The Romo Group

Being part of the fifth generation of a family-run legacy company is, of course, an honor and a huge responsibility, but talk to sisters Emily and Felicity Mould, the great-great-granddaughters of Romo’s founder, and it is clear that, more importantly, their work is full of excitement and joy. Launching a line of rugs, they say, was just that. Fabrics and wall coverings were the focus for Romo for many years, so embracing rugs seemed a natural extension. “It just made sense,” says Emily, Romo’s Design Director – and so did joining GoodWeave®. For more than a century, the family’s guiding principle, Emily and Felicity agree, has always been, “Do things for the right reasons and work with people who are like-minded and also do things for the right reasons.”

Growing up in the family company was, according to the sisters, a bit magical. There were always colorful piles of fabric samples around the house for the family to weigh in on and, later, there was the design studio where the youngsters could experiment with color and texture. Back then, there were also the “amazing” family business trips to places like India. Of course, having a family company also meant there was a career path open for them. After some exploration in other areas, both Felicity, who studied fine arts, and Emily, whose training was in textile design, joined their father, uncles et al in the company. By then it had garnered a reputation for its global reach, and vast collection of versatile fabrics and wall covering designs.

As Felicity, the company’s Director of People, Culture & Communications, puts it, the decision to take on rugs perfectly complemented Romo’s critically admired existing products. “The introduction of the hand-tufted and flatweave rugs now gives Romo the ability to bring a coordinating element into a room.” The Romo Group was already known for its collaborations with artists, such as contemporary impressionist Jessica Zoob and Doodle artist Jon Burgerman; not surprisingly the new platform, a rug collection, would take inspiration from an artist’s work, as well. This time, the team chose to use an inventive take on the pottery of British ceramicist Kyra Cane. The designs and subtle color variations of her glazed pots translated beautifully into the hand-tufted and flatweave rugs. For example, flatweaves, such as the Glaze Celadon, give a nod to the ceramic’s texture. In rugs such as the 100% wool hand-tufted Fusion, Felicity says, “There is a really lovely painterly effect.” Although hard to choose any one rug as a stand-out in a collection, Emily admits that, for her, the Marka series is a personal favorite. “Marka is simple, has a lovely border on it and a textural grading on the edge.”

Emily and Felicity are thrilled about the addition of rugs to Romo’s collection. Extending the aesthetic, tactility and textural experience of a Romo product into another area of the room is important to them. And, equally important to this company is that everyone involved in the production process is treated fairly. As Felicity says “Partnering with GoodWeave just gives us absolute confidence in the supply chain. And I think it will give the consumer the confidence, as well!”

For more information go to: www.theromogroup.com