T he crisp air of autumn rounds the corner, and renewal is at the top of entrepreneur Vanessa Simmons’ mind. Draped in soft brown and green hues and radiating a calm, confident energy, Simmons illustrates her exciting new ventures in wellness and fashion as I listen intently, slowly soaking in all her inspiration. Each venture Simmons pursues fits like a glove, showcasing how well she’s filled the enormous shoes of her famous family. Simmons does more than fill those shoes; it upholds the Simmons family name through fashion, wellness, and entrepreneurship. Simmons owns the title of entrepreneur and mother to her ten-year-old daughter. That same pride stretches into the business acumen that runs through her family’s veins. As the eldest daughter of the famous Rev Run—one-third of the renowned hip-hop trio Run-D.M.C.—and the niece of business mogul Russell Simmons, Vanessa Simmons embedded herself in the entrepreneurial game at a young age. Now, she’s generously sharing her wellness journey while rekindling her innate love of fashion. For Simmons, this autumn is a continuous season of grace and growth. “Entrepreneurship is huge in our family,” Simmons says. “We’ve seen multiple businesses being built over the years, and it’s always been a passion of mine.” Simmons’ humble energy understates the empires her family has built through hip-hop and beyond. Her father, Rev Run, raised a large family after spending the end of the twentieth century leaving his mark on the hip-hop genre. In 2005, the world got a sneak peek into hip-hop family royalty through the reality TV show Run’s House. The show aired for six seasons, and Simmons’s father inadvertently changed the reality television landscape in the same ways he took the hip-hop genre to legendary heights. Simmons’s uncle, Russell Simmons, has had just as illustrious a career. After elevating his early role as a hip-hop promoter, he co-founded the major hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings. Along with revolutionizing hip-hop with his brother, Russell Simmons built the major fashion brand Phat Farm while furthering his entrepreneurial pursuits in health and lifestyle. It didn’t take long for Vanessa to follow in her family’s footsteps, co-creating the sneaker empire Pastry with her sister Angela Simmons in 2007. “I think fans got a[n] early view into me and my sister building our first company, Pastry, which was amazing, and it was just an incredible journey for me,” Simmons states while reminiscing on her early TV years.
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