~ Upcycling Meets High Fashion

Elvis & Kresse are two social entrepreneurs who have been reclaiming heroic materials ever since they first fell in love with London Fire Brigade’s decommissioned fire-hoses. After a distinguished career fighting fires the hoses were destined for landfill. They started to rescue it from waste in 2005 and never looked back. More materials soon followed, Kresse has always had an obsession with waste and likes nothing better than discovering and intercepting something new. The challenge is the same every time – ‘what can we do to prove value, change perception, and respect these resources.’ ‘We dream of a time without landfill, when everything is recycled or composted. Between now and then we know there are far too many incredible materials that will either languish under ground or suffer the indignity of incineration; when that happens we lose, we lose quality, narrative, and the opportunity to do something great. So we intercede, choosing story laden materials of incredible character, and do everything we can to ensure their second life is as long as possible.’ ‘We are constantly searching for more materials to grow our range of bags, belts and wallets, and have rescued over 200 tonnes so far.’ ‘Design traditionally begins with an idea, for Elvis & Kresse, design begins with a problem. It is the material and the scale of the problem which dictate what we will make and how we make it. In the case of the hose, we scrubbed away the soot and grease that builds up after 25 years of active duty and discovered a truly remarkable, truly green textile. We wanted to honour this tough, life saving material, hence our focus on quality craftsmanship and classic, timeless design. We build value into each piece and style them for use beyond single seasons. All Elvis & Kresse products are hand-made and unique.’ It would never be enough to give an old fire hose a somewhat useful life, we must transform it, make it desirable or useful in and of itself; something you would want even if it were not recycled, even without the ethics. E&K spent five years perfecting a billfold wallet - ensuring malleability, strength, and classic, practical styling. This same dedication is applied to everything we do, from how we collect and prepare our materials to how we finish and package the pieces. Our process emulates kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold. The refurbished pieces are worth significantly more than their new, undamaged counterparts. Our materials are shown this same level of care, they are cherished. Most traditional businesses are only able to measure their success in one way... the bottom line. At Elvis & Kresse we have 2 additional measures of success; how much waste we are able to divert from landfill and how much money we are able to give back to our charities, of which all 3 have equal importance to us. Elvis & Kresse re-distributes up to 50% of profits to projects and charities related to the unique materials we reclaim. www.elvisandkresse.com