Kresse Wesling CBE

Catch Kresse on Miracles Happen Here with Jon Kaye and Alan Wick, 20 to 26 April.

Kresse Wesling CBE is the co-founder of Elvis & Kresse, a luxury brand built on one radical idea: waste is simply a resource in the wrong place.

After discovering that London’s decommissioned fire hoses were being sent to landfill, Kresse didn’t write a complaint letter. She built a business. Those same hoses now live on as beautifully crafted belts, bags and accessories, sold around the world.

The company has since rescued everything from parachute silk to printing blankets, transforming industrial leftovers into objects of lasting value.

But this is not upcycling as a trend. It’s systemic change with stitching.

Elvis & Kresse commits 50 percent of profits to charity, including the Fire Fighters Charity. The business has pioneered regenerative practices, including moving toward a fully circular leather system and restoring a 300-acre estate for biodiversity and community benefit.

She proves that luxury and sustainability are not opposites. That generosity can be baked into the model. That you can scale impact without diluting values. Her approach blends commercial rigour with environmental urgency and deep social commitment.

DO Radio Show Notes

In this episode, we explore what it takes to build a company that refuses landfill as a default. How to design out waste rather than apologise for it. And why long-term thinking is the ultimate competitive advantage.

Find Kresse's earlier shows in the DO Radio Archive