Determined to rescue it from landfill, Elvis & Kresse developed a unique modular approach. And that was harder [back then than it might be today]. In its first few months, the partnership has already rescued approximately two tonnes of waste and inspired over 1,000 potential makers about waste revaluation, reads Burberrys 2017 annual report. The FashNerd teamsRoadtripSeries takes readers on a journey that explores the person behind the accomplishments. Even so, Kresse insists that machines wont take over their artisanal approach to business. Its been a very slow and gradual process. As a consequence, a retired fire-hose will turn into waste.
Then, they utilize a refined method to piece together hides large enough to create limited edition collections like my favorite lipstick red Fire and Hide tote featured in the title image.
Because its so messed up! The company initially started with turning discarded fire-hoses into hand bags, wallets, belts and the like. Even if you look at some of the so-called natural leathers, most of them rely on polymers as a base or polymers as a coating. The UN report only represents the companies that are transparent about what wastes they produce while there are a lot of companies that are not transparent at all.
Its overwhelming how many problems there are to address at the same time. Will Fashion-Conscious Consumers Buy Into Huaweis Next-Gen Smart Glasses?
How did you guys get started? 
I havent really heard it either! I think you have to actually look at the food system for what it is and it is incredibly complicated. Why dont we have that kind of system everywhere? Glass is perpetually recyclable. I think thats what life is about: Understanding that it isnt easy to be a good citizen. Elvis & Kresse was founded with the aim of rescuing Londons used fire hoses, which the company makes into bags and accessories.
Ive always wanted to be responsible for something like that. The coating on the outside and on the inside is a non-recyclable resin. So thats one of the initiatives that seems to be quite common in swimwear and a lot of brands have gone down that route. The earth just cant take it. To be a social enterprise in the UK, weve got a relatively tight definition. The final pillar is donate. In addition to the upcycling process, the brand donates 50% of its profits to charities like the Firefighters Charity, WWF, Help for Heroes, Comic Relief and the British Forces Foundation. Because if you gear everything towards the shareholder, well then its planet be damned and people are free to be exploited. Elvis & Kresse value and model transparency, so lots of info about their business was accessible before speaking to Kresse Wesling herself.
Ive learned since then that the alternatives to leather products, unfortunately, are all plastic products.
We had to explain to people why using a rescued material made more sense than a new material. Even unwanted shoe boxes collected from shoe shops are flattened and used to make packaging and labels.
And that sounds completely rational and certainly should be If we could go back in time and change one thing, I think that might be the thing I change: that shareholder capitalism didnt ever take off. When youre a kid, you dont know these things. Any one material would have taken us in a completely different direction. We were living in a house with a bunch of friends, just playing around with it and doing research with it. When I asked her about this, she dove into a witty anecdote about labeling environmental standards in the coffee aisle, I couldnt help but laugh with her story even though it was a very interesting idea and not funny at all! 
Tags: burberry, elvis & kresse, leather, recycling. As soon as you mix waste, you lose value.
Upcycling, which is what [Elvis & Kresse] do, is a strange thing in this day and age, says Orsola de Castro, co-founder of non-profit organisation Fashion Revolution.
The rescue pillar encompasses the first step in the production process. Within two years, the portfolio expanded to include bags and accessories. A one hour train ride from London, I arrived in the garden of England aka Kent. Jute or hessian coffee sacks are also used and large craft paper tea sacks are turned into packaging, mailing pouches and brochures. I asked her about the pricing of the product, given the almost nil raw material cost. If we think about what happened in the capital, the people who stormed the capital thought they were doing the right thing because the information that they have been fed for a long time was telling them a lie. We made a tapestry for a hotel in Tennessee that is 8 feet high and 34 feet long, using over 9000 rescued leather pieces, individually cut and handwoven, explains Kresse. 
I think that sometimes you can get hung up on thinking you have to come up with the perfect idea first when actually there are no perfect ideas anyway and often its very much an evolution. We will see something that no one else has seen and well be relentless in solving that problem., This is exactly what is missing: a biodiversity that allows big brands to live alongside and help to promote the wellbeing of smaller brands., Around four years ago, when the Burberry Foundation approached Elvis & Kresse to help solve their excess leather issue, the pair deemed it a challenge too great.
