Elvis & Kresse turn decommissioned fire hoses into luxury fashion items
FOUNDERS KRESSE WESLING AND JAMES HENRIT, ELVIS & KRESSE
There is a palpable sense of energy surrounding Kresse Wesling and James Henrit (aka Elvis), founders of Elvis & Kresse, a premium brand that has sustainability at its core. ‘The idea behind the business was never about creating luxury products, it was simply a way to rescue damaged and decommissioned fire hoses,’ says Kresse. ‘We take materials destined for landfill, transform them into new valued items, then donate 50 per cent of our profits to charity.’
Kresse was in her twenties when she set up a previous company, making biodegradable packaging. Then in 2005, she visited London Fire Brigade and discovered that more than three tonnes of retired fire hoses were going to landfill annually. ‘I was profoundly moved by the fire brigade’s efforts to maintain and repair the damaged hoses. So much love poured into this valuable asset – landfill seemed such a devastating end for the equipment after 25 years of heroic service.
The rubber is tactile, durable and beautiful. We felt compelled to find new uses for it.’
After several unsuccessful prototypes, Elvis unexpectedly broke his belt and carved an emergency replacement from the hose – a design that intuitively felt right. Approached by Live Earth, a benefit concert dedicated to combatting climate change, the couple committed to sell 500 belts at one of the events. After they sold out, the idea for a utilitarian Elvis & Kresse range was born.
Tonge Mill, their 19th-century water mill in Kent, is now home, design workshop and head office for their fast-growing company. ‘When I was 11 years old, my grandmother told me: if you are capable, you are responsible,’ says Kresse. ‘Her words continue to resonate, and our work and lives are shaped by a desire to protect our environment and give back. We’re consciously doing more good and being part of a community that creates responsible solutions that make a difference to our planet. We have received amazing support from both the fire service and The
Fire Fighters Charity. They supply us with free, decommissioned hoses and in return, our donations help over 66,000 people in the fire service, plus their families. It is very humbling.’
The belts quickly grew into a range of bags, wallets, phone cases, notebooks, accessories and home goods – luxury items, with practical, everyday appeal. ‘Elvis left his project >
The founders of Elvis & Kresse are on a mission to find new uses for the millions of tonnes of reusable materials that are thrown away each year
❝ EVERY DAY WE ARE BUILDING OUR DONATIONS POT AND DOING IMPORTANT ENVIRONMENTAL WAY❞ WORK IN AN ETHICAL AND PIONEERING
management role and began making prototypes, perfecting designs and sourcing factory production.’ Sales of the belts then funded an initial 800 bags, launched in 2008. ‘We lost money in year one, but have since grown 100-fold, donating £70,000 last year alone and repurposing more than 200 tonnes of material, mainly London fire hoses. We avoid creating anything on-trend or seasonal – longevity is key. When the hose arrives, years of soot and grease are cleaned away and then its’s prepped and cut for production.’
In 2017, Elvis & Kresse began a five-year partnership with the Burberry Foundation, enabling a further 120 tonnes of seemingly unusable leather scraps to be repurposed and the company’s charitable donations to be increased to include creating scholarships for female solar engineers with Barefoot College. ‘From the leather scraps, we designed three hand-cut interlocking shapes that link together to create new hides for rugs, pouffes and bags.’ Eighty percent of the company’s range is now sold from its website, but you can also find its products in boutiques, as well as at online store The Room Service.
‘We want to deliver a circular economy, but without impacting quality, brand loyalty or design,’ says Kresse. Every touchpoint of the business utilises waste products – the business cards are made from air-traffic control flight strips, the bags are lined with redundant parachutes and auction banners, and the packaging is made from coffee and tea sacks, shoe boxes and printing blankets.
Pivotal to the couple’s success is their macro- and micro-management skills. ‘Elvis focuses on design, production and logistics; I am centred on big ideas, waste sourcing, industry and government,’ says Kresse. ‘Together, we are also building an apprenticeship scheme to train more highly skilled UK craft and design talent.’
So what’s next? ‘We are working on an 18-month, open-sourced project to design, build and test the technology for a smallscale forge, powered by renewable energy, that challenges the current apathy within the industrial recycling system. It will rescue and repurpose billions of aluminium cans that are currently not being recycled. The technology will be gifted to humanity – a global solution that can be built by anyone, anywhere, using around £500 worth of easy-access materials,’ says Kresse.
At just 43, already recognised with an
MBE, numerous prestigious awards and invitations to take part in high-profile think tanks, you can’t help but feel this couple are just at the start of their journey. elvisandkresse.com
The stylish Gladstone bag is made from a combination of scrap leather and decommissioned fire hoses