"Raising voices of planet-positive changemakers who are working towards a more brilliant tomorrow."
Introducing Kresse Wesling
Kresse is the other half of Elvis & Kresse, a dynamic lateral thinking duo whose brand make us want back what we waste.
Since 2005 Elvis & Kresse have been rescuing raw materials, transforming them into luxury lifestyle accessories, and donating 50% of profits back to charities. This includes over 300 tonnes of London's decommissioned fire hoses and a 5-year partnership with Burberry which will see at least 120 tonnes of their leather off-cuts designed and recrafted by Elvis & Kresse. Kresse also lectures at Cambridge University Sustainable Business Masters programme.
What was the moment you knew you had to dedicate your time to your cause?
I fell in love with Duraline fire hoses the moment I saw them in 2005, piled up on a rooftop at a fire station in Croydon, awaiting an imminent and undignified death by landfill. We weren’t entrepreneurs in search of an idea, we didn’t set out to make luxury accessories. We just couldn’t let these lustrous, durable, life-saving coils of deep red nitrile rubber go.
How do you keep motivated when it feels one step forward and two steps back?
Our business was essentially designed to do good. We rescue materials, we transform them into wonderful things and then we donate half of the profits to charity. Every day we rescue something or keep something already in circulation and this builds up our pot of donations. So, even when we are two steps back we are still doing some good.
Welcoming a group of MBA students to the farm - to share our story.
What does a diamond represent to you?
Right now I find them confusing - I know the concept of the diamond engagement ring was really a marketing coup and I abhor marketing that isn't authentic. I admire pearls, they are symbols of the miraculous bioremediation work of bivalves. I suppose this is why Sky Diamonds fascinate me. Jewellery that sequesters carbon? A gift that fights climate change is a gift I could love.
What would you say to Mother Nature if you could shout it up to the Sky?
I don't think I would shout! I would quietly whisper some questions: Are we on the right path? Are we doing enough? What can we do better?
Who or What are you currently most encouraged by that will help us deliver a more brilliant tomorrow for people or planet?
The news is dark, delivering a truly regenerative future for people and planet is going to be an almost inconceivable challenge but I am bouyed, constantly, by those that are tackling climate change and biodiversity loss head on. I am not talking about hopeful people either... I am talking about action heroes... it is their work, their action that drives me on. This, and the fact that renewable energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels.
P.s. If you need some inspiration, come and see our regenerative farm in Kent!
*Image credit to first photo: These are some of the incredible women who have trained as solar engineers. 50% of our profits from rescued leather creates scholarships for their training and it is what makes us so proud of our Fire & Hide Collection.