Elvis & Kresse just won the 2023 Marie Claire Sustainability Award!
We were the best accessories brand and given the competition and the judging panel this one is a real honour. I think our favourite part of the process was watching the awards (they were virtual to avoid a travel footprint). It was really lovely to learn about all of the brands who participated. They are all solving environmental problems creatively and joyfully.
Everything we do is inspired by the challenges we face, socially and environmentally. We are always trying to squeeze absolutely every ounce of goodness from the decisions we make, the products we design and how we produce, communicate and distribute. There isn't enough time for anything less than our best and it really is lovely to be recognised as making some serious progress.
According to Marie Claire, this is why we won:
As a certified Social Enterprise and B Corp, Elvis & Kresse is dedicated to redefining luxury. It has donated more than £350,000 to charitable partners – including The Fire Fighters Charity and Barefoot College International – saved 307.6 tonnes of materials that would otherwise have gone to landfill, and established eco-conscious manufacturing sites. Simply put: it's making things better."A great concept and solid initiatives from a small business that was born sustainably. Very credible," says Amy Nelson-Bennett, Managing Director of Positive Luxury, and our Sustainability Awards judge."
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Come and stay at the farm!
For our first two years at the farm The Field House was home for Elvis, Kresse and Monty... it was the perfect place to escape while the workshop was under construction and as the whole farm was transformed.
Now we would love to share it with you!
The atmosphere is relaxed and quiet and not available on airbnb. A simple, one double bed cottage with a galley kitchen (stocked with basics like olive oil, salt, pepper, tea and coffee, tableware, pots, pans etc.) and perfect for a getaway. It is at the heart of our organic and regenerative farm, overlooks a wetland and is entirely private. If you have any questions, or any requests just get in touch and we will do our best.
The cottage is £95.00 per night, with a 2 night minimum booking. No hotel pricing as this is not a hotel - it is just a lovely place to be... and if you answer anything other than 3 to the following multiple choice question, maybe not for you:
It is dusk, an owl hoots outside and you step out to hear it better. While enjoying the stars a rare frog hops in the door and when you turn to head in you spot it, looking quizzically at you from the kitchen. Do you:
If your stay coordinates with our workshop opening hours, Monday to Friday - 08:30-17:00 then you are welcome to pop in for a look around. If you would like a more formal tour then we can arrange that separately - or you can try to coordinate your stay with one of our workshops or experiences.
Over the last few months we have been opening up the workshop to offer the wider world a little bit of the Elvis & Kresse magic... we have hosted all kinds of groups from business, community and academia. And whether they are here for inspiration or escape we are happy to help.
We can arrange workshop and farm tours, host discussions on many topics from the broken fashion system to regenerative agriculture. We are a live experiment of what a business can be when it decides to be good and continues to push that goal over decades.
We can tailor any kind of experience from making to farming, anything you like really! Send us an email, support@elvisandkresse.com
"The feedback from everyone has really been amazing Kresse, it far outdid everyone’s expectations (We had held back the full details of the day until we were on the way to you, so it was a surprise to most!) The whole team said they came away feeling really inspired. The passion, knowledge, and dedication you and Elvis have really shone through and was super motivating. All the work taking place on New Barns Farm is just incredible – I’ve had multiple comments on how high you have set the bar for our team days out, and I couldn’t agree more, it will be a tough one to follow!
Please also pass on our appreciation to the amazing catering team! Again, rave reviews from all; it was the perfect spread and truly delicious!
Hope to stay in touch, I can’t wait to see the results of the fabulous work you guys are doing.. and hopefully try the wine one day!"
Here is a quick snap of the incredible catering from our last event by Wasted Kitchen, who use locally sourced food that would otherwise be discarded.
When we started rescuing hoses back in 2005 we found that the material we fell in love, nitrile rubber, with was also naturally vegan, and that by not using animal derived glues or lining materials we could offer a completely vegan collection while also staying true to our mission - rescuing materials and donating 50% of profits to charity. All of this is as true today as it was in the beginning.
