Fair Trade Zapotec Rugs Are the New Moroccan Rugs

Everyone is into moroccan and kilim rugs these days. But me, I prefer a Zapotec rug.

More striking, just as elegant, and handmade using traditional Zapotec skills, the certified Fair Trade rugs and pillows from Manos Zapotecas’ new home line, MZ Casa, mean artisans in Oaxaca, Mexico are getting a fair wage for their beautiful work.

The collection is a natural extension of Manos Zapotecas’ festival-ready purses, totes, clutches, and weekender bags, which comes in bright, hand -dyed colors and thick, quality wool textiles. Traditionally, the wool fabrics that Manos Zapotecas uses in the purses were made into rugs. So now you can have one as it was meant to be! (Or a pillow, which are beautiful as well.)

Depending on the preference of the family dying the wool, your purse might be colored with natural dyes, the knowledge of which is passed down through the Zapotec generations. They are concocted from vegetable, mineral, and animal sources, like nuts and flowers, cochineal bugs and indigo. Or it could be colored with more vivid colors produced by aniline dyes. If you order a purse, the leather strap and fringe are added by leather artisans in a nearby town. It’s then finished with a lining and double checked by the weaver before being shipped to the U.S.

I picked out a small rug for my bathroom, which made the perfect replacement for my small, sad, stained white bathmat. Now I have a wool rug that covers almost the entire floor, just in time for winter. (And it goes wonderfully with my Japanese towels!)

Manos Zapotecas is giving EcoCult readers 20% off any purchase over $50 with code ecocult through December 20th. Happy shopping!