Honest, not Perfect Ep 21: Kresse Wesling CBE, Founder, Elvis & Kresse

Recorded live at Source Fashion, this conversation with Kresse Wesling, co-founder of Elvis & Kresse, moves beyond surface-level sustainability to unpack the systems, economics and trade-offs shaping fashion today. 

In this episode, Kresse shares a clear, grounded perspective on what EPR really means for brands, and why many are still unprepared for the operational and financial implications.

Drawing on her experience building a luxury brand from reclaimed materials, she explores the opportunity of waste as a resource, while also challenging the structural barriers that continue to hold circularity back at scale.

The conversation also tackles one of the industry’s most difficult questions: can fashion truly be sustainable without addressing wage parity across the value chain?

Key discussion points

• What Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) means for fashion brands in 2026 and beyond
• Why waste remains one of fashion’s most underutilised resources
• The realities of building a sustainable luxury business model
• The structural challenges preventing circular fashion at scale
• Why wage parity must sit at the centre of sustainability conversations

Listen to the full episode to hear how brands can move from intention to implementation, on all streaming platforms: