Debuted in Milan last month, FRONT London showcased a new collection of hand knotted wool and silk rugs by German designer Jan Kath called Erased Heritage.

Jan Kath combines traditional Persian ornamentation with his trademark distressed effects to create the Erased Heritage Collection.

"Just like every Bavarian village has its own traditional dress, every community, region, and cultural group in the East has developed a particular style of carpet. It's fascinating how, over the centuries, different areas have developed such different signature features and styles," explains Kath. "With the Erased Heritage collection, we are helping to make sure that these ideas survive into the modern age."

In the case of the Erased Heritage collection, the Egyptian Mamluks, Iranian Bidjars, and Turkish Knyas are hand-knotted using the original colors under the direction of old master weavers who sing out the pattern. "This unorthodox process is used by small family businesses," notes Kath. "It's extremely labor-intensive, and not at all straightforward to apply these old production methods to my designs. But the effort is definitely worthwhile. The results are carpets with a revolutionary look that combine old and new in a way that has never been done before."

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About the manufacturer: German rug designer Jan Kath creates contemporary hand-woven rug designs using traditional materials like hand-combed Tibetan wool and Chinese silk. His designs display a synergy between contemporary minimalism and old world craft. Kath has stores in both Berlin and New York, and has received numerous design awards including the Best Rug Design Award at the prestigious Wallpaper* Design awards 2011.