Change Underfoot: Interview with Jodie Fried of Armadillo Rugs
Charting new waters in ethical and sustainable rug design, Armadillo was a natural choice for our Made in India Report. Co-founder Jodie Fried tells The Textile Eye about her big career pivot, being the first Australian and American rug maker to achieve B Corp status, and what slow living means to her.
An artisan in India dusting a range of Armadillo’s rugs
A preview of our Q&A with Jodie Fried, excerpted from from Report 14: Made in India.
The sheer beauty of Armadillo rugs may belie the maker’s inherent aim to create designs that make a difference, not only in the sanctuary of the home, but in the surrounding world. As the first Australian and American rug maker to achieve B Corp status, ethical living builds the foundation of the business—expressed in intricate, artisan-made masterpieces that seek to inspire a more natural pace of life through products that are gentle to the senses and even kinder to the environment.
On her journey to becoming a rug designer, Jodie shares “my background is actually as a theater costume designer, but my travels throughout India introduced me to incredibly talented artisans across the country.” Today, she says “We now work with more than 2,000 artisans, partnering with specific weavers depending on their expertise. We are driven to create pieces of integrity that simply cannot be found elsewhere. Throughout the design process, we seek to evoke a sense of tranquility while pushing the envelope in terms of innovation and technique.”
An artisan in India carrying bundles of yarn
“When in India, my studio is the floor of our weaver’s villages where I’m surrounded and inspired by the chaos of lots of yarn, colors, dyes, spools and looms. Fiber is oftentimes our first consideration when beginning the design process. All of our rugs are 100% made by hand from natural and sustainable fibers, lending to their sumptuous yet hard-wearing nature. Because our fibers are naturally sourced, season and time of year are considerations in sourcing and production. Each rug is nurtured on its journey from fiber to finished product by the skilled hands of our dyers, spinners, weavers and finishers, imbuing them with a unique character.”
Quiet Living
When asked about balancing contemporary design and traditional craft, Jodie said: “at Armadillo, our philosophy of “Quiet Living” embraces the principles of slow design. We advocate for a cultural shift towards a gentler pace of life that is kinder to individuals, communities, and the environment. Our ethos is to create thoughtful and intuitive products that will satisfy real human needs and restore meaning to our lives. Our rugs are crafted from carefully sourced natural materials in a completely handmade process that brings conscious living to the fore, helping us to simplify, slow down, and engage more deeply with our spaces as they evolve alongside us.
Sustainability and Social Responsibility
Sustainability and social responsibility are inextricably tied to Armadillo’s design work. “Treatment of our artisans is of utmost importance—it’s a key part of our B Corp Certification and why we established The Armadillo Foundation (established in 2017), with the mission and purpose of improving the lives of our weavers and their families through the provision of educational, health, and community structures. Each of our weavers specializes in very specific and intricate weaves that require bespoke looms—using methods that are handed down generation to generation. We work in tandem; we are both informed and inspired by the artfulness and craftsmanship of our specialists, and we design rugs and work with specific artisans to deliver on that vision.”