Not only is our fire-hose collection vegan but so is everything heroing reclaimed printing blankets. The off-set printing industry uses a printing blanket to transfer ink from the roller onto the paper. If the blanket is damaged or wears out it can no longer be trusted to dot your i's or cross your t's . We rescue these blankets, clean them up, re-engineer them and create a second life for a vintage material.
Q&A
Oh we do like a trip! Elvis, Monty, and a weekend away? Heaven....
Our Weekend Bag has become such a classic... the wide mouth shape of this versatile duffle (or is it spelled duffel???) makes it suitable for all kinds of occasions.
Most of our Fire & Hide Weekend Bags are rare, because the leather we use is rescued from Burberry, many are 1, 2, or 3 of-a-kind. Once these are gone, they will be gone for good. Here are some of our rare colour combinations.
Cognac with a Black Band across the top:
Black with a Bright Yellow Band across the top:
Black and Yellow Weekender (Monty not included):
Whether you are searching for a holdall or a duffle, in decommissioned fire-hose or a rescued leather and fire-hose combination, we are pretty sure that our Weekender will have you covered.
And not to confuse things too much but we do have a few more options for travel - bags that are great for an overnight, a weekend, or even more depending on how minimalist you are. If you want to see all of our luggage, all in one place, head here!
We hope that you are planning some lovely trips this summer, and if you take any of our pieces with you please do send us some pictures. We love to share these - and to travel vicariously through you! You can send an email to us:support@elvisandkresse.com or just post them online, but do remember to tag us, #elvisandkresse.
If you don't have the right piece yet, just head to our travel section.
On June 14th Kresse will be giving a lecture at the RCA. The RCA's Inspiring Entrepreneurs series has hosted many incredibly creative founders like James Dyson, Aron Gelbard and Carmen Hijosa.
See this link for more details!
TIME: Starts at 6:30pm
LOCATION: Royal College of Art, Gorvy Lecture Theatre, Dyson Building, 1 Hester Road, London, SW11 4AN.
This is a milestone we have been creeping up on for a few years... and suddenly last week we jumped past it.
We have officially rescued 307.6 tonnes, or 307,600kg of materials that would otherwise have gone to landfill. Over the last 18 years we have transformed this into items that are still living wonderful lives, holding up your jeans, carrying your laptops, and accompanying you around the world on all your journeys.
Thank you! Without you we would still be at 0.
What else wouldn't have happened?
Every single piece we make is a one-of-a-kind.
Why is this?
It is primarily due to our cherished raw materials. They are rescued. They have lived a life before coming to us. Fire-hoses change with age, they darken, they weather, they get lovely scars as they go about their business saving lives. The hoses are also stamped with their brand, Angus Duraline, their type, their British Standard mark and their date of extrusion. When we clean the hose and cut it into patterns to stitch into our final pieces these marks all fall in different places.
Our leather off-cuts are also all distinct. We rescue the small pieces that are unusable for our partners, or the leather that they reject because of the texture: stretch marks, insect bites, or imperfections that we love to celebrate! When we cut the leather into our system, then weave and stitch them into place the variations in the material always create a unique signature.
This week we had 40 guests from the University of Victoria in our workshop, and many of them were pleased to choose not just an Elvis & Kresse piece, but the precise item from a batch that really caught their eye. As one guest closely examined more than 20 of our Classic Tote bags before deciding on the one she liked the best, we thought how amazing it would be to host a reunion at the farm, for all our Totes. We have been making the Classic Hose Tote for more than 15 years. As each one is distinct, we could guarantee that everyone would take their own bag home.
It is true, that two pieces can be made to the same pattern, and may be similar, but they would never be the same.
We were thinking about the best way to celebrate B Corp month and that prompted a discussion on our favourite things about being a B Corp. I can sum it up in one word... community.
B Corps work together and support each other. How?
They buy from each other. We eat Divine Chocolate and Cook Food, drink Toast Ale and Chateau Maris wine, we wear Finisterre clothing and start every morning with Cafédirect...
They collaborate. We have worked with so many other B Corps but here are a few examples.
They promote each other. Allbirds just hosted two fellow B Corp founders at an International Women's Day event, myself and Stephanie Jordan from Avallen. I have also spoken at events organised by Coutts, the Guardian, Oxwash and many more!
