In Episode 28 of the Disruptors for Good podcast, I speak with Colleen and Maggie Clines, the Co-founder and Creative Director of Anchal. Anchal is an innovative nonprofit creating sustainable jobs for women through fashion and empowering them to a life beyond the sex trade.

With backgrounds in design, sisters Colleen and Maggie Clines lead Anchal by placing design at the center of the brands everyday practice. It all started in a design studio. Colleen Clines was taking a graduate seminar at the Rhode Island School of Design that took her on a trip to India in 2009, a trip that changed the trajectory of her life forever.

While in India, Colleen was introduced to the exploitive world of the commercial sex trade and the extreme lack of opportunity for women in the community. It was in this moment she was inspired to design more than beautiful landscapes, she was determined to create positive social and environmental change using design.

“We felt compelled to take the project beyond the classroom with the conviction that our design training, in collaboration with local leadership, could address seemingly intractable social and environmental systems. The women we met became our sisters, sisters we had to fight for.” – Colleen Clines, Co-Founder & CEO

While Colleen was scheming ways to collaborate with the amazing women she’d met in India, her sister Maggie was in college working on socially conscious architecture projects — discovering creative ways to repurpose a retired uranium facility. Maggie and Colleen would trade stories on their design experiences and wonder how they could unite their passions.

After returning home, Colleen and her classmates raised $400 by selling handmade notebooks and notecards. They used the funds to purchase a sewing machine, sewing instruction, materials and a stipend for the first collective of artisans.

In 2010, Anchal officially became a 501(c)3 non-profit and we expanded the project by partnering with Vatsalya, an NGO in Ajmer, India. In 2012, Maggie joined her sister to co-lead Anchal and stitch by stitch, a global sisterhood started to grow.

“We both had linear projections for our careers. Then I saw that we could have more impact than I ever anticipated as a young woman. So I jumped onboard and we decided to make a go of it as Anchal Project!” – Maggie Clines, Vice President & Creative Director.

Today, Anchal has trained and employed over 500 women and is an internationally recognized brand known for award-winning designs and handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces that empower exploited women living in India and Kentucky.

Interview Transcript

00:00

Grant: What’s up, everybody? This is Grant from Causeartist. Today we are chatting with Colleen and Maggie Clines, the founders of a very innovative nonprofit and social enterprise called the Anchal Project. Anchal is an innovative nonprofit using fashion and textiles to create a brand that employs women who were formerly in the sex trade. It’s a fascinating look at how we, as consumers, can impact lives by purchasing products we’d normally buy, while also providing employment, empowerment, and opportunity for women across the world, particularly in India, where the project operates.

What’s particularly interesting is that Colleen and Maggie didn’t start with the intention of addressing sex trafficking or working in fashion. They were design and architecture majors, who used their skills to create a social enterprise that changes the way we think about nonprofits. Anchal operates like a brand, a business, but with the mission of transforming lives. It’s an inspiring journey that shows how your life path can change unexpectedly when you follow your passion.

05:03

Grant: Usually, I like to start with the journey that led to the founding of a project. There are often experiences, maybe travel involved, that shape the idea. Can you walk us through how you both got intertwined and introduced to the idea of starting the Anchal Project and using fashion and accessories to change women’s lives around the world?

Colleen: We had parallel journeys, but the origins of Anchal were born during my time in graduate school at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). I was studying landscape architecture and took a class that challenged artists and designers to work alongside communities to create solutions to systemic issues. In 2009, I took my first trip to India with this class and was introduced to an NGO called New Light, located in Kolkata’s oldest red light district. The NGO provided a safe haven for children of sex workers, but there was no economic option or alternative for the women themselves. That’s when the idea for Anchal began. We returned to Rhode Island, and I started working on a business plan—albeit a very rough one—and we began training our first group of women.

09:07

Grant: Maggie, is that about the time you got involved?

Maggie: Yes, I was finishing my undergraduate degree in architecture at the University of Kentucky, and I started to see Colleen using her creativity and design for social good. I was taking a studio that challenged us to use design for storytelling and social impact, which clicked for me. I realized I didn’t enjoy designing buildings as much as I thought I would, and what Colleen was doing with Anchal was much more exciting.

09:48

Grant: What does “Anchal” mean?

Colleen: It’s a Hindi word that refers to the edge of a sari, often the most decorative part. It can be wrapped around the head or used to carry a baby, symbolizing shelter and protection, which is the metaphor we use for our business.

10:16

Grant: Did your design and architecture background help in building Anchal, even though it wasn’t directly related to fashion?

Colleen: Definitely. Our design training made us fearless and confident that we could figure out a way to design programs and products that served our clients and artisans in a holistic way. While designing quilts is different from designing buildings, the problem-solving skills we learned in school were invaluable.

Maggie: It’s less stressful than designing buildings, but running a company halfway around the world and employing 150 artisans comes with its own complexities. Our design background gave us the tools to approach these challenges creatively.

12:44

Grant: You mentioned that 10 years ago, the concept of social enterprises wasn’t as normalized as it is today. Why did you choose the nonprofit route instead of starting a business?

Colleen: We didn’t have much knowledge about social enterprise at the time. The first case study we did was on Tom’s, and they were just getting started. We thought, “This does good, so it should be a nonprofit.” Over the years, we’ve stuck to that decision because it keeps us honest about our mission. It keeps our artisans at the center of everything we do, ensuring that every decision we make benefits them.

