It was the summer of 2010 when Inga and Karl first discovered wool felted shoes and
slippers. While vacationing in Germany they decided to make a quick trip to
Finland’s summer fair.
They are very surprised by what they saw. The whole fair was full of wool felt
products. Buyers and sellers were dressed with wool felted shoes and clothes.
And around was possible to buy everything from wool felt, shoes and hats,
children’s toys, and housing decoration.
Instantly was decided to introduce the eco friendly wool felt products to all over the
world. It
was decided temporarily stay with the footwear manufacturing. It was also
decided to produce not only felted slippers, but women’s felted shoes as well as
sneakers and winter boots.
Eventually they tried find something similar in an American market. They were disappointed;
anything similar does not exist there.
Wanting to share the heavenly warmth of wool felted shoes with the rest of the United
States; they decided to start a small business in US. In 2011, working out of
their small cottage (without plumbing) in the woods, they made their first pair
of wool felted shoes. They named the company “kivikis” after the town in
Finland, where the idea was found.
Almost immediately, orders began rolling in. Their bedroom became the office with two
typewriters on a handmade desk. The loft was the shipping room and Karl’s
weaving studio was transformed into the warehouse.
Karl and Inga began Kivikis with blind faith in a quality product and hearts full of
good intentions. On the same spot, with the same view of the mountains and the
same reverence for the luxury of natural sheep wool, we continue to keep their
dream alive.
