On April 10th we had a lovely visit of all the Kent Mayors, coordinated by our local Mayor Sarah Stephen. 

Of course Monty took Centre Stage

The event, which consisted of a full tour of our workshop and farm, helped to raise funds for Mayor Sarah's three chosen charities. We had a lovely afternoon, answering all manor of questions, sharing the Elvis & Kresse story, finding the perfect bag or belt for those who could not resist and of course there was time for tea and biscuits! 

It is always a joy to welcome people to the farm, particularly a group so committed to the wider Kent community. 

Did you know that Mayor's have a whole host of roles and duties including promoting public involvement in council activities, highlighting the work of local charities, presiding over council meetings and officially opening anything from schools to fetes!

We know what we do is unique, we know it is important. And we don't just know this intrinsically, we know it because we get emails like this all the time.

Our best story tellers are often those impacted by what we do, and the causes we support. 

This lovely message arrived yesterday and we immediately asked Laura if we could share it - today we got a delightful reply, a wholehearted YES! 

One of the reasons we are so happy at our new HQ, New Barns Farm, is that we work in an efficient, warm, near passive building. 

Essentially we use less energy here, because the building is very well insulated. We have dramatically reduced our need for heat because the straw bale walls, insulated roof and floor are all doing their job. Our heat pump and MVHR (mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system) provide our warmth and cooling without fossil fuels. We have the most energy efficient lighting possible, again, reducing our energy demand. 

But the best news? Our Solar Panels are really working. Here is the latest report from Justin Ford, who installed them back in October 2022 (with batteries following as they were available, in May 2023).

I have conducted a brief review of the performance of your PV system over the first 280 days since we started monitoring its performance in late April 2023. Total generation reported by the Solis monitoring portal is 11,575 kWh. This compares to an estimated annual output in our original proposal of 10,671 kWh. With only three quarters of the year gone the array output is already 8.5% above prediction, which is pleasing.

Since the SMA Sunny portal started collecting data on 4^th May 2023, 191 kWh has been imported from grid, mainly between Oct and Jan, whilst 177 kWh has been exported to grid, between May and Sept. Over the same period 1439 kWh were charged into the battery at an average of 5.3 kWh daily, which is relatively high utilisation for a 7.68 kWh battery capacity.

Overall, based on this evidence the PV array and the ESS seem to be relatively well matched to the consumption in the new building with only small surpluses exported to and imported from the grid. Also there is little overlap between periods of importing and exporting, which indicates that the impact of additional battery capacity would be minimal.

So we are pretty self-sufficient, great. But why don't we, with our large roof, go for more panels and more batteries? 

We import from the grid at 27.98p/kWh but when we export we are only paid 4.10p/kWh. Now I realise that we don't have the cost of operating the grid, but we pay a standing charge, a daily charge for that... Why such a large discrepancy!

Also, we have 3 supplies into the farm, and neighbours. Why couldn't we supply ourselves for say, 20p/kWh, or our neighbours? 

We have been told by UK Power Networks that we can't. 

I am thrilled that some community energy pioneers are finding ways around this, as we feel a distributed system, with local generation can help with the renewable transition and with energy independence. 

Right now we are just proud of our HQ. Find out all about the build on another post.

Here is the Direct Comparison with our previous site, Tonge Mill:

In our last year at Tonge Mil we used 7767 kWh of energy. In our new building at New Barns Farm, which is three times the size, we used 6107 kWh in our first year. But! We also generated 4502 kWh, meaning that we cut our total electricity consumption from 7767 kWh to 1599 kWh… or by 79%. And do you know what else? Because the old site was on gas and the new site is on a heat pump we eliminated fossil fuels, and the kWh we were spending on gas now sits on our normal bill. In our last year at Tonge Mill we used 22360 kWh of gas…. 

That last year at Tonge Mill we used 7767 kWh in electricity plus 22360 kWh in gas, or 30127 kWh in total energy.

Now we are down to 1599 total… or a reduction of 94.7% in kWh demand. And we did this while trebling the size of the workshop!

