social standards. “Our clients are concerned about the nature of the production of our area rugs. They want to know that we don’t use child labor,” Mark explains. “Joining RUGMARK gives our consumers the assurance they seek.” Mark Karimzadeh and his brother Joel Karimzadeh launched M & M Design in 2001, the family’s third generation to start a successful rug business. Joel’s background in art and design coupled with Mark’s economics and marketing expertise is a strong combination of business and creative talents. With a unique product development model that identifies artistic talent from a variety of designers, M& M Design delivers exclusive products to their retailers. “We work with some of the top retailers, like Marshall Fields and Einstein Moomjy,” says Joel Karimzadeh. “Our exclusivity model allows [these companies] to differentiate themselves by presenting rugs that are distinct from anything else in the market.” Major retail distribution of M & M Design rugs with the RUGMARK label, will also help to educate consumers about RUGMARK’s mission to eliminate illegal child labor in the carpet industry. Today there are still an estimated 300,000 children involved in the handmade rug industry in Nepal, India and Pakistan. “We are proud that M & M Design has partnered with us in this fight to end child labor,” says Nina Smith, Executive Director of RUGMARK. “Forced child labor is entrenched in these societies and it takes industry champions like M & M Design to demand that their rugs are crafted without illegal child labor. About RUGMARK RUGMARK is dedicated to ending illegal child labor in the carpet industry. Its program certifies child labor-free carpets, rescues and rehabilitates working children, and gives consumers the choice to purchase carpets bearing the RUGMARK label. RUGMARK offices are located in the U.S., U.K., Germany, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. More information is available at www.rugmark.org.