RUSSH Weekend exists as a reminder of the talent and diversity that dwells within our community. For our fifth instalment we tapped the creativity and expertise of a handful of people we most admire, bringing their voices to you, our dear audience.
Over the course of the weekend we heard from Beth Levis and Rebecca Harding on what being clean and conscious means to them; we had our sex questions answered graciously and without shame by NORMAL and Georgia Grace, and plunged into a tutorial on how to naturally dye our Converses led by Tamara Leacock. As we reflect back on the weekend that was, we're using this moment as an exercise in gratitude for the abundance that lay within reach in our own community.
Saturday, December 4
To kick off not only our fifth instalment, but the weekend more generally, we began with a Pilates Flow led by Steph Claire Smith and Christina Traychevska. Before we slipped into a string of postures and movement, the duo brought our attention back to the unceded land we stand, live and work on, with an Acknowledgement of Country.
After an energising start to the morning, Mimi Elashiry grounded us with an Ecstatic Dance Workshop, imploring us to explore and revel in the range of our bodies. Poppy Williams, an artist at China Heights, guided us through the basics of Lino Cutting and Printing in what was a burst of creativity to break up the movement-heavy morning. And to keep the creative juices flowing, Pip and Leah from Curated Spaces offered up home styling tips. It's safe to say we learned a lot.
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As we geared up for a post-lockdown Saturday night, Georgia Grace and Lucy from NORMAL created a safe space to answer the common questions they receive on the topic sex. Informed and affirmed, we tuned into a tutorial from Clarins and celebrity make-up artist Danielle Butcher, who demonstrated how to achieve a 70s soft glam, beauty look with a bold Clarins red lip — the perfect accessory for the eve ahead. At this point, face full of make-up, body limber and head full of ideas, we headed out into the evening, farewelling the first day of RUSSH Weekend.
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Sunday, December 5
Sunday began with a high-energy, impactful workout from HUSTL and Nagnata. Sweating, we leapt off the mat and followed the guidance of Jessie from The CALMM, who de-swamped our body with a soothing lymphatic activation sequence. From here, we pulled out our trousers and watched on as designer Wynn Hamlyn demystified the process of hemming pants — thanks Wynn.
With time on our hands, Yasmin Suteja from Culture Machine gave us a behind the scenes tour of her camera setup, divulging tips and pointers on how to take a self-portrait, rounding off the tutorial with a three-way conversation from some of the women behind Culture Machine.
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After lunch, we settled in for a conversation between Beth Levis, founder of By Beth, and Rebecca Harding, where they both explored the importance of transparency and championing your local industry when creating a clean and conscious beauty brand. With some food for thought, we put the duos advice into practice, as we naturally dyed our Converse Chucks with Indigo, as instructed by Tamara Leacock from R E M U S E Designs.
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Taking in all we've learned and participated in over the course of these two days, we ended the fifth instalment of RUSSH Weekend with breath-work guided by wellness coach Rory Warnock.
In case you missed the sessions as they happened, or simply wish to revisit them, you can find each segment from RUSSH Weekend on the RUSSH Instagram. Enjoy!