Last week Elvis & I sat down (remotely unfortunately!) with the indomitable Holly Tucker, founder of Holly & Co.

We have known Holly for what seems like forever... Elvis & Kresse was one of the first small brands to go live on her first big venture, Not On The High Street and we are now very excited to be joining Holly & Co, a wonderful marketplace celebrating the most creative small businesses in the UK.

Holly has a regular podcast where she interviews founders and innovators, her research is absolutely first rate and what can I say, so far she is the only person who has been able to get Elvis to put on the headphones and record.

It was a great chat, we hope you enjoy it. It is definitely worth waiting until the end where we read letters written to our younger selves and Elvis manages to remind me once again just how very lucky I am. 

Q&A

1. What topics did Holly Tucker and the founders discuss during their conversation? They discussed a range of topics including entrepreneurship, small business challenges, marketplaces, innovation, creative industries, and the importance of community support.
2. How does Holly & Co differentiate itself from other marketplaces celebrating small businesses? Holly & Co stands out from other marketplaces by its focus on celebrating creative small businesses in the UK, its curated selection of unique products, its commitment to supporting independent makers, and its vibrant community engagement initiatives.
3. What insights or advice did the founders share in the letters they read to their younger selves? Elvis & Kresse shared valuable insights and advice to their younger selves, touching on topics such as resilience, perseverance, learning from failures, seizing opportunities, and the importance of staying true to one's values and passion.

I will never quite forget the first time we were told, by an august incumbent luxury brand that we were 'not a Maison', we were 'not a House'. It was meant to put us in our place, we were too small, we were not really luxury, etcetera etcetera.

We could have a lot of discussions about what a House might be, and who gets to define it... but why? We have always followed what we know to be good and true and radically on the side of a shared healthy future for the planet and its people. 

Which means no, we are not a Maison. We are a Farm.

We are a FARM. 

What does this MEAN?

We put the earth first, we put soil first, we put future generations first. This is how we make our decisions, this is how we design, this is how we manufacture and communicate and live.

What does this LOOK LIKE?

• We don't have a supply chain, we have a symbiotic ecosystem of partners, some provide us with their waste (like the London Fire Brigade), others receive our donations (like The Fire Fighters Charity).
• We manufacture our own products across two sites where everyone is paid a Living Wage. We don't subcontract to a factory where we have no idea or control over how people are treated or compensated.
• We bought a farm and relocated here to restore a degraded ecosystem and put everything that we do at E&K quite literally at the heart of a farm.
• Our HQ is a straw bale building with a glulam timber frame, these materials have locked in local carbon and ensure that we are extremely efficient.
• We have a solar panel system with batteries and an MVHR, and in just our first year with this system we are almost entirely self-sufficient.
• We use heat pumps, and not fossil fuels for heat
• We planted a vineyard and more than 3000 trees in our first year here and have never ploughed or used pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or synthetic fertilizers - we are operating by entirely regenerative principals. We aren't 'part' regenerative or regenerative when it is convenient. We will be storing carbon in our own soil and trees... we aren't offsetting.
• We constructed a wetland system to gather and store rainwater and also to treat our own waste and waste water, turning something our water companies think is a problem into a source of nutrients for carefully selected flowers, reeds and trees.
• Our humanure? That is separated out and in partnership with worms and time becomes vermicast - a natural fertilizer, the original black gold.
• We build our own compost from local wastes like food waste, ruminant manure and wood chip. In the same way that Elvis & Kresse is working on the circular flow of materials and capital, the farm works by cycling nutrients back into the soil with compost and compost tea (also brewed on-site).
• Our whole aim for the farm is to build soil health. Healthy soils produce nutrient dense foods, retain more water (drought resistance), and sequester more carbon.

Want to learn MORE?

• Come and see us - we offer all kinds of workshops and experiences.

And just to be clear - our farm is also our home. We live here, our Vineyard manager and his family live here, and we have a cottage so that you can come and stay here.... why be a House when you can be a Home, a Farm, an ecosystem that is being restored to abundant biodiversity. It is time to think beyond outdated definitions, which are restrictive and reductive. If we want to do more, and be better, we have to think bigger.

