Gaman collection translates Silk Road influences into contemporary handmade rugs

It is the art on its walls, statement lights casting a warm glow, and the rugs grounding the room that make a house a home. Whether layered over stone, wood, or carpeted floors, rugs bring texture, warmth, and softness. For Rajasthan-based design studio Greyweave, rugs are more than decorative accents. They are vessels of memory and movement. With its newest collection, Gaman, the craft-led studio expands this philosophy into a meditation on journey.

The journey of rug-making from Central Asia to India

Greyweave has built its practice around handmade, hand-knotted rugs crafted in India, with a deep respect for the region’s long-standing traditions of craft and making. Working primarily with natural fibres such as wool, silk, and cotton, the studio specialises in custom, made-to-order pieces, guided by a careful exploration of colour, texture, and materiality. Yet with Gaman, co-founder Neha Kapoor suggests that the collection is less about material innovation and more about an idea.

“Gaman means movement,” she explains, “but for us, it goes beyond physical travel. It speaks to the idea that craft is never static. It carries memory, influence, and time within it.” The name emerged organically as the team reflected on the historic journey of rugs themselves. “Before becoming objects of the home, they were companions of movement. They travelled across landscapes, trade routes, and cultures, absorbing stories along the way.”

That sense of quiet migration became central to the design process. Rather than treating movement as something to illustrate, the brand approached it as something to embed. “Instead of designing fixed motifs, we approached the rugs as surfaces that carry transition—where forms feel as though they have arrived from elsewhere and gently settled,” Neha notes.

Each rug is produced using traditional hand-knotting techniques passed down through generations. While the process remains rooted in heritage, the designs are contemporary in approach, allowing the rugs to sit naturally within modern spaces. Over the years, the brand has worked closely with architects, designers, and studios to create rugs that respond thoughtfully to scale, materiality, and use.

The new collection draws subtle inspiration from the way techniques and aesthetics journeyed through Central Asia along the Silk Route before taking root in India. But instead of replication, Gaman reflects adaptation. “You’ll see moments of variation, irregularity, and restraint,” she says. “These elements reflect exchange rather than replication.” Colours shift almost imperceptibly across a surface; textures vary in density and finish. These nuances echo how materials and methods would have evolved across climates and geographies. “Travel isn’t illustrated; it’s embedded,” Neha emphasises.

History and cultural exchange underpin every knot. As rug-making knowledge moved across regions and into India, it was reshaped through local hands. “Motifs shifted, and methods evolved,” she reflects, describing a process of layered translation rather than singular tradition. In Gaman, multiple histories coexist within the same woven surface. It is like taking a piece of history to your home.

Price on request. Available online.

—manuvipin@newindianexpress.com

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