And we are working together to truly make business a force for good. The UK B Corp movement is a driver behind the Better Business Act, which brings together businesses to change the UK law to ensure every company in the UK aligns their interests with those of wider society and the environment.
This also means that there will be critics - and there will be growing pains. In February 2023 the FT wrote an article about the struggle for the soul of the movement and I don't think this is a bad thing. We are collectively trying to do something amazing, in a dream world all businesses would be striving to be B Corps and then, once certified, would be striving to improve. And it is worth noting is that each and every one of these businesses, including mine, is putting its head above the parapet. The best businesses, particularly the vocal ones, invite the most scrutiny and often criticism. One of Elvis' favourite quotes? Elbert Hubbard. "To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing...." Well, given the challenges we face, we need more talking, more doing and a lot more 'being something'.
So what did we do this year? The short answer is a lot, but here is our top 9.
As per usual there were a lot of mistakes, a lot to learn, but also so much joy. We have a great team and all really love the community that we are building at and around the farm. We definitely need a break but are already itching to tackle the new plans we have for 2023, in particular the restart of our DIY workshops which had been postponed for 3 years, the first two and a bit due to Covid and then due to our unfinished workshop. We already have 5 fully booked workshops for early 2023 and a few spots still available here. We also have more than ten big group gatherings planned at the farm, to forge, to farm and to share everything we know about how to change the fashion system.
Here is to 2023, to doing more, and doing it better.
Over the last few years we have been increasingly asked about the circular economy, and in particular circular fashion - what is it? Is Elvis & Kresse a circular fashion brand? How is the circular economy philosophy a more sustainable approach?
Before we dive into the detail, just think of nature; the natural world (prior to our desecration of it) is inherently circular. Water cycles, plants grow in the summer and die in the winter, feeding the ground for next year's growth. In the animal world we have amazing specialists - like vultures, carrion beatles and fungi - which are phenomenal at recycling formerly living tissues.
At its core the circular economy is a nature inspired roadmap for all of our human activities; it takes responsibility for the entire lifecycle of any product or service and minimises waste at every opportunity. This starts at conception, the idea, through to the resourcing of materials, the design, the manufacture, the packaging, delivery, use and crucially the end-of-life of everything we consume.
A truly circular product leaves absolutely no trace. It will use either naturally compostable, reclaimed or rescued materials, it will be manufactured with renewable energy, it will have negative or neutral carbon logistics and, once the service is fulfilled or the product is worn out, there will be an established plan to ensure that any materials can be returned to nature, re-used or re-engineered into something else. Nothing goes to landfill or incineration, nothing is wasted, everything is utilised to its full potential and then re-utilised, perpetually.
Within this, there are also many other facets to consider and it can get delightfully complex. Imagine a tube of toothpaste, for it to be circular you have to consider every ingredient in the paste, every component of the packaging, how everything is shipped and even what happens to the residual toothpaste when you spit it out! For us it is also crucial to consider fair working conditions and wages for workers in the supply chain. We think that capital also has to flow in a circular way, benefitting the many and not just the few. There is a significant amount of cross-over with slow fashion, which we’ve spoken about before.
Let’s take a look at each of these ideas in a little more detail:
“Every second, the equivalent of a rubbish truck load of clothes is burnt or buried in landfill.”
Ellen Macarthur Foundation
A key focus of the circular economy is to eliminate even the idea of waste. We firmly believe that enough materials already exist to sustain the fashion industry and that new raw materials or synthetic materials do not need to be produced - we need to re-use, rescue and reclaim and where reuse is not possible, recycle.
By manufacturing less synthetic materials, mining less or farming less crops for textile production we can massively reduce energy and water usage, we can reduce chemical and fossil fuel pollution, we can stop poisoning local and global ecosystems. If, as an industry, we opted to use materials that have already been created, design products for longevity instead of seasonality and create them in such a way that they can be re-engineered into something else at the end of their usefulness we could, quite literally, change the world for the better.
As well as raw materials, another fundamental tenet of the circular economy is zero waste design. By reducing, or ideally eliminating, wastage by designing for the resource, rather than for the sake of an end product, we would automatically be reducing the demand for new materials.
