Vanessa De Luca
Encyclopedia
Vanessa Arietta De Luca (born February 11, 1982) is an American media personality, business owner, spokesperson and model. She has worked as a model in Paris
, London
, Tuscany
, Miami and New York
. She is currently with Wilhelmina Models
in Miami.
. Her parents, from Italy
, were visiting family in the United States
when she was born. The couple stayed in Philadelphia for five years after Vanessa was born but soon had to return to Italy. Wanting Vanessa to have more opportunity in life, they decided to leave her in the United States with her Aunt while they worked on becoming US citizens back in Italy. When Vanessa was eight her parents returned to the United States and moved to Philadelphia. Vanessa and her family struggled through life in the United States but made the best out of what they had. De Luca attended West Philadelphia High School
from 1997 to 2001, graduating with a 4.0 GPA.
. De Luca and the representative had a brief conversation, and soon De Luca was in the studio working with Wilhelmina Models.
In 2005 De Luca finally got her big break. While on vacation in New York, De Luca knew that Baby Phat
was looking for new models and took a chance and interviewed. It paid off and De Luca became the newest member of the Baby Phat team. In 2006, after working with Baby Phat for nearly a year, De Luca did a shoot for DKNY
and an additional shoot for Pelle Pelle
with then-boyfriend Marques Colston
. In 2008, however, De Luca became tired of the New York life and wanted to move to warmer climates, and decided to leave Baby Phat.
In August 2008, after three years of working with Baby Phat and meeting everyone that was anyone in the hip hop and acting community, De Luca decided to move south to Miami. When De Luca arrived in Miami she was immediately hired by Jägermeister
to be a Jagerette (model/spokesperson).
2009 was the most successful year of De Luca's life. In February of that year she was offered a lucrative deal to be a model and spokesperson for Jimmy Choo
. Since working for Jimmy Choo, De Luca has done shoots and met with clients in Paris
, London
, Tuscany
, Miami and New York
.
De Luca is currently in talks with Maxim magazine
to do a shoot in the United Kingdom
where the magazine is based.
. De Luca's grandmother, Arietta, was the owner of the De Luca Salon. When Arietta died in 2002 she left the salon to Vanessa.
De Luca's life was very busy and very schedule oriented, and she did not have much time for the salon, so her mother went back to Tuscany to run the day-to-day operations. Every three to six months De Luca would take time to visit the salon and make sure everything was just the way Arietta would want it.
De Luca Salon is still the most prominent salon in Tuscany.
De Luca briefly appeared in the video for "Rocking That Sh!*" by R&B artist The-Dream
.
Also in 2009 De Luca appeared in a video for rapper Mack 10
for the song "So Sharp".
Again in early 2009 De Luca appeared in the video for the song "Every Girl" by the up and coming Young Money Entertainment
.
Soon after shooting the video for the song "Every Girl" De Luca made an appearance in the video for the song "Bedrock" also by Young Money Entertainment.
in 2006 De Luca began dating a childhood friend from her days in Pennsylvania
, Marques Colston
. They soon decided to split up because of the conflicting schedules with her being a model and him being a receiver for the New Orleans Saints
of the NFL.
In the winter of 2008 De Luca began dating rapper Juelz Santana
, whom she met through Kimora Lee Simmons
formerly the Creative Director of Baby Phat
but currently the CEO of Phat Fashions. They dated until early 2009 soon after De Luca left New York to move to Miami.
In early 2009 while in Miami De Luca briefly dated NBA player Michael Beasley
of the Miami Heat
.
Soon after shooting the "Every Girl" video in 2009 De Luca began dating R&B singer Lloyd
, whom she met through close friend Lil' Wayne
.
De Luca currently owns two homes in Tuscany. One is her personal home, and the other is for her parents who in 2002 moved back to Italy after the death of De Luca's grandparents.