Do yourself a favor and check our their Instagram account @ elvisandkresse full of eloquent posts detailing stories of their journey and each collection as it becomes available.
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Since 2005 Elvis & Kresse has transformed waste materials into luxury accessories products. In terms of retail, Elvis & Kresse sells 70% of products from its site.
Finland, for example, is a country where being a teacher is this revered profession and theyre paid very well; they also have the highest levels of educational attainment. A proponent of an open-door policy British label, Elvis & Kresse invited FashNerd.com to pop over to visit their workshop to see how they operate. 
Inspired by a visit to the London Fire Brigade, and with a recycling business in mind, Kresse and James, partners in both work and life were influenced by the durable qualities of rubber hoses. A lot of people would argue that Henry Ford was a social entrepreneur because he wanted the people who worked on his production line to be able to afford the products. And you see things like bears and moose or I did, when I was growing up and you see Alberta roses blooming on the roadside You take all these things for granted. The Metaverse Standards Forum, There Might Be Way To Reduce the Environmental Impact of the, A Technology that Drives Inclusivity and Diversity within Digital Fashion. We display which coffee is Fair Trade and then theres Other coffee. Even if they make small batch-sizes at their workshops in Kent and Istanbul, no two products look the same since they are made from rescued materials. Fashion Brands, Ready for a One-stop Guide To Accelerate Your Sustainable Transformation with Digital Traceability? Kresse is from Canada and had shared with a magazine reporter that her grandmother taught her to leave a campsite as though no one had been there. At that point, you have to realize, we had been running Elvis & Kresse for quite a while and we had a good reputation for solving the fire hose problem. It is hard, but the hustle and bustle at the workshop prove it is possible.
In addition to their own work.
They started taking us seriously when we started to build a team and take on sizeable projects. They dont think were radical leftist communists which is really good because this needs to become mainstream., Elvis & Kresse launched mens and womens bags and accessories in 2005, and with what was considered at the time to be a radical business model: transforming waste materials into luxury goods and then donating 50 percent of the profits to charities, it is now successfully and profitably subverting capitalism one landfill-bound scrap at a time. After several prototypes, he came up with three shapes. She took me to the table where lego-like shapes of leather scraps were being assembled to create a new hide. The big key thing is we have to teach people to be critical thinkers and curious. He wanted to make a car that was democratic and for everyone. The people who have had a university education and have been to lots of different countries and still dont get it. I seem to have them constantly.
(I hope this interview experience will provide some motivation or treasure for you, too!). Personal interview with the incredible Kresse Wesling, co-founder of sustainable & ethical luxury brand on a mission to solve waste. Although I was nervous to interview Ms. Wesling at the time, her warmth and intelligence filled our time together with ease, invaluable insight and motivation I will treasure for life!
While the doors at the Elvis & Kresse workshop are always open for drop-ins, the team hosts specials on an ongoing basis to help people cherish and appreciate raw materials.
Data Literacy Matters. I foresee a future where the equivalent, within the fashion industry, could take shape, focussing on provenance, the craft of making and the skilled artisans. . Its a creative solution for an environmental challenge, de Castro continues. I have partnered with Sunshine Trims in NYC to help transform their business into a zero waste operation as a demonstration for others to follow suit. The other half of the profit is reinvested to expand their work in reducing and reusing waste, protecting the environment and inspiring craftspeople. I would say now the average consumer is more educated and alive to this than they were 16 years ago. Lets look at climate change, right? FORM Swim AR Goggles To Work With Leader in Wearable Sports.
Copyright 1995-2022 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Kresse was indeed right that this process is an evolution that requires action a lot of action every day and your very first idea will rarely be the one that works. Small Action Co. yarn will be available for makers this August 2022 at Knits & Knots Tahoe in South Lake Tahoe, CA and Knit & Knots Minden in Minden, NV. Elvis & Kresse are also a Social Enterprise in the UK. Love podcasts or audiobooks?
