At Anchal, design is our passion, and using design to impact lives has become our purpose. We believe design and interdisciplinary collaboration can be a catalyst for positive change. As a non-profit social enterprise, we use design thinking to create innovative solutions to tackle social inequalities and reform traditional textile manufacturing practices.
We use design thinking in every aspect of our company. It is how we solve problems, design new collections, and develop new initiatives. With empathy at its core, this process challenges us to innovate and improve our programming and systems on a daily basis.
the end goal you hope to accomplish. This is your purpose.
with empathy to the opinions, ideas, and needs of others.
and build lasting relationships with experts in other fields.
and create. Brainstorm multiple iterations and choose the right solution.
your idea, otherwise you’ll never know it was a success, and embrace feedback.
the metrics and data so you can strategize ways to keep improving.
At Anchal, we believe design has the power to create change in the world. We use design thinking to create innovative and strategic solutions that tackle both the social inequality faced by women and the environmental damages created by the industrialized textile system. We facilitate impact by creating eco-friendly textiles and programs to train, employ, and support women who have been forced into sexual slavery, survivors of domestic violence, and women vulnerable to exploitation.
Inadequate access to education and employment disproportionately target poor women around the world, often forcing them into commercial sex trade to support themselves and their families. 85% of the artisans we work with joined the commercial sex trade due to a lack of alternative options. Marginalized from society, these women find themselves trapped in a vicious cycle.
Solution: Economically empowering women can transform the trajectory of entire families and lead to widespread economic growth. That is why we employ and train women who have been forced into commercial sex trade, survivors of domestic violence & women vulnerable to exploitation in Ajmer, India and Louisville, Kentucky.
The rise of “fast fashion” has made the global textile and apparel industry one of the most resource-intensive industries in the world. Globally, humans consume about 80 billion new pieces of clothing every year, which is 400% more than the amount we consumed just 20 years ago. From generating mounds of waste to fostering unethical labor practices, the fashion industry is also the second largest polluter. The harsh chemicals released during industrial dyeing damages aquatic systems and makes drinking water dangerous.
Solution: We carefully source the recycled material, organic fibers, and natural dyes used to handcraft our products. Each of our one-of-a-kind quilts is made using up-cycled saris. We believe by being thoughtful and innovative, we can begin to offset the damage to our planet.
We use design thinking to include the women we work with in every step of production. We believe everyone is creative and that design training is an invaluable skill. Through intensive design workshops, artisans are taught problem solving and how to create new designs. By offering economic alternatives rich in self expression and rooted in community, we are helping women rediscover their worth, potential and creativity.
The Stitch x Stitch Project based in Ajmer, India currently employs 150 women in hand-quilting, machine tailoring and hand dyeing. Anchal artisans in Ajmer create a variety of intricately hand-quilted textile goods made from vintage saris and organic cotton.
The dyeScape Project based in Louisville, Kentucky provides career opportunities in natural dyeing and textile production. We train women to grow, harvest and dye fabric with dye plants grown through a network of urban gardens that were once vacant lots.
