Jill Ruthenberg, RÜS COLLECTIVE
A woman after our own hearts, Jill's main line of work is with local artisans and startups, helping make their vision for their business a reality - she's the one responsible for our new website and online store!
She also is the creative/maker behind the online boutique, RÜS COLLECTIVE, which she launched at the age of 23.
Even though she's lived in London and is now based in Brisbane, having grown up on a farm the Australian outback will always be where her heart is, so she called her store RÜS (pronounced 'roos'), which is the Latin word for 'the country' or 'countryside'.
Her passion for leathercraft was sparked when fate brought her to collaborate with Cherryl McIntyre, an award winning Leather Artisan on a design Jill had for a one-of-a-kind cowhide bag. They collaborated on that project, and the two kindred spirits never looked back.
Jill quit her corporate marketing job to learn everything Cherryl could teach her about working with leather, and they've been working together ever since.
As well as her own leather handbags and accessories (pictured above), Jill is an advocate for the hand-makers and sources a collection of local, handmade and designer pieces like this Crystal Quartz Pyramid Watch, and these leather hats, handcrafted in Byron Bay for her store.
We've really enjoyed working with Jill on our website - she brings with her a fresh perspective and lot of innovative ideas to the table. And we think it's great to see some young ones learning the art of working with leather - we're looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next!
Shop at ruscollective.com
Follow @ruscollective on instagram