LONDON, UK. December 12th, 2025 – Bazaar Velvet, the London -based luxury rug specialist, has reaffirmed its commitment to ethical sourcing through its partnership with GoodWeave International, ensuring every handmade rug meets rigorous fair-trade standards. The company has also created designs produced through a Turquoise Mountain Foundation initiative empowering Afghan women weavers to work from home.
Founded 20 years ago by Christopher Mould, Bazaar Velvet creates bespoke, hand-knotted rugs for high-end residential and commercial projects from its showroom. The company has completed commissions worth up to £85,000, with production times ranging from 12 weeks. Mould entered the industry at 16 as a Harrods trainee, becoming Trainee of the Year in 1989. He established Bazaar Velvet with a focus on contemporary designs and transparent production practices, making ethical sourcing a non-negotiable requirement from the outset.
“It does keep me awake at night,” said Christopher. “I never want to exploit communities. Quality isn’t just about the materials and craftsmanship – it’s about knowing the people who create these pieces are treated with dignity and paid fairly. That’s been important to me throughout my 38 years in this industry.”
Bazaar Velvet maintains its workshops in Nepal and India, sharing facilities to control quality and working conditions. The business donates a percentage of revenue from every rug made with the GoodWeave label, to eliminate child labour.
GoodWeave has restored freedom to over 10,000 children removed from exploitative rug trade. In 2025 alone, the organisation directly provided educational opportunities to over 100,000 children in weaving communities and protected over 150,000 workers under the GoodWeave Standard through regular monitoring. Bazaar Velvet’s financial contributions support these field programmes, which include health care clinics, eyeglasses for weavers, and social protection registration drives.
“When sourcing for my clients at Bazaar Velvet, I have to be sure I’m helping clients the right way,” said Christopher. “There are a lot of producers out there, but not many with GoodWeave certification. That’s an important factor and always has been.”
Approximately a year ago, Bazaar Velvet created designs produced through a Turquoise Mountain Foundation initiative in Afghanistan. Mould designed and coloured the collection, which was then woven by Afghan women working from home. The rugs are now part of Bazaar Velvet’s permanent collection.
“The beauty of it really is about empowering women back into the workforce,” says Mould. “Women are banned from working in public spaces in Afghanistan, and girls still can’t be educated. The mothers and their daughters can now weave in their own homes to provide extra income for their families.”
Turquoise Mountain Foundation, established by King Charles III in 2006, works to revive traditional crafts in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia and the Levant. To date, the foundation has trained over 11,500 artisans in traditional crafts, supported 700 artisan businesses, and generated $38 million in craft sales worldwide.
All Bazaar Velvet carpets are independently audited by Label STEP, GoodWeave’s fair-trade partner, to verify safe working conditions, prohibition of child labour, and fair wages. Regular third-party inspections confirm compliance with these standards at the company’s Nepal workshop and throughout its supplier network in India.
“We attract clients who understand that real luxury means knowing the story behind the piece – who made it, under what conditions, and whether their children are in school rather than at a loom,” added Mould.
“Quality and ethics aren’t separate for us – they’re the same thing. If the artisan isn’t treated well, the rug is tainted, no matter how beautiful it looks.”
Further information on Bazaar Velvet’s collections and ethical sourcing practices is available on the company’s website www.bazaarvelvet.co.uk.
ENDS