KO 'Z' CRAFT THE ORIENTAL RUG CLINIC
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Hratch Kozibeyokian, owner of Ko ‘Z’ Craft, is a third-generation master weaver with more than 40 years of hands-on experience.
His family migrated to America in the late 1970’s where they worked for an antique Oriental carpet gallery as restorers in Chicago. In 1980, Hratch moved to Southern California and continued work for several Oriental rug galleries as a restorer and sales manager.
While repairing Oriental rugs, Hratch became skilled in the art of dying yarn to match the subdued colors of aged carpets. With magnification, he studied the weave and fibers of the damaged rug—from how the wool was grown, to how it was layered and scaled—and matched the texture and color of the new yarn (used to replace missing sections) to wear similarly to wool in the original. Using red, blue and yellow dye, he can create over 3,000 colors of wool.
In the 1990’s Hratch opened his own Oriental rug gallery in Los Angeles’s design district. At that time, he designed rugs for a manufacturer in Armenia, consulted with movie studios (on time-appropriate rugs), sold and repaired carpets for decorators to the stars, and even became the first to lecturer to teach a course in “Tapeology” (the study of rugs and carpets) at Cal State Northridge. When catering to interior designers needing
custom-woven rugs, he prepared “strike off” samples in his restoration studio in Van Nuys before he wove the rugs from scratch. Partnering with manufacturers overseas, he also provided wholesale new rugs to dealers.
During his career he has mentored over 30 apprentices who currently work for other companies or have their own restoration business.
Today, Hratch and his staff work from his Shadow Hills studio.