the vision came true
I always loved animals, so it was crucial for me to be mindful not only of what ends up on the plate but also to avoid promoting animal suffering in all aspects of life. This led me to explore various plant-based "leathers".
I was intrigued when I first learned about AppleSkin™. So I ordered a bag made from AppleSkin™ by a Canadian company and I was amazed! Not only by its incredibly soft texture and excellent quality but also by the environmentally friendly background of this material. That's when the idea struck me – why don't we have this here? After all, in South Tyrol, we have A LOT of apples.
Over time, I discovered that AppleSkin™ is produced from leftovers of South Tyrolean apples, right under our noses. The idea was born, and in the fall of 2020, we embarked on the journey to create "leather" products ourselves. Since we appreciate simple and practical design, coupled with a passion for sustainable and animal-friendly fashion - finding such products isn't easy - we decided to start our own small company called "Karla."
The idea and vision were simple, but the path ahead, filled with bureaucratic, financial and development challenges proved to be immense. The journey was tough, especially because you never know if a project will truly materialize. Despite crises, financial constraints, and obstacles in practical implementation, we are here today, having achieved something we can still hardly believe: KARLA, a small company producing plastic-free, eco-friendly, sustainable, and above all, animal-friendly fashion. All of this is done locally, with benefits for animals in need.
A massive THANK YOU to Tami, Cilli, Ando, Melanie, Anna, Markus, Daniel, Alex, Salif, Elli, Marie, Lotti, Taraneh, Jainaba and Gegsi at this point!