In 2005, a chance meeting with the London Fire Brigade led married couple Kresse Wesling and James ‘Elvis’ Henrit to discover that retired fire hoses were sent to landfill due to irreparable damage. Captivated by these rugged, red hoses, the duo saw potential where others saw waste. Inspired to give them a new lease of life, they founded Elvis & Kresse.
Fast forward to today, Elvis & Kresse’s talented artisans transform 15 different reclaimed materials into stylish bags and lifestyle accessories that are as eco-friendly as they are fashionable. Through their innovative upcycling, they’ve not only saved over 200 tons of waste from landfills but with with 50 per cent of profits going to charity, every purchase supports a good cause.
The Ethicalist caught up with the couple to find out how they’ve managed to douse the flames of waste by transforming retired fire hoses into sought-after accessories.
TE: What do you believe are the most pressing environmental issues facing the fashion industry today, and how does Elvis & Kresse aim to address them?
Fashion’s biggest threat is its structure – the relentless drive towards reducing costs and increasing profits have all been at the expense of the planet and its people. Whole communities of garment workers are effectively operating under slavery and entire ecosystems have collapsed, all in the name of fashion. We were established specifically to address these issues – by using waste as a raw material we are eliminating the need to exploit resources to generate something new.
Ever heard the phrase: ‘That the most sustainable item of clothing is the one you already own?’ Well, the most sustainable raw material is one that already exists. By manufacturing all our own products and having a Living Wage as a minimum, we are also addressing the huge issue of modern slavery.
We don’t overproduce and then mass discount (we never discount), we don’t do seasonal collections driven by the meaninglessness of ‘trend’, we donate 50 per cent of our profits to charity. You name it, we are addressing it.
We generate much of our own energy, we treat our own waste and waste water, we have established a regenerative farm to directly tackle biodiversity loss and climate change, we don’t overproduce and then mass discount (we never discount), we don’t do seasonal collections driven by the meaninglessness of ‘trend’, we donate 50 per cent of our profits to charity. You name it, we are addressing it.
TE: What challenges did you face when starting Elvis & Kresse, and how did you overcome them?
So many!!!! We had to invent ways to clean hose, cut hose, turn it into a textile, and then stitch it. We also had to convince people that a decommissioned fire-hose is something to cherish.
To us it simply isn’t waste, it is a life saving material with a glorious past, and that makes it the perfect material for luxury. But in order to inspire this love we have to transform the hose with great design, quality, craftsmanship and present it with integrity.
TE: Can you tell us more about your journey from rescuing decommissioned fire hoses to expanding into reclaiming leather waste and other materials.
Our first goal was to rescue the hoses but this quickly expanded. We really didn’t want to use one wonderful rescued material and then use new lining materials, or new packaging. Over the years we have used hundreds of different kinds of waste, some only for special projects, but we have a standard 15 that we use continuously.
To us it simply isn’t waste, it is a life saving material with a glorious past, and that makes it the perfect material for luxury
To give you an idea of the extremes that we go to – we collect waste tea sacks, separate the layers, iron them flat and then cut and stitch these into packaging envelopes or print on them to make our leaflets… I don’t know of another luxury business that makes its own packaging.
TE: What inspired the concept of creating limited edition pieces, such as the Million Pound Bag?
There is a lot going on in the world, and if we are going to have a price that is clearly designed to generate headlines then why not generate headlines for the right reasons? So the Million Pound Bag was our response. But this bag is completely different. It isn’t about having a million to spend on a bag, it is about choosing to donate a million pounds.
It is made entirely from rescued materials and it is one-of-a-kind not because we have decided to make only one, but because it is impossible to make two. When you rescue materials you have no control over what comes in, and the gold stripe across the top of this bag is constructed from a gold leather that is so rare, there was only enough to make one piece.
Elvis & Kresse will not be profiting from this bag. All of the proceeds will go to our charitable partners, The Fire Fighters Charity and Barefoot College International. This bag will support firefighters, and help train women who have not had access to education to be solar engineers. Money can’t buy this bag, but generosity can.
TE: What future plans or projects does Elvis & Kresse have in the pipeline?
In 2021 we moved all our operations to a farm, in order to launch a regenerative agriculture project and really get serious about addressing climate change and biodiversity loss. One of our major initiatives here was to plant a vineyard. We expect to have our first wine – grown organically and regeneratively, by 2025/26.
TE: Can you share any interesting stories from your experience rescuing fire hoses?
We were the first 3rd party company to design and manufacture an iPhone case for Apple when they launched the iPhone in the UK and in order to comply with their packaging requirements while not compromising on our values we needed to find a small box to carry 10 small cases and a large box to carry 10 large cases. Our solution? We collected a specific shoe box from a local shoe store and the larger box we got from our local M&S supermarket, it was their half baked baguette delivery box!Â
I was fortunate enough to meet the late Queen and it was a real honour to be able to explain why fire-hose from London no longer goes to landfill. She expressed real gratitude for the work that we do and I have to say, it had me in tears.
I was fortunate enough to meet the late Queen and it was a real honour to be able to explain why fire-hose from London no longer goes to landfill. She expressed real gratitude for the work that we do and I have to say, it had me in tears.Â
TE: What advice would you offer to aspiring fashion students who are want to incorporate sustainability into their designs and practices?
1. Solve an actual, crisis level problem. This is 2024, you can’t avoid the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis, or global social inequalities… If you are building a sustainable brand you absolutely must be engaged with the big problems and if you need inspiration, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a good place to start.
2. Focus on Multiple Positive Objectives. You also have to remember that you can’t solve a big problem sustainably if your solution causes other problems. It isn’t enough to just rescue and reuse the fire-hoses, we are also a certified Social Enterprise and a founding UK B-Corp, a living wage employer, use renewable energy, make all our own packaging from reclaimed materials, offer apprenticeships, donate 50 per cent of our profits to charity.
3. Be genuine. Remember that a brand is meant to stand for something, so stand for something and then deliver. A brand isn’t a stunning logo or a catchy strapline. It is the recognisable manifestation of a team, their activities and the goods or services they provide. There are a lot of companies whose brand or identity is more sustainable than their actual work. This kind of disconnect is essentially a lie. Don’t do that.
For more information visit the Elvis & Kresse website here
