Get to know Vanessa Wallace; she is the new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Rihanna’s groundbreaking lingerie and apparel brand, Savage X Fenty.
Four months ago, Wallace joined Savage X Fenty from Nike, where she held many roles for 19 years. Besides leading marketing efforts for the Jordan Brand in North America, she launched the Jordan Brand Women’s Collective to empower women and helped create the Jordan Brand Black Community Commitment, a $100 million investment that seeks to fight systemic racism.
“Two months ago, after 19 years with Nike Inc., I decided it was time for my next adventure. I’m grateful for my time at the Swoosh—thankfu to all my teammates I worked with during my tenure as well as the various initiatives, campaigns, and projects I experienced; they all were truly transformative,” Wallace said in a LinkedIn post.
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“As I head into this next chapter of my career journey as CMO at Savage X Fenty, I’m extremely excited as I’ve always admired Rihanna as a Fashion Icon, musician and fearless Entrepreneur. I look forward to building upon the momentum at Savage x Fenty; leading a talented group of creatives, continuing to push the industry to be more inclusive, and unapologetically representing the culture!” she added.
In her new position, she will lead the company’s marketing functions, including brand and product marketing, media, creative, membership, and global communications while reporting directly to the brand’s chief executive officer, Hillary Super.
In 2021, Rihanna’s lingerie line was worth $1 billion. This was after a second round of funding for the fashion line secured $115 million, Forbes said. Launched in 2018, the brand posted revenue growth of more than 200% in 2020, the year that loungewear and lingerie saw a spike in sales due to the lockdown.
The line’s VIP membership also shot up by more than 150%, establishing the Savage x Fenty brand as a force to be reckoned with in the $13.1 billion women’s underwear industry in the U.S.
Before joining Nike and Savage X Fenty, Wallace worked at Grassroots Promotions, LLC, with iconic brands like P&G, BET, and MTV. Other brands she worked with included WNBA, Southwest Airlines, Universal Music Group, ESSENCE, and LATINA. She also collaborated with Gatorade, Southwest Airlines, and Daimler Chrysler during her agency career.
Wallace graduated from the University of Texas, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Corporate Communications. She is also an award-winning athlete, dating back to her days in the university. As a Lady Longhorns Basketball team member, she was named Southwest Conference “Newcomer of the Year” in 1996 and led Texas in assists in back-to-back seasons, according to Adweek.
She was inducted into the Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD Sports Hall of Fame in 2016, and in 2022, she was named to the University of Texas Alumni Hall of Fame for Athletic and Academic Achievement.
