For more than half a century, Old World Weavers has provided the interior design community with some of the finest textiles. Started in the fifties by Carl Apfel and fashion powerhouse Iris Barrel Apfel, the company today is owned by Stark Carpet Company, a world-renowned distributor of carpets, fabrics, wallcovering, and furniture.

The Story of Iris Barrel Apfel:  Old World Weavers was launched in 1950 to 1952, by husband and wife team Carl Apfel and Iris Barrel Apfel. Iris, a clothing designer and interior decorator who attended art school at the University of Wisconsin and studied art at New York University, began her designing career in the world of fashion. After winning the Vogue Prix de Paris, she landed a job at the Women’s Wear Daily. Iris also used to work for Elinor Johnson, interior designer, and Robert Goodman, illustrator. Her designs were widely appreciated, and eventually she took up interior designing as well. After marrying Carl Apfel, she established Old World Weavers with her husband, supplying upscale fabrics to the wealthy during their time.  Being a fashion icon and an interior designer, Iris helped steer the company to greater success, as her husband took care of the business sales and marketing. The couple traveled together to look for new inspirations in their designs as well as to find the right fabricators. Old World Weavers developed without a clear business plan; as the company relied merely on Iris’ creative vision and Carl’s sales savvy. Starting on a shoestring budget the couple first designed custom textiles for New York City clients. While their market was limited during the founding years of the business, it was nevertheless a highly loyal one, counting no less than Greta Garbo, Jacqueline Onassis, and Estee Lauder as their devoted clients.  Carl Apfel and Iris Barrel Apfel retired in 1992 and Old World Weavers was acquired by Stark Carpet Company. Today the artistic influences of Iris Barrel Apfel on the fabrics of Old World Weavers remain strong.  Many of the historic, exquisite fabrics of the company are still being sold today, although the brand has now gone more middle-end.

Old World Weavers Fabrics:  When the founders of Old World Weavers established the textile company, they traveled the world to find skilled craftsmen who use only original looms in producing fabrics. Iris, the designer, did want to cater to the mass market, believing that there was no compromise in terms of design and beauty. As a result the company was able to reproduce the finest period fabrics using original, genuine looms. The beautiful and one-of-a-kind patterns that Old World Weavers was known for came from painstaking research – Ms. Apfel took inspiration from the things she saw in flea markets and second hand shops as well as in historical books and art museums. Many of the most enduring designs of Iris Apfel have stayed with the brand today, such as the $2,000-per-yard 18th century silk and linen loom designed with tiger prints.  Today Stark Carpet has included newer designs and patterns into the Old World Weavers line, making the brand more accessible to a wider market. From sheer embroideries, silk embroideries, crewels, wool stripes, to chenille plains, the selections are diverse, high-quality, and luxurious.

The Notable Clientele of Old World Weavers:  Old World Weavers has always been associated with luxury and fine fabrics, having served some of the wealthiest and most illustrious clients in the past. When Iris Barrel Apfel was head designer for Old World Weavers, some of her most faithful clients had included Marjorie Merriweather Post, Estee Lauder, Greta Garbo, and then First Lady Jacqueline Onassis. Founder Iris Apfel had also worked for the White House on several redecoration projects, all for a total of nine American presidents – Clinton, Reagan, Carter, Johnson, Kennedy, Nixon, Eisenhower, and Truman.