LA’s coolest rug dealer turns rugs into custom bags

King Kennedy Rugs owner Mikael Kennedy treats his inventory with a unique mix of reverence and irreverence. The photographer-turned-rug dealer, who opened a showroom in Los Angeles in 2020, has a wealth of knowledge and respect for the late 19th century^vol and the beginning of the 20th^vol centuries-old Persian and Armenian rugs, which largely constitute his enviable collection. At the same time, he is able to perceive them as something more.

Over the years, he transformed his favorite rugs into everything from flip-flops to bomber jackets and tactical vests. But his latest venture is on a different scale: a one-of-a-kind duffel bag made from a custom rug to the client’s specifications. Its name? King.

“If I’m going to produce something, I want it to be special and stop people in their tracks,” Kennedy says of the bespoke offering he spent two years working on. “There is enough garbage in the world. I don’t produce to produce.

While several pre-made bags can be purchased on the manufacturer’s website, the King Duffle program is intended to be a customized experience, starting at $3,800 but ultimately priced based on the carpet the customer wants to change. While Kennedy’s entire inventory of nearly 150 antique rugs can be viewed online, not every piece is suitable for cutting. Some are simply impossible to calculate due to their size or thickness, while three categories – Navajo rugs, Afghan war rugs and prayer rugs – are excluded by Kennedy based on what he calls “old punk rock morality.” .

“I think they’re really important cultural objects… in Western culture, collecting and displaying things like that requires respect and understanding,” she says of the rugs, which are best left as rugs.

When a customer decides on, say, a 7-by-3-inch Kazak rug from the late 19th century, they will have the option of choosing the bag’s hardware – gold or brass – and choosing from more than 100 shades of Italian leather for the handles and trim. While Kennedy won’t blame any customer for choosing to play it safe with tobacco brown or black, he also hopes some will let their weirdo flags fly.

“I grew up in Vermont, and these Persian rugs are reminiscent of old New England and have a classic feel to them,” he says. Robb Report. “Through my work with a lot of the early menswear brands, I try to add a wildness to it.”

Finally, each bag will be finished with a 12-inch interior zippered pocket and lined with a fabric blend printed with a psychedelic camouflage that Kennedy calls “King Kennedy camouflage.” “It’s when your clothes blend into the carpet,” he says in passing explanation.

On the manufacturer’s website, the King Duffle bag is advertised as part of the “new Bespoke program,” which raises a natural question: what’s next? Kennedy doesn’t have a concrete answer right now, and that’s just the way he likes it.

“When I say there is no plan, there really is no plan. This is more of a thread I’m following. Maybe tomorrow I’ll see something and think, ‘Oh, that’s amazing, I want to try making something like that with rugs,’ and we’ll just go for it.”