How Vanessa Cesario Became A Force To Be Reckoned With

March 5, 2024 | Written by Sierra Madison

This article is part of our BTW series, where we talk to creative professionals across various industries to provide aspiring creatives with first-hand insights and resources to help them navigate the creative industries.

In an industry where innovation meets aesthetics, Vanessa Cesario has carved out a unique space for herself, blending her passion for creativity with a distinct flair for fashion. With an illustrious career that spans over a decade, Vanessa's talent knows no bounds.

Her journey, marked by significant strides in wardrobe styling and a recent foray into interior design, showcases her versatile and innovative spirit. From her early days contributing to a trend blog, to her pivotal role in launching the distinct swimwear brand Ūnika Swim, her career trajectory showcases not only her versatile talent but also her adeptness at navigating the multifaceted world of creative direction and fashion.

Vanessa’s success is inspiring, she’s already collaborated with industry giants such as Adidas, Prada, Mercedez-Benz, Equinox, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Fujifilm, to name a few. Her talents have also garnered acclaim from notable outlets like Fashion Magazine, BlogTO, and Narcity. She’s been sure to leave her mark across various domains, including photography, styling, creative direction, set design, and event planning.

Vanessa is still young in her career and yet she’s already made a name for herself; she’s full of ambition, innovation, and creative passion. Her work not only captures the essence of contemporary fashion but also inspires a new generation of creators to dream boldly and act decisively.

I sat down with Vanessa to chat about her career so far, the challenges she’s encountered, and her advice for aspiring creatives.

Could you introduce yourself and share a bit about your experience and how you got into the creative direction/fashion industry?

I went to school for media communications and majored in PR where I soon realized I wanted to work in the fashion side of PR. My first internship ever was at a trend blog writing articles, which was the stepping stone for the next one at a real fashion & beauty PR firm. I owe both of those opportunities to a website that used to exist called Style Nine to Five (used to be a board for fashion jobs in Toronto) where I cold e-mailed a bunch of places that had openings.

You were the creative director of Ūnika Swim from 2017-2019, could you talk a bit about how you landed that role and what you learned from the experience?

The founder Betsy Campos and I had worked together in the nightlife industry and had a close friendship. I was doing the double life thing - doing my day job and night job - as was she, except she was studying fashion design during the day. She was always a fan of my work, and when she graduated and was building Ūnika, she told me that she wanted to get me involved.

She had the concept but really needed someone who understood the vision to bring the brand to life, and she trusted me to help her do that. Seeing a brand through from concept to a full brick-and-mortar store was incredibly rewarding and taught me SO much about things I had no clue prior to then about, from product development to business logistics. I also learned that no entrepreneur really knows exactly what they're doing all the time, but you figure it out along the way.

You’ve also worked in an agency setting before as a Public Relations and Special Projects Lead for Kastor & Pollux. What did you take away from that job and how did it help in your career, especially with launching your own brand?

I owe so much of what I know to Danielle Roche of K&P, she actually hired me at MTV as an editorial assistant and we worked alongside each other for a while before she launched her own agency. She is truly one of the smartest and most creative people I know and has incredible business acumen. She was integral in teaching me the art of decks & pitching, and also negotiating and monetizing my creative endeavors.

You started The Brunette Salad in 2012 as a personal blog, it’s since turned into an extension of your brand, and you’ve been able to collaborate with notable brands like Adidas, Topshop, Mercedez-Benz, and Equinox, to name a few. Can you tell us a bit about The Brunette Salad and your thoughts on creatives starting “passion projects” as a means to get their foot in the door? Is it something you would recommend?

The Brunette Salad doesn't exist anymore (maybe somewhere in the deep web!) but creating that blog was a huge stepping stone in my career and really was the gateway to me building an online presence and therefore making money online. Passion projects are absolutely the way to get your foot in the door because they show your full vision with no compromise. Time and money sway people from committing to passion projects, and it's true they probably won't make money right away. But if you don't believe in investing in yourself, why would anyone else?

You now work as a freelance stylist and brand consultant – how did you get into that and what does an average day in the life look like for you?

After I left Ūnika I was a bit lost as I had always worked under someone up until that point. I went to New York and interviewed with some companies and got an offer at a very well-known company that I was psyched about - then the pandemic hit and it dissolved into thin air. I was so gutted but I had this realization after listening to a podcast that it was time to bet on myself.

I knew people were coming to me for all things creative and I was essentially already working as one but I decided I needed to put it out there so people could better understand what it is I do, so I launched VLC INC. My days vary so much as I've started to pivot into interior design (after opening a studio in 2021) so some days I am literally on a construction site, some days I'm in big commercial studios doing wardrobe styling jobs, some days i’m at home on my laptop all day. It's a mixed bag for sure.

Could you share some advice for people wanting to get into the world of fashion and creative direction?

Definitely intern and put your own stuff out.

Do you have a favourite project or campaign that you’ve worked on that you could tell us about?

VLC Studio, or my creative space I opened in 2021 that ended up morphing into a full-scale interior design business is probably my favourite! I opened a space to rent out and use for fittings and projects for VLC INC. and had some clients who liked how I designed it so much that they hired me to design for them. This is my favourite because it happened so organically and it is by far the thing I am most passionate about.

Finally, what’s next for you and how do you stay motivated to achieve those goals?

I'm hoping to continue building VLC Studio and doing design projects that excite me while simultaneously getting to work with brands I'm passionate about. I think naturally I'm a very motivated person and I've always had this passion for appreciating, creating and sharing beauty.

It's ultimately what guides me in life and I don't see it stopping anytime soon - it's a passion deep within me!

You can find Vanessa on Instagram, and her brand’s VLC INC and VLC Studio.