Theres no reason that any material cant be luxury, Wesling believes.
Now, people think its great. Guangdong Province was like going into a Dickens novel. If we had done any of those, then we would be in the building industry or something else. It ends up as scrap on cutting room floors and seems unusable at face value. Instead of scrapping it, can you just give us a call when youre done with it and well come and get it? Thats what we did! The beauty of Elvis & Kresse is how they think about materials creatively and find a purpose for them that may be so different from their original purpose that it was never imagined before. But we think that instead, other coffee should have to be labelled Unfair trade. Were not using many creative solutions at the moment we are investing more in technological solutions which are quite far from being effective. It seems as if as awareness around the industrys environmental impact grows retailers and consumers are finally beginning to understand the method to their madness.
That was the genesis of Fashion Revolution, which is now this global campaign. As we go forward and get deeper into circular economy, I do think thats the future. Barbie x Balmain: Taking A Bet that NFTs Are A Powerful, Fashion Brands, Ready for a One-stop Guide To Accelerate Your Sustainable, Dyeing Innovations Disrupting the Fashion Industry, Yes, Luxurious Cactus Leather is Still A Thing, Pangaias Quirky Invention Utilizes Pollution to Create an End Product, Deep Science x High Design: Bolt Threads Joins Forces With Iconic, How Smart Clothing Poses an Answer to Social Challenges, If You Could Change Your Body As Easily As You Would, Fight Depression, Anxiety, or Stress With These 5 Wearable Gadgets, Bellabeats Unique Approach to Womens Wellness is Powered by User Data. But it was quite tough for Universal because they had to write this very weird contract where they bought it but then had to give it back! Burberry said even when patterns are carefully planned to maximize the hide, the process inevitably creates small offcuts. In addition to the upcycling process, the brand, donates 50% of its profits to charities like the Firefighters Charity, WWF, Help for Heroes, Comic Relief and the British Forces Foundation, All the way through, from upcycling to donating, you can be sure that your dollars are well spent when you purchase Elvis & Kresse products, Medford branch of Green Line Extension set to open this summer, Controversial oncologist Dr. Vinay Prasad disavowed by dean, lectures to GSBS, New temporary dormitories on Professors Row to house 150 first-years this fall, Tufts accepts record-low 9% of applicants to Class of 2026, Are some foods as healthy as you think?
We prefer boutiques because they understand that we dont do seasons or collections thats not how our products are made and that's not the world we want to support., Working with large retailers doesnt interest Elvis & Kresse, a resolve which strengthened after a successful Harrods pop-up a few years ago.
Founded in 2005 by Canadian-born Kresse Wesling and Brit James Henrit (nickname Elvis), Elvis & Kresse rescue and reuse raw materials to manufacture luxury lifestyle products. Pairing a mega-brand like Burberry with a boutique business like Elvis & Kresse is a clever sustainability strategy, believes de Castro. After they identified the issue, they moved on to creating products. For us, its about creating something of real value, that has longevity, that is useful and classic, and doesnt cause any damage to anyone or to the environment, she says. And among many incoming ideas for solving waste problems now, is it feasible to continue down this handmade non-profit path and donate 50% to charity? I could also go back in time and ensure that teachers were well-paid, that we attracted the best talent to that industry and had a more educated population. We work with all kinds of retailers, like the Turner Contemporary in Margate and independent boutiques, says Wesling. Burberry said Elvis & Kresse is able to transform the fragments into components, which are then handwoven into a new kind of hide. The collaboration of recycled leather will create a range of accessories and homewares that will be sold by Elvis & Kressewho will also receive mentorship from Burberry. Farm trips make for a perfect outing. You have to sign up to the idea and also imbed legally in the structure of your business that shareholders are not more important than the planet or its people. Recipients have been the Fire Fighters Charity, and the Barefoot College which helps train female solar engineers.
After that time a repair service is offered. She informed that the pricing is based on labour costs and emphasised on paying handsome wages to her craftsmen. Elvis & Kresse pledges to donate 50% of its profits to charities. HEADLINES: Brands who deserve your dollars: Elvis & Kresse.
