Classic, stylish and timeless, our Elvis & Kresse Tote Bag is designed for the sustainably minded, slow-fashion lover. It has been featured on the BBC, is a firm favourite of our wonderful customers and a staple in our award-winning range of sustainable products. It is available in 3 options, our classic full fire-hose, black printing blanket with fire-hose trim, and rescued leather with fire-hose side panels and trim.
Rescued materials are where we start, but our commitment to eradicating waste from the production process is also the main focus when designing any Elvis & Kresse piece.
Genuine decommissioned fire-hose is first cut lengthwise in two, so a round hose becomes two flat strips that are 10cm wide (the diameter of an average hose). Then it is meticulously cleaned before each hose is thinned to precisely half. This means that a hose which starts at 22m in length eventually becomes 88m of linear textile, at a 10cm diameter width.
Our off-set printing blankets are split into even thicknesses, doubling the amount of available material and creating a clean matt black finish.
Finally, our Burberry leather off-cuts are each cut individually, again to maximise material use, then hand woven into the two panels you would find on either side of our Fire & Hide tote.
The sizes of our products are determined by that original 10cm diameter of the hose, which means we have zero waste when we create this pattern (in the workshop we talk in “grids” rather than centimetres or inches).
Each side panel is made up of 5 equal strips of fire-hose (or an equivalent area of printing blanket), with a single strip of hose for the base. Our ethical Tote Bags measure 29cm in height, 36cm in width,13cm in depth and have a 25cm handle drop.
Substance is just as important as style - we ensure all our products are as functional as they are sustainable. Our Totes are lined with either deadstock cotton cloth (rescued from Burberry) or failed parachute silk panels (which are actually made from industrial ripstop nylon and are vegan friendly) - find out more about our parachute silk here.
Within the lining there is an internal zip pocket - ideal for stowing away your phone and purse and two quick access pockets for keeping things organised.
If you are looking for the perfect stylish, sustainable and vegan Tote Bag, our Fire-Hose Tote Bag or Print Room Tote Bag are both entirely vegan. These Totes are incredibly robust - our decommissioned fire-hose has been in service for 25 years - and both of these pieces are water resistant and wipe-clean.
Our Fire & Hide Tote Bag combines rescued Burberry leather and our genuine decommissioned fire-hose. Although the hose elements, including the handles, side-panels and base are all wipe clean the leather panels are more delicate and should be protected from the elements. We are happy to recommend an eco friendly leather protector if you are interested.
Our Tote comfortably fits a 13” laptop and everything else you need throughout the day!
All our ethical products are hand finished. We are a slow fashion brand through and through. Each piece is produced in small batches to ensure the highest quality, which in turn prevents waste caused by overproduction. A subtle Elvis & Kresse logo is laser etched onto all fire-hose pieces and debossed onto leather. Corners and edges are hand painted or bound in fire-hose and the Tote is presented in a reclaimed parachute silk dust bag which can (and should) be used as an elegant bag-for-life.
All pieces come with a one year warranty. We want to ensure our products last for as long as possible so we offer a comprehensive repair service after our warranty period ends.
As well as helping us to reduce waste (and look good while doing it), 50% of the profits from our Fire-Hose Collection are donated to the Fire Fighters Charity and 50% of the profits from our Fire & Hide Collection are donated to Barefoot College International. Find out more about these charities and our donations here.
Dimensions: width 29cm, height 36cm, depth 13cm
Weight: Fire-Hose 936g, Print Room 865g, Fire & Hide 1kg
Handle Drop: 25cm
Exterior Options: decommissioned fire-hose, decommissioned fire-hose with reclaimed printing blanket, or decommissioned fire-hose with rescued leather
Interior: reclaimed parachute silk or deadstock cotton
Amount of materials given a new life:
Fire-Hose: 0.58m2
Leather: 0.203m2
Parachute Silk (or cotton lining): 0.64m2
Printing Blanket: 0.024m2
*The Print Room and Fire & Hide versions will proportionately reduce the amount of fire-hose.
