5 MINUTES WITH: jan kath
ON A VISIT TO AUSTRALIA TO LAUNCH HIS NEW ERASED HERITAGE COLLECTION, CELEBRATED CARPET DESIGNER JAN KATH SAT DOWN WITH HB TO SHARE HIS INSIGHTS INTO THE PROCESS OF RUG CREATION
How would you describe your style? I like to work with different layers. Something that appears in most of my collections are citations of the past but, at the same time, my pieces are very contemporary. We don’t want our clients to feel like they have bought something that dates over time. So even those produced over 10 years ago have to feel current now.
Where do you find your inspiration? I travel and see a lot. My Billboard collection shows how inspiration works for me – I lived in Thailand and they have a lot of unused billboards along the highways – so a photo I took became a carpet. I see carpets everywhere… I’m a bit obsessed, actually.
What is the most important part of the manufacturing process? In short, we don’t cut corners. We use only traditional, raw materials and methods. Plus, the workers in our plant in Nepal are very important to us, for example, we take care of their kids’ education and have health programs in place.
How many complete collections do you have? We run about 25 independent collections, and if a collection is successful, there will always be new input. If it slowly fades, we stop developing it. I can never say a collection is done or finished. Never stop a running horse; if it runs, let it run.
What’s next? I can only tell you the name of the next big collection – Spectrum. It’s all about light and colours.