Transforming reclaimed materials into sustainable luxury, with Kresse Wesling CBE
Kresse is a multi-award winning environmental entrepreneur and Young Global Leader, with a background in venture capital and extensive start-up experience.
After first meeting with the London Fire Brigade in 2005, Kresse launched Elvis & Kresse with her co-founder and partner, James \u2018Elvis\u2019 Henrit, rescuing raw materials like decommissioned fire hoses and transforming them into luxury lifestyle accessories.
They are B Corp certified, and believe that the future of luxury is sustainable, ethical, reclaimed, open, generous and kind.
Today, their highly skilled craftspeople make beautifully designed accessories and homeware from 15 different reclaimed materials. Elvis & Kresse donates 50% of its fire-hose range profits to The Fire Fighters Charity, and 50% of profits from the Fire & Hide Collection goes to Barefoot College International.
Going behind the scenes of Kresse\u2019s business journey was as inspiring as it was educational.
Overview:
In our revelatory interview, Kresse:
\xb7\xa0 \xa0\tExplains what the business is all about, and how they rescue and transform materials into luxury fashion accessories.
\xb7\xa0 \xa0 Runs through their regenerative agriculture enterprise and their plans to produce wine there.
\xb7\xa0 \xa0 Discusses Elvis & Kresse\u2019s revenue streams, and how roughly 85% comes from D2C (Direct to Consumer) sales.
\xb7\xa0 \xa0 Details the evolution of their manufacturing process and production sites.
\xb7\xa0 \xa0 Expresses her concern about the future of the UK\u2019s craft industries.
\xb7\xa0 \xa0 Highlights the growth of the trend of the \u2018conscious consumer\u2019 and its positive effect on their business.
\xb7\xa0 \xa0 Talks through their marketing strategy; the importance of telling a true and honest story to customers and the value of authenticity in an increasingly \u2018post-truth\u2019 world.
\xb7\xa0 \xa0 Shares Elvis & Kresse\u2019s origin story and, before that, her biodegradable packaging business.
\xb7\xa0 \xa0 Reflects on the fact that a business is destined to fail if the timing isn\u2019t right.
\xb7\xa0 \xa0 Recalls the experimentation stage of trying to work with the materials, and how the product lines increased.
\xb7\xa0 \xa0 Stresses how widening the brand\u2019s impact through collaboration is very important for the business\u2019s future, believing that climate change and bio diverse loss are the most important problems our world is facing.
\xb7\xa0 \xa0 Describes her and her co-founder\u2019s roles and how their skills are complementary.
\xb7\xa0 \xa0 Reveals her most important learnings, including getting started without a perfect business plan and being motivated more by the greater good than financial gain.