14:26

Grant: What was the maturation process like from the early years to now? Anchal is much more of a profound brand today than it was in the beginning.

Colleen: The first five years were tough. We had no backing, no funding, and we were living with our parents. We had to be very patient as we developed the artisans’ skill sets and learned more about the constraints of the community. We started with simple products like quilts and scarves, and as the artisans’ skills improved, we introduced more complex designs. It was a slow process, but it allowed us to build something sustainable.

Maggie: Being a nonprofit gave us the time to develop the artisans’ skills without the pressure to meet sales targets every week or month. It allowed us to invest in the community and create long-term impact.

17:19

Grant: Let’s talk about the women involved in Anchal. They are the heart of the project. What was it like initially getting them on board, especially considering the dramatic shift from the sex trade to sewing and creating textiles?

Colleen: It was very challenging. The NGO we partnered with had already built trust within the community, which was crucial. We did a lot of recruitment workshops and trainings, but retention was a struggle at first. It’s a big transition from earning fast cash in the sex trade to making a quilt over two weeks.

But over time, the women built a community of support within Anchal. They started to see each other not as competition but as allies. As they became the breadwinners and gained dignity through their work, they stayed committed.

Maggie: It wasn’t an overnight change. Many women continued to work in the sex trade while slowly reducing their clients as they earned more with Anchal. Over time, they were able to leave the sex trade entirely.

24:22

Grant: What has the employment and training process been like as Anchal has grown? How have the programs evolved?

Colleen: The core of our training remains the same—we start with basic skills that don’t require a lot of initial expertise. But the structure of our organization has evolved significantly. We now have a tiered system with artisans, senior artisans, project assistants, and project managers. The project assistants, who are paid a salary, handle the more complex tasks and help train new artisans. It’s been amazing to see the artisans take on leadership roles and run the workshop themselves.

31:12

Grant: Beyond the skills training, what other support systems do you provide for the artisans?

Maggie: We offer a range of educational workshops, from financial literacy to health camps and stress relief programs like yoga. All of our artisans have their own bank accounts, and we provide direct deposit for their paychecks. We’ve recognized the need for additional support, especially because many of the women are illiterate or have limited education. We’re planning to offer basic math workshops to help them with more complex designs.

33:50

Grant: What has it been like learning the business side of things? Neither of you had a business background when you started.

Maggie: It’s been a journey. Sales were a big challenge initially, especially since neither of us had experience in that area. We’ve had to learn how to work with bigger retailers, scale production, and manage quality control. But we’ve had incredible advisors and a supportive board of directors who have helped us along the way.

Colleen: I was uncomfortable being the salesperson at first. I preferred designing behind the scenes. But I’ve learned to pitch the products and talk about Anchal in business terms. It’s been a steep learning curve, but it’s also been empowering to see how far we’ve come.

37:32

Grant: How do online sales compare to boutique sales? Has retail been a strong avenue for you?

Maggie: Retail is huge for us. We’re in over 150 boutiques across the country, and we’ve had custom collections with major retailers like Anthropologie and Madewell. The wholesale side of our business is slightly above our online sales, but both are important. We also do a lot of pop-ups, which play a big role in our revenue. Retail stores are valuable partners for us, especially since we don’t have a huge marketing budget to reach customers all over the world.

39:38

Grant: Looking back on the last decade, what has the journey been like from a personal standpoint? How has building Anchal impacted your lives?

Colleen: It’s been a rollercoaster. We’ve both made a lot of sacrifices because we believe in Anchal so much. There’s a new challenge every day, but that’s what keeps us intrigued. One of the biggest challenges for me was being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma two years into the project. Anchal was a side project then, but it became a source of strength for me during chemotherapy. Knowing that the women were going through something much harder than cancer kept me going.

Maggie: The most rewarding part is seeing the impact on the women we work with. Over the years, we’ve seen them move from just surviving to thriving—buying fresh fruit , investing in their children’s education, and now investing in themselves. Their energy and resilience are incredible, and they inspire us to keep going, even when things get tough.

45:03

Grant: Do you still receive individual donations like a typical nonprofit?

Maggie: Yes, about 75% of our funding comes from product sales, but we still receive donations from individuals. We’ve had some great grants over the years, but most of our donations come from small donors. We recently raised nearly $20,000 from 200 donors, all giving small amounts. That money helps us grow, hire new artisans, and improve infrastructure.

46:33

Grant: What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting a fashion company, nonprofit, or any kind of social enterprise?

Maggie: My advice is to ask for help and collaborate. Many of our early successes were because we weren’t afraid to ask for help. Also, don’t be afraid to share your idea, even if you’re scared of what people will think. Get a thick skin, be patient, and keep talking about your idea. Networking and putting yourself out there is key.

Colleen: It’s a long process, but if you have the right support system and are willing to learn, you can do it. Don’t be discouraged by challenges or setbacks; they’re part of the journey.

47:32

Grant: Colleen, Maggie, thank you so much. It’s been an educational and inspiring conversation. Your journey shows the incredible impact an idea can have, not just on others’ lives but on your own as well.

I hope others find inspiration in your story and are encouraged to take their own leap of faith. Best of luck moving forward; the impact you’re making is truly remarkable.

Colleen & Maggie: Thank you so much, Grant. We appreciate the opportunity to share our story and the support you’ve given us over the years.