The Vanderbilt heiress and former pop star is now devoting herself to bringing the family dynasty into the 21st century

NEED TO KNOW

• Consuelo Costin launched House of Vanderbilt to modernize her family’s legacy through technology, business ventures and philanthropy
• Her new studio debuts “click-to-buy” technology during New York Fashion Week, helping lesser-known designers gain exposure and fair compensation
• Costin plans to revive Vanderbilt history using holographic technology and celebrate the family’s impactful contributions, especially by women

She’s a rebel heiress with a very good cause.

Consuelo Costin, the Vanderbilt heiress and singer-songwriter (who had a Billboard hit in 2012 with the song “Feel So Alive”) is turning her attention to reinventing the Vanderbilt family business through technology, new business portfolios and a devotion to giving back.

“I feel I have an absolute responsibility to give back, on every level, on everything that I do,” says Costin, who recently launched the parent company House of Vanderbilt.

Born the daughter of Serena Vanderbilt Van Ingen McCallum, Costin says the impetus behind House of Vanderbilt was to bring the family ventures into the 21st century.

“The Pratt side of the family have had a family office for many years, but the Vanderbilts have not,” she explains. “And so, with 27 extraordinary institutions from the Biltmore to Glenham to Vanderbilt University, I thought I could create an impact by aligning our family’s values — not only in investing but also on a massive philanthropic scale.”

One of House of Vanderbilt’s first portfolio company ventures is V&S Global Studios, which Costin, 47, launched with partner Michaela Seewald.

The studio will make its debut during New York Fashion Week with their “click-to-buy” technology, allowing viewers to shop the runway in real time during their show, which will feature lesser-known designers from around the globe. Costin’s point is to help creatives get on the map.

“I’ve been working a long time in this field, being a singer-songwriter myself and working in the creative industry and building SohoMuse, which is like the LinkedIn for creatives,” she says of her other business. “My entire intention is discovering talent, and getting creatives paid. I’ve spoken out about that around the world, because I have such a frustration about creatives not having the right opportunities. How are they seen? How do they get discovered? How do they get noticed? And then, how do they get paid?”

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Costin adds, “This technology will not only allow shoppers to immediately see the price of what’s being shown on the runway, but open up the designers to a whole new world of shoppers from around the world.”

Through House of Vanderbilt, Costin also plans to revive her family’s rich history through holographic technology and to bring some of their extraordinary stories to life.

“Being born in this family, you always wonder, ‘Do I talk about it? Not talk about it?’ But the magnitude of how much has been built by the Vanderbilts and how much the family has done for the country is fascinating,” she says. “And some of the women were the ones doing the most extraordinary things — Gertrude Vanderbilt starting the Whitney Museum, as an example.”

She adds that learning more about her family tree has been the best part of the job.

“I’ve been on this wonderful quest of discovery,” Costin says. “So that’s a beautiful honor for me to be able to really celebrate the women, celebrate the stories, the journeys and bring it forward to the future.”

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