If patterns were to maximise the use of materials in their raw state, the amount of off-cuts would be minimal and, as we demonstrate, off-cuts can still be crafted into something beautiful. The design process itself needs to be re-engineered, Elvis & Kresse are proof that this can be done. Since 2005 we have been calling this Backward Design:
The final fundamental of the Circular Economy is an end-of-life plan for the product. Unfortunately, nothing can last forever (except possibly microplastics, but that’s for another post) and wear and tear does happen. So once a product has fulfilled its use or is worn out - what is in place to stop it from going to landfill or incineration? The answers here are endless and entirely depend on the product and the materials used - but keep reading for how we approach this.
Elvis & Kresse started with a waste problem. When Kresse discovered that heroic decommissioned fire-hoses were sent to landfill she knew she wanted to save them. At the time, the how didn’t exist - but with some hard work, creativity and trial and error, Elvis & Kresse learned everything there was to know about nitrile rubber and began to experiment. First came belts, then wallets and purses, bags and accessories followed, even fire-hose coupling candlestick holders are available to ensure the entire hose is gifted a new life.
Along the way, other waste streams were introduced and rescued - failed military grade parachute silk panels and also off-cuts are collected from a manufacturer in Wales and serve as linings or dust covers for many of our pieces. A partnership with the Burberry Foundation super-charged our 'rescued leather' project, where we transform leather scraps into components that can be made into new textiles, but also unmade, for future re-use.
Each new waste stream is analysed and researched thoroughly before becoming part of the Elvis & Kresse production process. We first make sure that we can use the material completely, with as little waste as possible. We then design products around the material - a length of hose is 10cm wide, so all our patterns have 10cm panels, or are based on divisions of 10cm.
It’s not just production where we aim to minimise waste though. We have built our own near-passive workshop in Faversham, Kent. It is constructed from locally grown straw bales, locking in carbon and providing an incredible amount of insulation. We generate and store enough energy to power and heat our incredibly efficient space. Our rainwater harvesting system covers the majority of our water needs and the combination of an air-source heat pump and an MVHR system (mechanical ventilation and heat recovery) keeps the internal temperature steady regardless of the weather conditions outside. Find out all about the construction of our workshop and everything we’ve done to stay as passive as possible here.
We are also incredibly conscious of our product lifecycles. We rescue beautiful materials and want them to enjoy a full second life, hopefully for decades to come. We understand that wear and tear can happen so we offer repairs, at cost, for life. We would much rather one of our pieces come back to us for repair rather than being discarded. We also design as many of our products as possible to have a future after being re-engineered again. The leather we use is woven together then stitched - this means that at the end of its life, a bag or purse can be unstitched and the leather pieces remade into something else. We also take on well-loved materials for bespoke projects like heirloom leather jackets or even a favourite family tent!
Unfortunately, not every pattern can be entirely zero-waste (though a lot of ours are) so we’ve also found uses for the off-cuts of our off-cuts. When you receive an Elvis & Kresse piece it will be presented in a dust cover or reusable shopper - made from parachute silk, or a presentation box made from printing blanket.
This all sounds quite positive, doesn’t it? So what are the downsides of Circular Fashion and why aren’t more brands and companies adopting the circular economy?
Simply put; complexity, greed and issues with volume.
Fashion is a tough nut to crack because of how long, convoluted and opaque the supply chain is. Long gone are the days when fashion was locally made from exclusively natural (biodegradable) materials and dyes.
Circular fashion isn’t yet as ‘profitable’ as fast fashion (if your definition of profitable is solely financial). While significant demand exists for cheap, disposable clothing, there will always be brands that will fulfil the demand. With no demand, there would be no supply. Equally, with no legislation to stop companies from exploiting people in their supply chain (modern slavery is an enormous issue in both food and fashion) or degrading ecosystems, companies can get away with profit maximisation at the expense of people and planet.
Finally, and truly problematically is that at its current size and churn rate the fashion system could never be sustainably circular - too many materials and resources are being used full stop. We need volumes to come down dramatically.
We can’t force change alone, but we are consistently proving that it is possible to create beautiful, valuable new pieces from discarded materials. If other brands take note, legislators act with courage and more people like you choose to buy circular, change will come.
