faq

What is Anchal?

Anchal is a a non-profit 501c(3) that merges design, business, and education to empower marginalized and exploited women in India.

 

What does anchal mean?

In hindi, the word “anchal” refers to the edge of a sari used to provide comfort and protection to loved ones.

 

What does Anchal do?

Through our artisan program, Anchal provides alternative careers in textile design and production to female commercial sex workers in India who are seeking a way out.

 

What is the sex trade?

The sex trade, also known as the sex industry, refers to commercial businesses related to the sale and purchase of a wide range of sex related activities, including prostitution.

 

What is a “commercial sex worker”?

A person who works in the sex trade, sometimes referred to as a prostitute. There are a wide range of entry routes into sex work, ranging from “voluntary and deliberate” entry, “semi-voluntary” based on pressure of circumstances, and “involuntary” recruitment via outright force or coercion.*

 

Who started Anchal?

The concept of Anchal was born during a graduate course at the Rhode Island School of Design(RISD) with designers Colleen Clines, Joann Lee, Devon Miller, and Atisha Varshney in 2009. Colleen and Devon then carried it beyond the classroom, launching Anchal as an official non-profit in 2010.

 

What is Anchal’s unique strategy?

Anchal believes that design and interdisciplinary collaboration can become the vehicle for social change. As trained designers and experienced practitioners, we employ this skill to create unique economic solutions, develop textile compositions and craft effective design training curriculum.

Our design-led approach has proven successful in terms of creating viable economic opportunities for women, producing beautiful products and enabling a financially self-sufficient business model that has garnered the attention of high-end retailers as well as actor/activist America Ferrera.

 

Who are Anchal’s partners?

Anchal partners with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in India who provides health outreach and educational programs to commercial sex workers. Our current partners are Anoothi/Vatsalya in Ajmer, Rajasthan and New Light in Kolkata, West Bengal.

 

What are Anchal products?

Anchal sells various products: large quilts, scarves, baby quilts, pillows and pillowcases in the U.S. Products are made from 100% recycled vintage cotton saris, layered and stitched together in Kantha-style (simple running stitch) by Anchal’s artisans.

 

What do we mean by Textiles as Narrative?

Anchal created design workshops and a line of textile products called ‘Textile as Narrative’. It teaches the interpretation and translation of one’s three-dimensional surroundings into two-dimensional quilted fabric collages. The goal is to build the artisans’ confidence to express their personal identities through fabric while creating unique works of art that tell the story of their culture and surroundings.

 

Who are Anchal’s artisans and what do they receive?

Anchal’s running program works with 55 women, and continues to expand. Anchal artisans are women participating in health education programs with our partners and have additional interest in alternative careers in textile design. These women come from a demographic with low socioeconomic status. In addition to fair trade wages, artisans receive educational workshops, health care and scholarships for their children.

 

When I purchase an Anchal product, where does my money go?

When you purchase a product, you invest in new economic realities for women in India. In addition, portions of each purchase go towards artisans’ health care program,educational workshops, and a scholarship fund.

 

How does Anchal fund itself?

Anchal is primarily a revenue-generating social venture. Profits from sales go back into the organization for its sustainability and expanded programming. We are consistently researching and working towards grant opportunities. For example, we received a grant from Dining for Women (DFW), among others. We also receive private donations from various individuals.

 

*{Lim, Lean (1998). The Sex Sector: The Economic and Social Bases of Prostitution in Southeast Asia. International Labour Office. p. 39. ISBN 92-2-109522-3, 9789221095224.}