Wesley Mancini, Ltd., and Classical Elements, Inc., Launch New Rug Line

Furniture World Magazine

Wesley Mancini, Ltd., and Classical Elements, Inc., will launch a new rug product line in January 2009 at the ShowTime trade show in High Point. Wesley Mancini says he looks forward to showing his new line to decorative jobbers, such as Kravet and Robert Allen, as well as to furniture manufacturers with free standing stores, like Ethan Allen. The new line is a major development for Wesley Mancini, Ltd., and a natural extension of the company's other product lines. The Classical Elements/Wesley Mancini rugs will be made with vegetable dye rather than chemical dye, and will be hand-spun by nomadic tribes in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The tribes adhere to all International Labor Organization standards. "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. Designing upholstery, bedding, drapery, decorative trimming and drapery hardware, it is an organic flow to move onto the last surface in the home for textiles (rugs). 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 Classical Elements, said he expects a successful partnership. "We are very excited to work with Wesley Mancini on this new venture," said Gans. "Wes' textile designs are fantastic and we are sure that they will translate into incredible rugs. The rugs will be thoroughly high-end, from design through the production. We will only be offering these in hand-knotted, vegetable-dyed wool." Wesley Mancini, Ltd., (www.wesleymancini.com) is a design studio in Charlotte, N.C., that designs textiles and other interior home products with a staff of approximately 15 employees. Classical Elements, Inc., (www.classicalelements.com) was founded by Leyla and Stuart Gans in January 2004 after specializing exclusively in decorative trimmings for years. Classical Elements is a design-driven decorative accessories supplier to the trade industry, specializing in trimmings, drapery hardware and shortly fine, hand-knotted Persian rugs. The company produces products in Italy, Vietnam, China and the Philippines, and the new rug line with Wesley Mancini, Ltd., will be made in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Classical Elements will branch out into hardware this summer.