Breathing new life into Burberrys deadstock leather may be their biggest challenge yet. It looks simple, yet so ingenious. How did you grow a team of people?. And that would mean that companies couldnt greenwash. Metals are perpetually recyclable. After the provocative inquiry, I apologized for delving us into such grim topics! (Ben & Jerrys, for example, is a B-Corp. I couldnt wait to learn more about the incredible people behind Elvis & Kresse.
At that point I wasnt really cold calling. In all languages and subcultures, humans are ever in the process of developing new words for new ideas as they arise.
According to a U.N. report, at least 800,000 tons of leather waste are produced by the global leather industry.
Kresse said, When designers from Burberry visit the room, their experience is profound as the challenge and scale of the problem of waste becomes real to them.. If you went to a landfill right now, you would find that its basically a monstrous situation because we put all of these incredibly beautiful materials together in the ground making them impossible to separate and their value is lost. There are some people who view the world in a very black and white way and thats ok, but when it comes to leather alternatives, theyre all polymers. We want them to see that as a journey where constant improvement is key. When I first came to the UK, I was interested in all waste, not just fire hose. So, we had an open studio and open question time. As I got up to leave the inspiring chat that ensured that Id return for an encore, I wished Kresse and her team the very best for the event and bid farewell to this unique leather Legoland. ALSO READ: Mycelium, Redefining Leather With The Power of Organic Technology.
(But, Im probably now going to read Frankenstein over the weekend and work out why) But at least everybody understands it! B-Corps and Social Enterprises:Elvis & Kresse were one of the first B-Corps in the UK and, to my surprise, B-Corps are also already prevalent in the US at the time. What was your experience in Hong Kong that had such an impact or transformed your thinking?.
So we should be able to sort this out!
Burberrys monthly post-production leather waste is estimated to be 9 tonnes. The company still needs to perfect the casting methods but aims to launch a range including items such as belt buckles from rescued aluminium cans by late 2021 using the solar forge. These landfill-bound materials find new lives as anything from the, lining of their bags to their shipping packaging. Is E-commerce Ready for Sustainable Luxury?
Burberry Foundation, Elvis & Kresse set out to tackle luxury leather waste. These landfill-bound materials find new lives as anything from the lining of their bags to their shipping packaging. There are lots of people that I meet who came to sustainability at the time that they had children, because they were looking at these kids and looking at the world and going, oh my gosh, I need to make the world better for my children. Thats when they had their epiphany. 7 Reasons Why A Digital Supply Chain Platform for the Textile Industry Makes Sense.
I would talk to people about the social enterprise angle of what we were doing. If you went to a landfill right now, you would find that its basically a monstrous situation because we put all of these incredibly beautiful materials together in the ground, which makes them impossible to separate and the value is lost. Amid waste hunting, one material that caught Kresses fancy big-time was leather. Fur-Free baby, its about time - Just Max There are car companies like River Simple, which is based in Whales in the UK, which designed a car specifically so that it can be taken apart and re-made over time.
Maybe I should read Frankenstein before I say that, cause I dont really know the story that well.
Thats the road that were on now and the path that we need to wean ourselves from. Youre gonna be in the Unfair Trade, Exploitative aisle at the supermarket Good luck with that. Because people would be embarrassed to go down that aisle and those products would wither and die. And actually I have flipped that campsite phrase on its head a little bit in recent years. However, there are lots of materials that are virtually circular already. The five-year partnership will see Elvis & Kresse receiving a grant from the Burberry foundation and reusing a minimum of 120 tons of leather scraps Burberry products for accessories and homeware. With a background in fashion retail, she is currently focussing on projects that propel the sustainability agenda into the mainstream. She added, Initially people thought this was our hobby.