De Luca also bought her aunt a home in the Chestnut Hill
neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Currently De Luca resides in the Brickell Park area of Miami.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Miami and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She is currently with Wilhelmina Models
Wilhelmina Models
Wilhelmina Models is a modeling agency founded in 1967 by the model Wilhelmina Cooper and her husband Bruce Cooper in Manhattan Starting in 2010, Wilhelmina Models started a sub-brand called "Digital Empire Modeling" for new digital-era modeling talents....
in Miami.
Early life
Vanessa De Luca was born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Her parents, from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, were visiting family in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
when she was born. The couple stayed in Philadelphia for five years after Vanessa was born but soon had to return to Italy. Wanting Vanessa to have more opportunity in life, they decided to leave her in the United States with her Aunt while they worked on becoming US citizens back in Italy. When Vanessa was eight her parents returned to the United States and moved to Philadelphia. Vanessa and her family struggled through life in the United States but made the best out of what they had. De Luca attended West Philadelphia High School
West Philadelphia High School
West Philadelphia High School is a secondary school located in the West Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.The school was completed on November 1, 1912. and occupies an entire city block between 47th and 48th streets, between Walnut Street and Locust Street...
from 1997 to 2001, graduating with a 4.0 GPA.
Modeling
While working at a local Philadelphia restaurant at the age of 17, De Luca was spotted by a representative from Wilhelmina ModelsWilhelmina Models
Wilhelmina Models is a modeling agency founded in 1967 by the model Wilhelmina Cooper and her husband Bruce Cooper in Manhattan Starting in 2010, Wilhelmina Models started a sub-brand called "Digital Empire Modeling" for new digital-era modeling talents....
. De Luca and the representative had a brief conversation, and soon De Luca was in the studio working with Wilhelmina Models.
In 2005 De Luca finally got her big break. While on vacation in New York, De Luca knew that Baby Phat
Baby Phat
Baby Phat is an urban fashion line of clothing and other items for women and girls. Besides clothing, the brand also includes accessories for phones, jewelry, shoes and fragrances. It is the corporate "sibling" of the clothing brand Phat Farm created by Russell Simmons. Baby Phat uses a sleek cat...
was looking for new models and took a chance and interviewed. It paid off and De Luca became the newest member of the Baby Phat team. In 2006, after working with Baby Phat for nearly a year, De Luca did a shoot for DKNY
DKNY
DKNY is a label of fashion designer Donna Karan. It is also the name of a clothing store in New York City featuring Donna Karan's associated line.-History:...
and an additional shoot for Pelle Pelle
Pelle Pelle
Pelle Pelle is an urban fashion brand designed by Marc Buchanan. Pelle Pelle was launched in 1978 and started as a leather outerwear company. The brand was also the first brand to launch the designer baggy pants...
with then-boyfriend Marques Colston
Marques Colston
Marques Colston is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft as a supplemental compensatory pick. Following the trade of receiver Donté Stallworth, Colston was inserted into the starting lineup for week 1 of...
. In 2008, however, De Luca became tired of the New York life and wanted to move to warmer climates, and decided to leave Baby Phat.
In August 2008, after three years of working with Baby Phat and meeting everyone that was anyone in the hip hop and acting community, De Luca decided to move south to Miami. When De Luca arrived in Miami she was immediately hired by Jägermeister
Jägermeister
Jägermeister is a German 70-proof digestif made with 56 different herbs and spices. It is the flagship product of Mast-Jägermeister SE, headquartered in Wolfenbüttel, south of Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, Germany.- History :...
to be a Jagerette (model/spokesperson).
2009 was the most successful year of De Luca's life. In February of that year she was offered a lucrative deal to be a model and spokesperson for Jimmy Choo
Jimmy Choo
Dato' Jimmy Choo, OBE, born Choo Yeang Keat, is a Malaysian fashion designer based in London, United Kingdom. He is best known for founding Jimmy Choo Ltd that became known for its handmade women's shoes....
. Since working for Jimmy Choo, De Luca has done shoots and met with clients in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Miami and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
De Luca is currently in talks with Maxim magazine
Maxim (magazine)
Maxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, sometimes pictured dressed, often pictured scantily dressed but not fully nude....
to do a shoot in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
where the magazine is based.
