Nand Kishore Chaudhary of Jaipur Rugs: Revolutionizing luxury with artisanship and social impact

1. Empowering Artisans: Jaipur Rugs has revolutionized the traditional rug industry by empowering marginalized communities, particularly women weavers. What inspired you to challenge these social norms, and how has this commitment to community development evolved over the years?

Jaipur Rugs' success model lies in the association of the 40,000+ artisans in 600 villages of which over 90% are women who work from home. The traditional carpet industry usually functions with middlemen whereas Jaipur Rugs has reached the homes of artisans directly, cancelling the need for middlemen and empowering them by generating employment which is also greater in value as compared to the market. Impacting so many rural artisans’ lives, Jaipur Rugs pays wages higher than the market resulting in employment satisfaction for the weavers which helps the brand take the yield of superior quality carpets.

Jaipur Rugs thus, is a rare combination of making a great product with the finest of materials and a great design, one that assures the value of the rug in totality. The brand believes in weaving stories wherein 1000s of artisans make a living in the most remote parts of the country, making an impact on their lives.

2. Craftsmanship and Innovation: Jaipur Rugs has found a delicate balance between preserving traditional craftsmanship and embracing modern design trends. How do you ensure that the cultural heritage and craftsmanship of hand-knotted rugs remain intact while adapting to contemporary market demands?

Factors like provenance, materials, and design contribute to the overall significance and value of a rug or carpet. Jaipur Rugs believes in using the finest of materials sourced themselves while considering in-house manufacturing to assure quality control and also adapt to the latest trends in the market. Working directly with artisans, impacting lives in over 600 villages, especially in the remotest areas of India is what helps preserve traditional craftsmanship.

Housing a dedicated in-house trend research team helps to attain a balance on the same and understand the market demand and needs. Assuring that Jaipur Rugs cancels any middle-men, and offers wages above the market value keeps the artisans satisfied which allows them to maintain and achieve quality hand-knotted rugs.

3. Sustainability in Design: As sustainability becomes an integral part of global industries, how is Jaipur Rugs paving the way for sustainable practices in the rug-making process, and what do you envision for the future of sustainability in the luxury rug sector?

Observing that there is a problem of industry-wide wastage, Jaipur Rugs has an innovative yet sustainable project by the name of Manchaha. The socio-economic project encourages the craft of weaving for artisans, empowering them to create designs without any pre-mapped patterns. Using left-over yarn, artisans bring to life unique and one-of-a-kind rugs, this in turn helps sort the problem of wastage addressing the problem as the solution.

The use of GOTS-certified dyes also helps make an impact and reduce the impact on the planet. The dyes used are chemically tested and comply with several basic toxicity and biodegradability/disposal requirements. This allows to maintain a standard of dyeing while assuring that Jaipur Rugs continues to keep in mind the environment and work towards sustainability.

4. The Manchaha Collection: The Manchaha Collection stands out as an innovative and socially impactful initiative, working with incarcerated artisans to foster creativity and provide them with a livelihood. Could you share more about the origins of this initiative and its long-term social impact?

The desire to reduce the impact on the environment, and address the problem as a solution is the Manchaha project. Artisans tread the journey to become an artist, and offering unique and one-of-a-kind designs is what makes the Manchaha Collection special. Artisans weave designs that their heart desires from left-over hand-spun yarn, which results in a poetic narration of their emotions, their daily lives, and a rug so special that it narrates a story. This project not only generates employment but empowers an artisan to gain confidence on their craft.

While the Manchaha project works with artisans in villages the Freedom Manchaha project generates employment for inmates of Dausa, Jaipur, and Bikaner jails. Keeping the creativity, craft, and encouragement alive, the incarcerated artisans continue to be a part of their families through the employment generated and hope for a better future.

Jaipur Rugs is a family business. The founder NK Chaudhary is the company’s president, while each of his children have their own responsibilities and areas of expertise. The eldest daughters Asha and Archana are CEO and COO of Jaipur Living in the US. In India, Kavita the middle-child is the Design Director with her own label 'Kavi', while his son Yogesh is the Director of Sales & Marketing. The youngest, Nitesh is the Director of Supply Chain & IT working with both the US and India team.

5. Looking Ahead: With Jaipur Rugs expanding into new markets, including your recent Asia launch, what are your goals for the brand’s future? How do you plan to maintain the delicate balance between social impact, craftsmanship, and commercial success as the brand continues to grow?

Jaipur Rugs believes in the concept of totality. The concept defines that each rug is made with a family’s blessings and it achieves its purpose when it reaches any customer’s home where the blessings fill the new homes with prosperity and positivity. With the same objective Jaipur Rugs wishes to be a part of every home and expand globally. With each global expansion, the brand keeps a check on its ground belief of impacting the lives of weavers and working directly with them so that an entire community is uplifted and empowered making the artisans the main character and hero of the company’s success story.

The Gandhi of the Carpet Industry

NK Chaudhary founded the idea of Jaipur Rugs in 1978, working beside nine artisans on two looms. He started his business on the principles of dignity. Today, he is the entrepreneur behind the one of the largest manufacturers of hand-knotted rugs and is often referred to as the ‘Gandhi of the Carpet Industry’.

Raised in a traditional family in Churu, Rajasthan, NK Chaudhary took a loan from his father after college to buy a bicycle and some raw material to set up two looms for nine artisans in Churu. The first carpets were identical twins of 24 square meters and were exported under the name ‘Bharat Carpet Enterprise’.

“Let goodness, fairness and most importantly,
love prevail in business; profits will inevitably follow.”
— NKC

NK Chaudhary’s greatest achievement was subverting century old practices that shunned women, artists and the poor. In the company’s early days, he removed middlemen to connect directly with tribal artisans. He treated them with dignity, empathy and respect who were considered untouchables.

Website: jaipurrugs.com