I S SUE 75 9 Editor Lucy Upward Executive Editor Ben Evans Senior Editor Malin Lonnberg Assistant Editor Rachel Meek Contributing Editors Jane Audas, Denna Jones, Corinne Julius, Katie Loux, Elisabeth Parker, Ros Weaver Design & Production Radostina Dobreva, Kanittha Mairaing Sales & Marketing Director David Young Ad & Event Sales Raquel Diaz Downey, David Phillips Digital and Social Media Executive Elena Wyszynski Administration and Subscription Manager Helen Winskill COVER is published four times a year by: Hali Publications Limited 6 Sylvester Path London E8 1EN United Kingdom Company Registration No. 1391142 Contact Editorial: +44 (0)20 3727 4948 Ad Sales: +44 (0)20 3727 4945 Email: info@hali.com Web: www.cover-magazine.com Subscription rates UK Europe USA & Canada Rest of World 1 Year £33 £38/€43* £4 4 / $ 5 0* £4 9 2 Years £60 £71/€81* £82/$93* £88 3 Years £82 £99/€113* £121/$138* £126 *All cards will be charged in £ Sterling at the current exchange rate. 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The publishers reserve the right to edit all submitted material as they deem appropriate for publication. Worldwide copyright is held by the publishers, Hali Publica­tions Ltd. Reproduction of any text or illus­tra­tion, in whole or in part, is for EDITORIAL Getting reconnected In our post-pandemic world, consumer habits in online rug purchasing are changing. What we thought we knew before is not so certain now The one thing we really learnt a great deal about during the pandemic was connection, particularly in terms of running businesses when no one could leave their homes. For our industry, this was a particularly significant matter, as rugs are generally produced in places that are far away and sometimes poorly connected. Relationships, trust and goodwill suddenly meant more than ever before. I mention this as it leads me on to discussing one of the two focuses of this issue of COVER: online retail. We are all aware that online shopping came into its own during Covid and that that experience has shaped our post-pandemic world. Therefore, our retail report looks at consumer habits in online rug purchasing; what we thought we knew before is not so certain now. Every company has inevitably had a different experience based upon its range of products, customer profile and set-up, but what is clear is that the pandemic changed the outlook for most brands. For many, selling online previously meant there was a cut-off price point, at which a website customer was not willing to buy without seeing. It seems this has changed—and while I don’t want to give the overall message of the article away, much of this comes down to pre-made relationships, trust and belief in the brand. Whether this ‘trust’ was built up in ‘real life’ or online is interesting to consider; but I suspect it might have been a two-pronged strategy when it comes to handmade rugs. The second theme of the issue is ‘Made in Afghanistan’, a look at production in the country today. I feel the theme of ‘connection’ is also important here. The country is of course one of those I alluded to above, somewhere that is in general not well connected to the rest of the world. Many of the companies making rugs in Afghanistan have familial roots in the country—Amadi Carpets or ABC Italia are two examples—or have long-standing relationships within it. For brands who have more recently begun to produce Afghan rugs, those ‘roots’ and ‘connections’ have had to be created quickly. A ‘middleman’ has usually been required, which is why I have included NGO Turquoise Mountain and also USAID’s ACEBA project in the section. The ACEBA project has been undertaken by company DAI Global. Among many goals and achievements, it has created links between producers in Afghanistan and international rug companies. ACEBA has also worked with Label STEP to create an app that connects individuals along the rug supply chain. Within all the work that Turquoise Mountain does, I chose to highlight the project it undertook for The Connaught Hotel, as I saw it as a great illustration of the meeting of worlds, and the importance of heritage craft. In an article titled ‘Connecting lives’, I talk to the organisation’s head of design, Maryam Omar, as her Afghani roots and her design training in London, plus her role between designers and artisans, mean she is an individual who exemplifies this idea of connection and its great importance. Lucy Upward, Editor