Field Notes

After tremendous anticipation and over 3 years of physical separation, the U.S. Anchal team was recently reunited with the incredible artisan and leadership team in Ajmer, India! The trip crew comprised of sisters and Founders Colleen and Maggie Clines, Anchal E-Commerce Director Ashleigh Bakken, Maggie’s husband, David Cobb, and photographer and Colleen’s husband, Clay Cook.

CEO, Colleen Clines, highlights heartwarming stories of a joyous reunion between artisans and the U.S. team and the strong bond and deep sense of community that has been fostered through Anchal's work. She also highlights the resilience and determination of the artisans, who continued creating beautiful products despite the challenges they faced.

Anchal is proud to announce our second collaboration with the Guggenheim Museum honoring the works of Brooklyn-born artist, Alex Katz. The Guggenheim-exclusive, limited-edition capsule collection features three quilts, tote bags, weekender bags, scarves and quilted chore jackets - all heavily inspired from 2 renowned Alex Katz paintings - The Red Smile and Yellow Tree 1.

Last year Anchal successfully launched a satellite training program in Ajmer, thanks to the support of our donors and the hard work of our team. The goal of this program was to provide livelihood training for ten women from a neighboring  community. After eight months of training sessions, we are excited to share that nine women graduated from the program and recently joined the Anchal team as full-time Project Assistants!

We're excited to announce a new brand experience! With the help of our talented friends at Zimmer Design, Anchal now has a customized logo, marks, color palette, and patterns. We believe the new visual brand represents the comfort found in the anchal and the richness of storytelling, as well as, the beautiful and vibrant products the artisans create. 

Just over a month ago, together we raised $3,530 to help sponsor relief grocery kits for the Anchal artisans in India. Over the past week our amazing management team distributed over 160 kits! 

Our newest collection highlights bright colors found in plants through an assortment of color-block pillows and bandanas. Anchal's dyeScape Coordinator, Brent Drew-Wolak, shares the inspiration behind the our newest Naturally Dyed Collection and what we can expect next from Anchal's dyeScape garden.

Anchal's newest Spring/Summer 2021 collection is fresh, colorful and has a sense of playfulness to it that we haven't seen before in past collections. Creative Director, Maggie Clines, shares the inspiration and story behind Anchal's new Spring/Summer 2021 collection.

Shakuntela was the first woman to join Anchal and is now proudly celebrating her 10th year with Anchal as a Project Assistant. We admire her greatly and are so proud of her empowered confidence and resilience. Shakuntela has become a true leader in the community and is a model for how the program can positively change a woman’s life. Learn more about her journey.

First and foremost all of Anchal artisans are healthy and safe!  On March 24th, India implemented a nationwide lockdown for 21 days and then extended it for another 35 days in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. During the lockdown,  we were in constant communication with our NGO partners and Project Director, strategizing how we could best support our community of artisans during the lockdown. 

We are thrilled to finally announce Anchal’s limited-edition collaboration with Brooklinen!

The Brooklinen x Anchal Collection is a small batch of handcrafted, custom-made quilted pillows and throws 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 about how this collaboration came together...

As we continue to collectively do our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19, we have created a brief tutorial demonstrating how you can create a face mask using an Anchal bandana. No sewing required! Our bandanas not only function as a fashionable accessory in your hair or around your neck but can now become a fashionable face covering.

Watch the full video tutorial!