Old World Classics make Mahindra-like rugs and carpets in India in about forty designs, with handspun wool and natural dyes, washed and finished entirely without chemicals.
As we have seen elsewhere, George Jevremovic of Woven Legends was influenced by Harald Bohmer of the DOBAG project. Teddy Sumner of Michaelian and Kohlberg was influenced by George Jevremovic. Haynes Robinson of Rugs by Robinson was influenced by both Teddy Sumner and George Jevremovic. So were many others, including a young man named Berislav Kuntic.
Mr. Kuntic began his career in rugs in 1987 as a stock clerk in George Jevremovic’s business Woven Legends, surrounded by a stimulating mixture of antique rugs, the first Azeri productions, and a lot of exciting conversation about Oriental carpets. Soon the Croatian-born Mr. Kuntic managed Woven Legend’s New York office.
After five years with Woven Legends, Berislav Kuntic moved on to ABC, the country’s largest retailer of Oriental rugs, where he worked in sales. In his four and a half years at ABC, he became more and more interested in producing rugs, and eventually left to establish Old World Classics. Convinced that demand was increasing for finer-knotted and more refined-looking rugs than those produced in Turkey (where Azeris are made), he began production of Oriental rugs in India in about 1995.
Today, along with an Indian partner, he controls about 120 looms in India. I count him among the new breed of manufacturers who are true rugmakers, involved in every step of the process. But heroes are made, not born, and he is having to work out the significant problems inherent in working with natural dyes. To their dismay, one experiment that he and his partner tried with dyes turned twenty finished carpets purple. But each time I see rugs from Old World Classics they are better than before. They are Mahindra-like rugs and carpets in about forty designs, made with handspun wool and natural dyes, washed and finished entirely without chemicals.
