At Anchal, our designs blend the traditional, handmade craft with contemporary design—revolutionizing handmade textiles for the modern home. We honor the past and slow fashion movement by hand-stitching one-of-a-kind, pieces that reduce fabric waste and are made from eco-friendly low-impact dyes, vintage fabric and GOTS certified organic cotton. We challenge the textile industry’s exploitative practices by investing in our artisans and creating a human connection that extends worldwide. Each design explores the relationship between art and storytelling, bridging the gap between consumers and each piece’s maker along her journey to empowerment.
We believe design inspiration can spark at any moment. Many of our designs are heavily influenced by architecture, vernacular imagery and the intimate world of Anchal artisans. Moments captured by photographs during design workshops or experiences traveling often become the genesis for larger collections. Photographs become sketches and then stitches as each artisan infuses her unique story into the piece. Our artisans are a direct source for design inspiration. Learning new stitching techniques pushes artisans to grow their skills so they can become the best at their craft.
Once we discover our principle design concept, energy and style we want to evoke, a story begins to emerge. We let our curiosity drive our search to find an overall concept that translates throughout each piece. We dream big, sketching hundreds of possible designs and iterations, flipping them around and trying out different patterns and colors. Once we have several overarching concepts, we begin narrowing them down to the final pieces, all the while thinking about the capabilities of the artisans.
Quilts were born out of necessity from the ingenuity of women taking scraps of fabrics and repurposing them to create something beautiful and new. They are a source for creative self expression—as each piece reflects the life and personal stories of the quiltmaker—historically practiced by women gathering together creating comradery and building community. Today, new markets have enabled quiltmakers to assert their economic rights and create new narratives of independence.
Anchal’s first product was the quilt. At the beginning, when our artisan’s skills were in their infancy, making quilts was a simple way for them to begin earning money without years of expertise.
Quilts, like our namesake, represent warmth and comfort. They are usable, functional and flexible. To this day the inspiration for every collection starts with the quilt and it remains the bedrock of our business.
Kantha is the traditional embroidery stitch used for centuries by rural Indian women to make quilts and other home goods. Originating in West Bengal, the Kantha stitch is a culturally significant art form in India that dates back to primitive times. Later kantha embroidery became an integral part of Hinduism religious events, such as weddings and births. A simple craft to pass time or add a personal touch to one’s home, kantha is a symbol of traditional Indian culture.
At its core, the kantha stitch is a simple running stitch that can be utilitarian in its most basic form--holding multiple layers of fabric together--or more decorative: overlapping, meandering and filling shapes. At Anchal, all our products are made using kantha stitching. We push the boundaries of contemporary kantha techniques by using bold graphic motifs paired with a refined color palette, invoking a sense of casual sophistication.
We’ve had the privilege of partnering with brands committed to helping us design change by embracing the sustainable fashion movement and showcasing the beautiful work of Anchal artisans.
The Brooklinen x Anchal Collection is a small batch of handcrafted, custom-made quilted bedding, throws and pillows designed and created by Anchal’s artisans exclusively for the Brooklyn based luxury linens company. The pieces blend our signature contemporary quilting techniques and the Brooklinen minimalist aesthetic, resulting in a museum-worthy yet functional decor that calms and comforts. Learn more >>
In 2018, we partnered with the Guggenheim Museum to design an exclusive capsule collection of textiles inspired by the modernist work of painter, Hilma af Klint. The named Spiral and Radial collection featured two quilts, scarves, tote bags, and a kimono jacket. These pieces incorporated abstract geometric forms and shades of brilliant color that exuded Hilma’s powerful work. Learn more >>
For the launch of their Fair Trade Certified collection of denim, in February 2019, Madewell selected three of our organic-cotton quilt designs to decorate the store windows of 120+ stores across the United States and London. In conjunction with the window displays, our contemporary home goods and travel bags became available to Madewell customers via the company’s website. Learn more >>
In the summer of 2019, we collaborated with IBU Movement to create a one-of-a-kind sustianable look. The ensemble includes our first-ever hand-stitched dress and slide shoe with a coordinating shawl-collar jacket. All three pieces were designed in partnership with IBU’s team and intricately hand-stitched from certified organic cotton by Anchal artisans. Learn more >>
We partnered with CAUSEBOX, a nationally recognized subscription box of socially conscious sustainable goods, to design the exclusive Winter 2017 box. Our Naari quilt was the inspiration behind the design and we worked with the CAUSEBOX team to transform the quilt into the perfect cozy pattern. Learn more >>
Urban Outfitters’ Anchal x Urban Renewal 2013 Fall Collection was an exclusive eleven-piece line of one-of-a-kind apparel. It included jackets, dresses, tops, shorts, and skirts. Each piece contained pieces of our hand-stitched Kantha Quilts made from vintage saris. This collaboration was an incredibly unique way to blend design, fashion, craft, and women’s rights into one garment.
Developed in collaboration with actress, America Ferrera, the Didi Connection brought women across the globe together through sustainable fair trade clothing. In India, women affectionately call each other didi, meaning sister in Hindi. When customers purchased a one-of-a-kind Didi scarf, they supported their Indian sister in leaving the commercial sex trade. The initial 600-piece collection funded 15 artisans for an entire year and sold out in just a few months.
