Story
कल
(hindi: kal)
yesterday, tomorrow
We are KAL is a community of individuals who are all part of the creation of a product. We are farmers, spinners, weavers, nomads, designers, knitters and culture lovers who made it their goal to create meaningful products in harmony with nature and humanity.
We value clothes which can be worn over decades and neither loose their elegance nor function.
The evolution of raw materials into a final product is what we are excited about.
Our clothes reflect this idea – we choose to use natural fibers which still have all the good stuff in it. This way, a textile keeps its particular qualities and its natural texture.
We love the hand-making, therefore all of our fabric is hand-spun and hand-woven. We document what we are doing and how we are doing it, so you know exactly what your product means. We want to show the big picture to give the makers the appreciation they deserve.
We believe that business is an opportunity to affect real and positive change in a society.
We are KAL was founded in 2013 after a long trek in the German woods and was developed in a small rooftop apartment in New Delhi. In the course of time, we spun ideas, tried out things, planned and finally in February 2014 it officially started. Founder Catherine went on a nine month research trip through Northeast India and the Himalayas with one goal in mind: to find home-based weavers who are following their tradition and using natural fiber.
It was not easy to find, so it was a continuous trial-error experience until we slowly gathered a team of engaged people who wanted to be part of KAL.
A team in Assam was formed, women who are weaving the Assamese eri silk which is known for its non-violent life cycle as the moth breaks and flies out of the cocoon before it is spun.
In Ladakh a whole community is part of our team: the nomads of Changthang, in the high Himalayas. Some of them are still living their lives as herders, constantly moving on, and providing KAL with wool and the others left the nomadic life and settled close to the city of Leh in Ladakh, now hand-spinning wool yarn in the traditional way as well as weaving the typical nomadic carpets for KAL.
Our textiles are made in the homes of our team and our garments are stitched in small batches in our home and studio in Ladakh.
Once a piece is sent, its story goes on.