Vanessa Wallace, chief marketing officer of Savage X Fenty — the boundary-pushing intimates and loungewear brand founded by Rihanna — has built a remarkable career blending disruptive marketing with cultural impact. In a fireside chat with NYU at the School of Professional Studies Midtown Center on Monday, Wallace shared insights into her professional journey, leadership philosophy and the future of Savage X Fenty.
A former basketball player at the University of Texas at Austin, Wallace initially aspired to become a lawyer before pivoting to marketing. She gained early experience in event marketing and project management, leading to a 19-year tenure at Nike, where she led the creation of the Jordan Women’s Collective. She played a pivotal role in establishing the Jordan Brand Black Community Commitment — a $100 million initiative over 10 years to combat systemic racism.
Joining Savage X Fenty as CMO in August of last year, Wallace strongly resonates with the brand’s commitment to inclusivity and female empowerment. Working closely with Rihanna, Wallace has recently focused on expanding the brand’s cultural influence by scaling its micro-influencer program and leading its Valentine’s Day campaign — ensuring that bold representation remains at the core of every campaign and collection.
WSN sat down with Wallace and spoke about amplifying representation and staying authentic to the brand’s bold vision.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
WSN: How has your role at Savage X Fenty challenged or inspired you in new ways?
Wallace: Part of the reason why I chose to work at Savage is, Savage was born out of Rihanna’s vision to be disruptive. Not only are we a brand, we’re a movement — this brand has long championed inclusivity, diversity and confidence. One of the things we like to say is no one’s size defines you and makes you beautiful — it’s the confidence you exude. As I think about what I want to put out into the world, I have a tremendous amount of respect for Rihanna as a musician, businesswoman and creative. Being able to take this brand — envisioning its future and ushering it through the next stage of growth — has been a dream come true. It aligns with both my purpose, what I believe I am meant to do on this planet, and my skill set and experiences.
WSN: Building on this idea of purpose, do you feel like your experiences have guided you towards understanding your own?
Wallace: Yes, I would say I’ve always been a person who’s pretty intentional. I like to get up starting my day with gratitude, prayer and meditation. I think the sharper mind-body connection is important. In this stage of my career, coaching and developing the next generation of marketeers and leaders, I am privileged each day to lead an incredibly talented group of individuals — that defines what I want to get up and do every single day. The other piece of that is, not every day is going to be the most exciting day. However, when you’re doing something that you are aligned to, your personal mission and goals are undeniable.
WSN: You’ve touched on your personal philosophy. What’s your leadership philosophy when it comes to building creative, high-impact teams?
Wallace: I used to play basketball, and I start there because I see myself as a player, a coach and a CMO. In this role, I’m charting a vision for our organization to rally around. But for my team, I want to be accessible to coach when necessary, provide guidance and direction, and be there along the way to offer both a pat on the back and accountability conversations. I think this balance helps build trust within the team.
There’s a practice a mentor shared with me that has now become a core part of my approach: embracing the work with both head and heart. It’s hard to compartmentalize our emotions when we bring that into our work. So, I make it a point to start meetings with my direct reports by checking in with them — not just on business matters but on how they’re doing personally. That’s one of the philosophies someone instilled in me, and it’s something I now carry forward with my team.
WSN: From your point of view, what makes Savage X Fenty’s voice and brand identity so distinct, and how do you ensure it stays authentic as the brand grows?
Wallace: I think it’s all about balance. We have to stay connected to who we are, and Rihanna’s vision was to be a challenger brand. It’s important that we stay true to that vision, and I believe the key to maintaining it is through two-way dialogue.
We’re fortunate to have a subscription-based model, so we have VIPs who’ve signed up to engage with us. We tap into their feedback when launching campaigns to understand what resonates and what doesn’t. This helps us stay connected with our audience.
We also say we want to move at the speed of culture, and I think that’s crucial. By staying authentic, listening to our consumers, we ensure we stay fresh and on the cutting edge.
WSN: What’s been the most defining moment of your career so far?
Wallace: There’s one practice that I have had to remind myself of, and it’s celebrating every moment. The world moves fast — you do have to pause to celebrate those moments. I think the most recent one was our Valentine’s Day campaign, ‘Love Your Way.’ Valentine’s Day is our Super Bowl, and Rihanna has been compassionately called the patron saint of Valentine’s Day — so we positioned her as Cupid. We cast a variety of different people within our community: Serena Page and Kordell Beckham, who were fresh off ‘Love Island,’ a group of models celebrating Galentine’s Day; RJ [King] and DeVonn [Francis] as a couple and the LeBlanc sisters showing sibling love. It was true to who we are and what we anchor ourselves in at Savage — “Love Your Way” invited our consumers to show however they choose to spend that holiday.
WSN: Savage X Fenty has built a reputation for inclusivity and pushing boundaries in the lingerie space. How do you see the brand evolving in the next few years?
Wallace: Lingerie and intimates are our bread and butter, and we’ll always stay true to that. Our brand has continued to evolve as Rihanna has evolved. It was like, ‘how do we introduce maternity clothes as she was pregnant?’ As we continue to be a brand that’s inclusive, we will go along with her journey, but meet consumers where they’re at.
One area where we continue to scale and carve out new spaces is our expansion from an e-commerce-based business into wholesale. Last fall, we launched with Selfridges in London, Galeries Lafayette in France and Nordstrom in North America. It’s important that we stay true to our VIP base while also reaching new audiences.
In mid-February, we expanded into men’s loungewear, leveraging athlete Marcus Stroman of the New York Yankees. While we’ve always offered men’s intimates, this was an opportunity to be both disruptive and innovative in targeting a new space.
For aspiring marketers, Wallace offers this advice: stay curious, embrace continuous learning and never shy away from opportunities outside your comfort zone.
Contact Daphne Zhu at [email protected].