Thank You!

Another wonderful year to be grateful for... We appreciate your support and can't wait to start again in 2024, refreshed and ready to rescue more wonderful materials.

Merry Christmas from the whole Elvis & Kresse team!

Last orders for Christmas? If you are in the UK we can still take orders until 11am on Friday the 22nd, you will have to choose Special Delivery and be in until 1pm on the 23rd, ready to accept your parcel?

Missed the Deadline? We highly recommend our Gift Cards, or our Workshops. These can be gifted virtually, via email, so no deadlines!

Workshop Closing: The workshop will be closed from noon on December 22nd until the 2nd of January. All orders placed during this time will be shipped on the 2nd.

There are a lot of quotes about giving... 

'It is better to give than to receive' springs to mind, and this one is definitely true but perhaps our favourite is from John Bunyan:

This one is special to us - over the years we have had many people question our donations, most prominently the Financial Times, who thought it was imprudent to donate 50%. How could a business make this kind of commitment and thrive? What about the shareholders? What about growth?

Well, here we are, almost 19 years later and it seems that we were right. What is really ludicrous is the idea that a solely profit motivated business is in any way laudable or aspirational. 

Giving isn't madness... it is at the heart of our success. It fills our rescued pieces with a deeper meaning, it makes them the gifts that keep on giving. 

Anyway... musings about the failure of capitalism aside, today is the day we make our annual donation to the Fire Fighters Charity. We have donated £44,698.33 this year to the FFC and that brings our total donations to date to £428,908.93. We have a wonderful long-term partnership with the FFC, and couldn't be more proud of how closely we work, and how much fun we have had rescuing and transforming hoses and raising funds. 

Here is a lovely letter from the CEO of the Fire Fighters Charity, Dr. Jill Tolfrey:

We are still open because of these donations, this commitment to generosity has made the story of Elvis & Kresse worth telling and sharing which is why we continue to find happy new custodians for our bags and belts and wallets. 

If you would like to learn more about what this donation does, we can share that it covers a huge range of both mental and physical health support; everything from group therapy sessions, to a 24 hour support hotline, emergency care packages, and residential physical therapy. If you would like to have your spirits lifted, please read through some of the beneficiary stories from the Fire Fighters Charity. 

We hope you all enjoy this season of giving, and thank you again for all your support.

This magazine is one we have come to know over the last few years. Why do we like it: 

1. C&TH is the first glossy in the world to attain B Corp certification. 
2. The magazines purpose is to celebrate the brands who are going above and beyond with respect to their social and environmental performance.
3. They understand that 'sustainability must be desirable, playful and fun, which can sometimes get lost in the story.'  

This is why they decided to launch our first ever Sustainability Awards, in conjunction with Journey to Zero, which is an annual live event exploring the vital connection between luxury and sustainability. 

With Lucy Cleland, Founder of Country & Town House

It was a total delight to be invited to these inaugural awards where we found, to our surprise, that we were nominated as the most Sustainable Accessory Brand in the same category with Anya Hindmarch and Mulberry. The lovely breakfast was enough of an honour, so imagine our delight to win!

Thank you C&TH! 

You can learn all about these awards here.

We have just made our annual donation to Barefoot College International. 50% of the profits from our rescued leather are donated to Barefoot, and we are very proud to announce a donation of £15,600.00. We have been working with them for several years, sponsoring women to train as solar engineers. You can learn about how this training can transform communities by reading some of our previous posts but also find out more about Barefoot's Solar Program by heading over to their website.

 Why accept less from a handbag? Why not demand more? If you can think of anything else that we could be doing let us know. Come on down the farm and let's talk.

Interesting question! Particularly for us, as we have been labelled or introduced so many times as a 'sustainable luxury pioneer'. But what does it really mean? 

Let's start with 'sustainable'. It is such a shame that this word has become overused and part of the standard greenwash playbook. It shouldn't be a word that loses meaning as it is actually quite precise.