De Luca Salon
In 2002 De Luca suffered the loss of her grandparents, both citizen of TuscanyTuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
. De Luca's grandmother, Arietta, was the owner of the De Luca Salon. When Arietta died in 2002 she left the salon to Vanessa.
De Luca's life was very busy and very schedule oriented, and she did not have much time for the salon, so her mother went back to Tuscany to run the day-to-day operations. Every three to six months De Luca would take time to visit the salon and make sure everything was just the way Arietta would want it.
De Luca Salon is still the most prominent salon in Tuscany.
Music videos
In early 2009 while dating rapper Juelz SantanaJuelz Santana
LaRon Louis James , better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper, producer, and actor. He appeared on Cam'ron's 2002 singles, "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma"...
De Luca briefly appeared in the video for "Rocking That Sh!*" by R&B artist The-Dream
The-Dream
Terius Youngdell Nash , better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is known for co-writing "Umbrella" for Rihanna and "Single Ladies " for Beyoncé, as well as for his three solo albums, Love Hate, Love vs...
.
Also in 2009 De Luca appeared in a video for rapper Mack 10
Mack 10
Dedrick Rolison, , better known by his stage name Mack 10 is an American rapper and actor. He was a member of hip hop trio Westside Connection, along with Ice Cube and WC...
for the song "So Sharp".
Again in early 2009 De Luca appeared in the video for the song "Every Girl" by the up and coming Young Money Entertainment
Young Money Entertainment
Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend Mack Maine. The label is an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Universal Republic Records...
.
Soon after shooting the video for the song "Every Girl" De Luca made an appearance in the video for the song "Bedrock" also by Young Money Entertainment.
Personal life
While living in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 2006 De Luca began dating a childhood friend from her days in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Marques Colston
Marques Colston
Marques Colston is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft as a supplemental compensatory pick. Following the trade of receiver Donté Stallworth, Colston was inserted into the starting lineup for week 1 of...
. They soon decided to split up because of the conflicting schedules with her being a model and him being a receiver for the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
of the NFL.
In the winter of 2008 De Luca began dating rapper Juelz Santana
Juelz Santana
LaRon Louis James , better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper, producer, and actor. He appeared on Cam'ron's 2002 singles, "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma"...
, whom she met through Kimora Lee Simmons
Kimora Lee Simmons
Kimora Lee Simmons is an American fashion model, and former president and Creative Director for Phat Fashions.-Early life:...
formerly the Creative Director of Baby Phat
Baby Phat
Baby Phat is an urban fashion line of clothing and other items for women and girls. Besides clothing, the brand also includes accessories for phones, jewelry, shoes and fragrances. It is the corporate "sibling" of the clothing brand Phat Farm created by Russell Simmons. Baby Phat uses a sleek cat...
but currently the CEO of Phat Fashions. They dated until early 2009 soon after De Luca left New York to move to Miami.
In early 2009 while in Miami De Luca briefly dated NBA player Michael Beasley
Michael Beasley
Michael Paul Beasley, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association . He plays both forward positions, and shoots his jump shot left-handed, though he is also ambidextrous...
of the Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
.
Soon after shooting the "Every Girl" video in 2009 De Luca began dating R&B singer Lloyd
Lloyd (singer)
Lloyd Polite, Jr. , who performs under the mononym Lloyd, is an American R&B recording artist, who experienced as a member of the group N-Toon before embarking on a solo career in 2004....
, whom she met through close friend Lil' Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
.
De Luca currently owns two homes in Tuscany. One is her personal home, and the other is for her parents who in 2002 moved back to Italy after the death of De Luca's grandparents.
De Luca also bought her aunt a home in the Chestnut Hill
Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Chestnut Hill is a neighborhood in the Northwest Philadelphia section of the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Boundaries:Chestnut Hill is bounded as follows:...
neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Currently De Luca resides in the Brickell Park area of Miami.