ELEPHBO Press Release 2016

From the Building Site to the Wardrobe: The startup label ELEPHBO turns used cement packing into stylish accessories. Instead of being properly utilized, heaps of waste have been ending up right at the streets of Cambodia for years, including enormous amounts of empty cement packing made of plastic fabric. A Swiss startup is now declaring war against waste ­ the sacks thrown away as useless are successfully employed as material for stylishly designed, lasting products. Not only will the label cut down on the amount of waste, but it will also create new working places with fair conditions.

The idea of ELEPHBO occurred to the founder and CEO Nicolas Huxley during one of his numerous travels to Cambodia. “The sacks are just lying there, thousands of them, everywhere

at building sites, improvised landfills or right in the middle of the landscape”, Huxley explains. “And they actually look pretty cool with their characteristic logos. It became perfectly obvious to us that it could be extremely promising.”

Giulia and Julia Huxley join Nicolas Huxley on the board of ELEPHBO. The trio from Zürich makes top quality and hand work their highest priority in the production process. “It is the high­quality manufacturing of our bags that clearly makes us stand out among similar concepts”, shares Pasanisi who is responsible for the design. “The cement packing material provides the perfect base for our bags. It is extremely robust, very light and waterproof. We combine these features with handpicked materials manufactured in Europe”. Thus ELEPHBO uses only YKK zippers, the leather and inner materials come from Italy and yarn, buckles and all the metals are of European origin. It is manufactured in cooperation with artists and tailors of a small family business in Banja Luka, Bosnia.

With the production of a unique product the Swiss startup aspires to support the local population in the first place. A considerable part of economic and social benefits are brought back directly to Cambodia by creating a local partner production. After being collected by local assistants, the cement packing material is washed, controlled for quality and then sewn after a specified pattern. Besides sharing the know­how and obtaining machines and other equipment, the label takes care of fair earnings for the workers. “We can’t probably change the world in one night but we can make a valuable contribution with each bag we produce”, Nicolas Hexley is convinced. “And with lots of sacks our supply is ensured in any case.”

With the combination of lasting production and awesome design ELEPHBO managed to achieve conspicuous success. “Our concept definitely enjoys a favourable reception, the test collection was sold out within a few months”, Julia Huxley, a marketing specialist, is happy to announce. “People actually like buying our bags not just because they get a unique accessory but because they can also contribute to making the world a slightly better place.”

Summer 2016 is going to bring the new collection to the market and it will attract financing via crowdfunding. And the label has lots of plans here. “Last year we experimented with various cuts and patterns and polished the design and manufacturing. Our new collection will be even better and much more diverse”, Nicolas Huxley promises. While weekend bags were in the centre of attention in 2015, this year ELEPHBO fans can also enjoy purses, laptop bags and travel kits. The Kickstarter campaign began on July 4, 2016. The startup intends to collect CHF 20'000 within 5 weeks. Supporters can enjoy a generous discount on a stylish product with their donation.