Raised in Bath, Russell discovered his creative spirit as a boy. His mother, a keen artist and ceramicist, encouraged her artist son to follow his dreams – and he did. Firstly to art school in Bath and then to Central Saint Martins where he studied both womenswear and sculpture. Having graduated, his entrepreneurial streak led him to open an interior design business in Bath, before returning to London to complete his Masters degree in Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins. Having graduated in 1998, he launched his eponymous fashion label, quickly becoming a star of London Fashion Week. But his great love of interiors drew him back and in 2005 he opened Russell Sage Studio.
Alongside his own design studio, Russell was creative director of Cordings from 2006-2008 and has been the creative director and co-owner of Gainsborough Silk Weavers since 2010.