In 1928, in a tiny French village just a stone’s throw from Saint-Tropez, a textile engineer named Jean Lauer purchased the Cogolin rug factory, and an adventure that would span the next century of carpet-making began.

Immediately, he set about transforming his new acquisition from a factory specializing in silkworm culture and hand-knotted rugs into a workshop for innovation. He installed 19th century mechanical Jacquard looms and imported a host of new techniques for knotting and weaving.

These advances enabled the factory to produce a wider variety of rugs and led to Cogolin’s increasingly widespread recognition throughout the 1930s as a leading creator of sought-after bespoke products. Cogolin creations would soon be found gracing some of the world’s most prestigious interiors, from Versailles to the Élysée to the most luxurious French ocean liners.

This acclaim also led to collaborations with some of the most celebrated artists and decorators across Europe, such as Jules Leleu, Jean-Michel Frank, Christian Bérard, Sir David Hicks and Jean Cocteau. The rugs created in partnership with these legendary figures continue to line La Manufacture Cogolin archives today as a testament to its place in contemporary carpet history.

As the decade of its centenary approached, La Manufacture Cogolin experienced a rebirth in 2010 when it joined House of Tai Ping, a group of several of the world’s leading carpet brands, bound together by a shared philosophy, artisanal expertise and commitment to excellence.

With the support of this new partnership, Cogolin has risen once again to prominence on the international stage, balancing its storied past with innovations that point toward the future, all while producing rugs for the most discerning clientele across Europe, the United States and Asia.

The organization has been restructured, the looms restored, the buildings renovated, the colour palette reworked and new materials have been introduced, enabling the workshop to create brand new collections with a more contemporary signature.

Most recently, Cogolin has collaborated with revered modern designers India Mahdavi, Stephane Parmentier, Elliot Barnes, and Jason Miller.