Weaving Together Stories, Artistry And Impact
Denise Kelly, MS ’20 and Shelby Lynch, MS ’20
“Weaving Stories, Honoring Traditions” encapsulates the character of Anthology Textiles, a women-owned company offering sustainably and ethically produced rugs from Morocco. Founded by alumni Denise Kelly, MS ’20 and Shelby Lynch, MS ’20 of the Urban Strategy program at Drexel’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Anthology Textiles showcases the stories of the women artists that hand-weave each piece.
“Rug making is passed down through the generations,” says Lynch. “There are beautiful stories of women learning the craft by weaving with their mothers and aunts. The rugs themselves often tell a story through the symbology and colors the artisan has used.” This sense of artistry and history is woven into the mission of Anthology Textiles, which launched in January 2025.
Sustainability and social impact are two other key values of Anthology Textiles. The use of chemical-free wool is a production requirement, and with each rug sale, a percentage goes back to the women who made them, providing opportunities to grow their roles as economic engines of their communities.
It all started when the two friends, both with a passion for travel and adventure, went on a trip to Morocco.
Kelly and Lynch met at Drexel as students in the Urban Strategy master’s program. The course, Civic Engagement and Participatory Methods, made a particular impact. The course teaches community organizing, and it includes both Drexel students and community members who work side-by-side around a common cause. For both Kelly and Lynch, the experience deepened their understanding of marginalized communities and made the concept of social impact more real. The practice of finding common ground and purpose within a diverse group would inform their practice of founding Anthology Textiles.
In fall 2023, both Lynch and Kelly found themselves in need of rest and celebration after completing exams for professional certification, and Morocco was a top destination.
The souks, or marketplaces, in Morocco captivated Kelly’s imagination. She recalls, “I’ve always had a passion for textiles, and the textiles in Morocco were amazing. We went into many souks that had rugs, covers, pillows, and scarves made of wool, silk, and all different materials. The men in the souks talked about the women who made them, about the labor of love and family tradition.”
Kelly began quietly thinking about starting a Moroccan textile business. She says, “The thought came to me in the first souk we visited in Tangier. I couldn’t get the idea out of my mind, but we didn’t get serious until after we returned home. I wrote pages of ideas, and then Shelby started a deep dive into researching the possibilities.”
As they formed a business plan, social impact became a big consideration. Says Kelly, “In the souks, we never handed money to a single woman, but we kept hearing about the amazing women artists behind the scenes creating these textiles. We decided that the business model needed to highlight the artists. The social impact was going to be working directly with women-owned and managed co-ops and putting a percentage of the profits back into those co-ops.”
Cutting out intermediaries was key. Lynch explains, “There are a lot of layers between the artist and a customer. By the time a rug is sold to the final customer, the cost is very different than what the actual rug makers receive. The final customer is likely to never know who made their rug or what the story behind it is. What Anthology Textiles does is cut out the added layers, so the women can earn more, and the customer can appreciate both the labor and love that goes into each rug.”
To acquire an inventory of rugs, identifying partner co-ops that aligned with the values of the company took some legwork. So, Kelly and Lynch turned to Abdo, a Moroccan friend and tour-agency-owner they had met during their trip. Using Anthology Textiles’ business criteria – women owned and operated, 100% handmade, 100% natural wool, 100% plant-based dyes, and no use of harsh chemicals – Abdo found eight co-ops for Kelly and Lynch to visit.
In September 2024, a second trip to Morocco – and first buying trip – took Kelly and Lynch to rural villages deep in the Atlas Mountains, where they met the women whose co-ops would partner with Anthology Textiles. Recalls Kelly, “we met the artists. We experienced their families, their villages, their workspaces, and their looms.”
Echoing the values of their Civic Engagement and Participatory Methods course, of finding common ground and purpose, she continues, “We asked many questions while we were there, and we gained an understanding of how things work, not just economically, but socially. There were cultural aspects we needed to learn, and it helped us tremendously.”
Remembering the incredible hospitality they experienced, Lynch says, “One artist, Rabia, took us to three co-ops. We had lunch with her and her brother and some of her sisters. They made us tea, lunch, and we spent time together enjoying the meal.”
Moments of cultural connection like this, affirmed how important storytelling would be to Anthology Textiles’ mission. When the business launched online in January 2025, Kelly and Lynch were sure to include on each rug’s shopping page the story of its maker. The site also features a “Meet the Artist” blog series that provides a deeper look into the lives of the women artisans.
Having connected with the artists, they feel close to the social and economic impact of each sale. Says Kelly, “It’s unbelievable how much these dollars mean to their families and the whole village. Artists, like Naima, who’s a single mother – she didn’t have the chance to go to school herself. She does this work so she can give her children access to education.”
Anthology Textiles is up and running with rugs shipping out to customers. Expanding the business, and in addition to continuing their work with partner-coops, Kelly and Lynch also established their own co-op – Co-op Anthology – in Sahara, Morocco, where rugs are crafted exclusively for Anthology Textiles.
Looking ahead, they dream of building a sustainable, net-zero building for Co-op Anthology. Says Lynch, “We both took the Cities and Climate Change course at Drexel, which examines urban planning and how climate change is affecting cities. We care about the environment, so we want to control how sustainable the business is.”
First, they want to start buying sheep. Says Kelly, “Right now, we buy wool for Co-op Anthology because there are not enough sheep in the region to support the production of all the rugs. While we buy wool from a sustainable resource, we’d like to eventually have enough sheep of our own to support the business.”
The transformation of Anthology Textiles from idea to reality is rooted in a love for art and culture, friendship, and a passion for travel and adventure. Also woven into the business is a shared value of making a difference in the world. As Kelly puts it, “At this point in my life, it’s imperative that my work have positive social and economic impacts, both professionally and personally.”
You can learn more about Anthology Textiles and read the stories of the rug artists at anthologytextiles.com.