About Us

We don’t talk Regenerative, we Do Regenerative

What does regenerative mean? Well, there is no single definition, but for us it means doing more. In practical terms it means that you give more than you take: you sequester more carbon than you emit, you generate more (renewable) energy than you consume, you treat more water than you use, you foster more biodiversity than you corrupt and you create more than you destroy. You have to solve more problems than you cause too... and all of this 'more'? It has to be substantially more.

In 2021 we moved everything to a farm. Why? To operate regeneratively; to redesign our business ensuring that it gives exponentially more than it takes with respect to water, energy, biodiversity, carbon and community. Starting in 2015 (our tenth year in business), despite being very proud of what we do, we knew that how we do it could get much better. We researched, mapped, included a lot of wonderful ideas, then excluded and rejected what we thought was not essential and came up with a plan. That plan required a farm, which took over a year and a half to secure.  You can read more about our regenerative vision and progress in these posts:

We are not a 'Maison', we are a FARM. - Elvis & Kresse

Elvis & Kresse's Vision for 2020, in WIRED Magazine - December 2019

Sustainable: Now this is perhaps the most overused. But it is really important. We think the best way to understand it is by understanding its opposite (see below). To be sustainable means that it has to be able to keep going, for the long term, and it must be defensible. The sun is sustainable (it is set to burn out in 5 billion years but that is pretty long term). Our use of fossil fuels, to the detriment of future generations, is not. 

Unsustainable: Perhaps one of my favourite definitions, and the best way to understand sustainability is often through its inverse. Unable to be maintained in the long term or indefensible*. We love that last word, indefensible. Most people know when something is wrong and yet the bulk of economic activity is based on extraction and exploitation, which is unsustainable. This is the challenge of our time, revolutionising the economy. The economy makes money and creates jobs, but largely by putting future generations at risk. Elvis & Kresse is in many ways a living experiment;  it is how we are trying to circle this square, or solve this problem. 

Lets Make this Easy: Kresse's shorthand for Sustainable is the phrase above.... if you are making the world better for other people's grandchildren then you are on the right track. If you aren't, then it is time to stop, time to change.

Keen to see how we demystify a lot of other eco terminology? Head to our Definitions!

We are so focused on our core values, that we often overlook the things that we have embedded at Elvis & Kresse without really celebrating them.

• We are vertically integrated, we make our own products.
• Vertical integration is how we ensure that Living Wages are paid, as a minimum, on the production of all our pieces.
• We are part of the circular economy, we design for longevity, for repair, for deconstruction.
• We make our own leaflets and packaging from tea sack waste - yes, we make our own....
• Vegan - our fire-hose range is entirely vegan. 
• We offer repairs, at cost, for life
• Our packaging is plastic free
• We have a lot going on at our HQ: we host film nights, volunteer opportunities, board meetings, inspirational away days. Have an idea? Just ask.
• We built our HQ from straw bales, and it has helped us reduce our power consumption by 94.7%!
• We generate our own renewable energy.
• We treat all our own sewage and waste water in a completely natural system that we established in 2021.
• We grow harvestable weaving willow on our wetland, and crop this annually or every two years.
• We are sequestering our own carbon - through our soil first farming. We have more than doubled our soil carbon since 2021.
• Our workshop is surrounded by a chemical free, regenerative vineyard that we planted in 2021.
• We eat our own apples, plums, cobnuts, figs, raspberries and forage through the spring and summer.
• How? We have planted more than just vines, we planted more than 4000 trees and all kinds of companion, symbiotic and biodiverse crops.
• We don't think bags or belts are seasonal - the 'drops', the weekly collections? They fuel overconsumption and anxiety.
• We don't do seasonal collections or trends, we focus on classic, utilitarian, perennial design.
• We don't participate in Black Friday.
• We run a transparent, open workshop. We don't have secrets.
• One of our iconic pieces, The Weekend Bag, is in the permanent collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
• We have offered more than 35 work experience opportunities and 132 apprenticeships.
• We are educators, we lecture regularly at several universities and schools.
• We have a hyperactive R&D program. We are constantly working on novel projects to solve waste problems or maximise the value of waste.
• Through our donations to Barefoot we have created scholarships for 32 women to train as solar engineers.
• We are fostering biodiversity. We largely built our ponds and wetlands to create abundant ecosystems, hence our newt count. But we are also creating a bird friendly farm, find our first bird survey here!
• We share all our farm data with our farming community, to spread everything we have tried regarding regenerative agriculture.
  
  

If you really want to learn all about us, you will need to come to the farm. We have all kinds of workshops, tours, and experiences. Sign-up here!