B-Corp certified Social Enterprise successfully donating 50% of their profits to charity, including nearly 100,000 euros per year to the British Fire Fighters Charity, they have set the bar for every business on the planet to take an immediate, active role in solving extreme waste crises threatening global public health today. Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. We brought home our first fire hose to a house share where we were living in Brixton. Weve had social entrepreneurs throughout history. Elvis and I always thought it would be interesting Cause you know you can go to a grocery store now and itll say In the coffee aisle, right? Yes, my first business that I set up was biodegradable packaging. In the first 10 years Elvis & Kresse reclaimed 200 tons of material from fire-hoses and since partnering up with the Burberry Foundation in 2017, the company set out to recraft at least 120 tonnes of leather off-cuts into luxury Elvis & Kresse items over the first 5 years. A few weeks prior, I had heard Kresse at an event, delivering yet another quotable quote: We will never do fashion weeks.
While Kresse, who has a background in venture capital and waste management, runs the operations and business development, Elvis oversees product and design. Be sure tocatch up on previous articles.
Elvis & Kresse is a founding UK B Corporation, a certified Social Enterprise, and a fully certified Living Wage Employer by the Living Wage Foundation.
A significant scale-up of operations is in the offing. The process of upcycling began in 2005 when Elvis & Kresse discovered that the fire hoses used by the London Fire Brigade were shipped to the landfill once their usage as life-saving tools was over. With philanthropy always in mind, 50% of the profits will be donated to charitable organizations that support renewable energy.
All of their products come with a 1-year warranty.
If we look at nature, we see little animals performing functions on bigger animals to help them, so this is a wonderful way that they can give back., Elvis & Kresses retail strategy is as unique as their brand. The way that they work is very human, very instinctual, and very effective.. But that alone wouldnt be enough. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Its a certification that looks at 5 aspects of what you do: (You receive points based on how your business behaves and have to receive a minimum level of points in order to be certified as a B-corp. Every time you re-certify, youre also expected to have an increasing number of points. We are in the process of diverting all of Sunshine Trims poly fabric waste from landfill and it is currently being transformed into fabric spaghetti for crochet bags! But I think its the right phrase to use. I cant turn my back on it because I have ideological problems with the waste; I dont think thats appropriate.
It was bad!!
I hadnt seen single-use goods on that scale.
I went from a small town in Canada to an enormous city-state and Hong Kong is much more consumption-driven. The stated aim is to utilise at least 120 tonnes of leather off-cuts left from the production of Burberry products into new luxury accessories and homeware. Step into the Metaverse with DFWNY, Barbie x Balmain: Taking A Bet that NFTs Are A Powerful Customer Engagement Tool, A Headset Introducing a New Standard for Meditation. You just know the natural wonder of the world. I dont think you could say everyone must only eat plants or everyone must eat meat. Joining the ranks of Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci will stop designing fur after the Spring/Summer 2018 collection. Meanwhile, with the fire hose problem under control, i.e.
They believed it to be the truth and they believed that they were behaving patriotically. However, we would be happy to participate in a permanent week that celebrates durability and timeless designs. The global leather waste produced annually is a staggering 800,000 tonnes. But it doesnt have coral or sharks because the water is so polluted that sharks cant hunt; they cant sense things. Since 92 when it was very clear.
It is an effort that reflects in the finished product. One thing I noticed about Kresse is that she speaks in tweets: a crisp, hard-hitting and honest point-of-view. Their original products in the beginning, prior to integrating Burberry leather, had all been made exclusively from London decommissioned fire hose which is vegan material. They count the firefighting community and ethical consumers as their core base. So they were donating [their old leather belongings] to friends or charity organizations.
Together, they apply creative energy to maximise the potential of what is seen as throwaway waste. Mar 15, 2018 @ 16:34, [] cause with brands such as Elvis & Kresse adding purpose and meaning to their company mantra. That is enough and more leather for Elvis & Kresse and similar businesses to tackle with.
While soaking in the picturesque English countryside, I encountered stacks of coiled red and yellow fire hoses, that in their first life probably put out fires and saved lives in London.
Everything that theyre spewing has been disproven. Truly a cutting edge company (pun intended), Elvis & Kresse has a heart and a soul, challenging the growing sustainability issues of a fickle fashion industry, while incorporating innovative craftsmanship, by employing the skills of craftsman and training apprentices.
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