Sustainability is sometimes easier to understand by its opposite. To be unsustainable means that something is either:

1. Not able to be maintained at the current level or in the long term; or
2. Indefensible

I have to say that indefensible is my favourite. There are so many things that we humans make, that we do, that we simply know are indefensible. For example, modern slavery is indefensible, but it is rife in the fashion sector. And then there are the plethora of things that we just can't keep doing in the long run; the vast majority of the goods and services that flow through our current economy are unsustainable. Perhaps they are derived from fossil fuels (think of viscose, or nylon), perhaps they use an inordinate amount of water or chemistry to be grown or processed, perhaps they are designed to be worn once or made with such poor material or craftsmanship that they simply won't last. For us, you have to make every business or design decision based on whether or not it is going to make the world better for other people’s grandchildren. This guarantees sustainability. How? Well, we would have to still be able to do it, largely in the same way, in perpetuity. Our materials and techniques can't rely on diminishing resources. Also, we have to be able to defend our decisions to future generations. We would have to be able to look them in the eye and say we did our best, or more importantly to paraphrase Maya Angelou 'we did our best until we knew better, and then we did better'. 

Being sustainable is tricky, but not impossible. And realistically, it isn't enough. Biodiversity loss and climate change demand more, we can't just maintain or defend things, we now actively have to improve them. Which is why our focus now is on regeneration (another word that is quickly being gobbled up by greenwashers).

Now luxury is harder to define, but I love how a mentor of ours, Maria Eugenia Giron, put it in her book on Sustainable Luxury (a book we feature in!).

"Luxury is beautiful, refined, innovative and essential."

This is certainly a tall order but it is what we absolutely aim for in every single piece. The first two requirements, beauty and refinement are kind of obvious. Of course you have to be both of these and although beauty is in the eye of the beholder craftsmanship (how we read refinement) speaks for itself. Maria Eugenia's final two requirements are less obvious, but really important for us, and certainly what separates true luxury from the rest of the pack.

Innovation is actually absent from much of modern luxury - using the same materials, techniques, manufacturing processes and designs as the rest of your industry just isn't innovative. Pioneering the use of a novel material? That is innovation. Relocating to a farm in order to generate more clean water than you use? That is innovation. Donating 50% of your profits to charity? That too, is innovation. 

And essential... this really is the stand out term. A luxury piece should really be something that you rely on, a cornerstone of your wardrobe, something that you use rather than occasionally admire. And I think we have achieved this too. Proof? How about this feedback from Emmy Nominated Composer, Mark Crawford:

"I’ve worn that belt pretty much every single day since 2018. Best belt ever."

Sustainable luxury is a journey, one we don't think anyone will really ever arrive at either because you can always learn and improve.  All I can promise you is that we will never be satisfied with what we have done, we will always be aiming to 'do better'.

Elvis & Kresse just won the 2023 Marie Claire Sustainability Award!

We were the best accessories brand and given the competition and the judging panel this one is a real honour. I think our favourite part of the process was watching the awards (they were virtual to avoid a travel footprint). It was really lovely to learn about all of the brands who participated. They are all solving environmental problems creatively and joyfully.

Everything we do is inspired by the challenges we face, socially and environmentally. We are always trying to squeeze absolutely every ounce of goodness from the decisions we make, the products we design and how we produce, communicate and distribute. There isn't enough time for anything less than our best and it really is lovely to be recognised as making some serious progress.

According to Marie Claire, this is why we won:

As a certified Social Enterprise and B Corp, Elvis & Kresse is dedicated to redefining luxury. It has donated more than £350,000 to charitable partners – including The Fire Fighters Charity and Barefoot College International – saved 307.6 tonnes of materials that would otherwise have gone to landfill, and established eco-conscious manufacturing sites. Simply put: it's making things better.

"A great concept and solid initiatives from a small business that was born sustainably. Very credible," says Amy Nelson-Bennett, Managing Director of Positive Luxury, and our Sustainability Awards judge." 

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