Hossein Rezvani is a carpet designer and owner of Hossein Rezvani Design OHG in HamburgThe strong trend towards customization is continuing. To an increasing extent products and services are being individually adapted. What are the implications for your sector?Hossein Rezvani: "This is also a strong trend in our sector. At present customized orders account for approximately 65 percent of all orders. Customers select a design in the collection and then adapt it to their personal requirements in terms of colour and size. We began this about five years ago and introduced a special colour system in Iran to ensure that nothing can go wrong during the dyeing process. We work with colour charts which are available in the dealers' showrooms, as well as the dyeing plant in Iran. This means that we can guarantee colours, and the customer receives his or her dream carpet."Customization offers new sales opportunities for manufacturers and dealers. To what extent can your company exploit the potential inherent in this mega trend?"The 'customized' carpet is a strong selling point and is popular with customers all over the world. As evidenced in the statistics, customized carpets already account for one half of all sales and will play a major role in future. A further argument is that dealers can adapt to specific markets, respond to local trends and fulfil market demands. An attractive red shade that sells well in Europe will not necessarily be bought in Asia. It is a win-win situation for both parties."How will the keynote theme be integrated into your presentation at DOMOTEX. Which customization-related products and services will you be showcasing at DOMOTEX?"Every year new collections are premiered at DOMOTEX. Next year there will be special editions of models which dealers can adapt to their special requirements. The topic 'customized carpet' has played a central role – and will continue to do so next year. Wait and see what's awaiting you. If I told you everything now, you would not come and visit our stand!" (laughing)In your view, how will the trend towards customization develop in future? "In my view this topic will become increasingly significant. Against a background of growing uniformity, customized products will become more and more important. Carpets, in particular, form the centrepiece of a living room or dining room. The customer can realize his or her wishes and become the owner of a self-designed product: a personalized Hossein Rezvani carpet. Tastes vary. This is what makes the world so attractive."

The graphic language of ancient textiles comprises a rich glossary of motifs specific to particular tribes and areas of the world. Many of the symbols and patterns woven into their design - from basic shapes and marks to complex and intricate decoration - have become easily recognisable even to the non-expert, and they tell the story of the rug and of the movements of peoples across the world.However, excluding work still produced by existing tribal communities, the design of contemporary textiles concerns 'tribal identity' in a completely different way. Today's designs are driven by trends - often relatively international in scope - and the concept of individualism. The eclectic gleaning of aesthetics from different sources, eras and nations provides a rich melting-pot of visual language.'Modernised tradition' is the name given to a current trend recognised across all design fields. In it, a classic design - or combination of designs - is appropriated and updated to make a new aesthetic, which the viewer can recognise in both a historic and a contemporary context. This can be seen in fashion, homewares and many areas of design, but no medium shows it more clearly than in the modern rug industry, where a new genre titled 'transitional' design has acquired great popularity.The term 'transitional' does not denote one particular look; it describes the adaptation of traditional designs with devices such as disintegration, overlapping, glitches, reinterpretation and similar effects that can be aided by digital manipulation. Each of the premier rug companies producing transitional designs has its own set of devices and aesthetics. This also makes it possible to respond to individual customer requirements in terms of size and color. Products like these are part of the UNIQUE YOUNIVERSE at DOMOTEX 2018 and will reveal the opportunities for individualizing interior furnishings.

As a mature industry, the tufted carpet business requires differentiated product to drive sales. Because most carpet manufacturers are vertically integrated back to fiber extrusion, developing unique fiber systems is a first step in creating innovative carpet. Nylon and polyester each have a place in today’s carpet market, according to Brad Christensen, vice president, soft surface category management at Shaw Floors. “If we can achieve a better product, it doesn't matter if it’s PET or nylon. Consumers are becoming fiber agnostics. They just want a beautiful carpet.”Innovation for Shaw carpet goes all the way back to fiber extrusion, where the company is experimenting with both nylon and PET with different cross sections produced with new spinnerets, Christensen reported.  Shaw’s newest fiber system, ClearTouch Platinum PET, is used for the polyester styles in the TruAccents collection. “The ClearTouch Platinum PET yields better durability and resiliency,” Christensen explained, adding, “It will perform close to nylon.” Mohawk’s EverStrand carpets are made with the Continuum PET process for products that “start clean and stay clean.”Engineered Floors’ solution dyed PureColor yarn systems give its carpets a cost advantage as well as performance features. Mike Sanderson, vice president product marketing at Engineered Floors, said, “It’s the manufacturing process that makes the difference. Whether it’s polyester or nylon, it’s always PureColor. Our state of the art manufacturing facilities allow us to manage the entire production process, from fiber extrusion to quality assurance and distribution. This streamlined manufacturing process allows us to be price competitive in the market.” And solution dyed PureColor also offers superior colorfastness when subjected to direct sunlight and can withstand cleaning with a bleach solution, according to the company.Beaulieu has engineered SoftSense Polyester and Nyluxe (nylon) fiber systems to enhance the design and performance characteristics of its soft floorcovering products, said Dallas Chapman, executive vice president at Beaulieu America. “SoftSense and Nyluxe provide the ultimate in design flexibility with numerous style options in both solution dye and piece dye methods. We have developed products like Urban Chic that blend SoftSense and Nyluxe together in a dense, tight, tailored construction giving the product stylish yet durable characteristics,” Chapman explained.Beaulieu has also enhanced the appearance of traditional carpet using a new technology called D.I. Design, which takes white Nyluxe patterned substrates and creates added depth and dimension through an exclusive dyeing process, Chapman said. Phenix introduced its Opulence HD solution dyed polyester fiber this past January at The International Surface Event, said Susan Curtis, senior vice president, product development. “We developed this new fiber from the ground up working with our extrusion division to develop a yarn that provides great bulk, with a soft, very luxurious hand. This fiber is a finer denier yarn that aesthetically is low luster, with well-defined tips that delivers a beautiful suede-like finish,” Curtis noted. “Because this fiber is manufactured from solution dyed polyester it is inherently stain resistant. Opulence HD is available in our Cleaner Home collection of fine carpets that also feature Microban, an antimicrobial and SureFresh odor capture.” Flourish from the Phenix Cleaner Home Collection is made of Opulence HD solution-dyed polyester.Shape mattersContinuous filament fiber is made by being extruded through a spinneret (showerhead-like device). The filament can be extruded in different cross-section shapes — round, trilobal, pentagonal, octagonal, etc. — which can produce different visual effects and performance attributes in the finished carpet.