in the beginning

in the beginning

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 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.