Production

Quality starts with the attentive selection of raw materials: at Illulian we use only Himalayan wool of chenylok sheep and either a mix of our own creation of natural silks or pure cocoon silk according to clients preferences. The usage of these type of materials is fundamental indeed: Himalyan wool gives durability as it is the most resistant type of wool on the market as well as being produced in Nepal like all our rugs so it’s even environmentally friendly. Silk instead thanks to its iridescent effect gives preciousness and elegance to each item.

Raw materials need to be transformed into yarns in order to be used to make rugs. Therefore for example for wool our artisans first transform the fleece into a strand made up of a straight string, this stage is called carding. Single strings are then hand-spun together to create a resistant yarn which will be used later on by knotting masters. Final and yet complex step is the dyeing. This process gives the first level of uniqueness to our rugs because there is no dying bath that is similar one to another. All our dyes come from vegetal and mineral sources with respect for local natural environment.

Once the dyed yarns are well dry our artisans wound them into ball shape that are to be used for hand-knotting step. By using an handmade reproduction scale 1:1 drawn on paper, our knotting masters transform what was just a caothic agglomerate of fibers in pure art. The same rug is made by 3 artisans who work simultaneously shoulder to shoulder and make 152-180 thousands Tibetan knots per square meter according to the quality chosen. Different artisans have different strenghts so when they finish to weave a fundamental passage is the stretching so to make the rug uniform.

Finally your unique piece is washed and left to dry under the sun. Once dry, our artisans proceed with last touches like the leveling of pile heights and carving. By using special scissors craftmen transform the rug in a beautiful and elegant artwork by engraving the surface with theirs skillfull hands.