Natalie Vest-Jones has been shaping a new narrative for BIPOC and queer creatives in the fashion and media landscape. As the founder of The Sanxtuary magazine and now Sanxtuary Studio, she’s building a platform that centres authenticity, resilience, and cultural storytelling—both in front of and behind the camera. With the release of Issue 04: The Lucky & Blessed Issue, and the launch of Sanxtuary Studio, her vision has never felt more timely. We caught up with Natalie Vest-Jones to talk about expansion, creative resistance, and building culture from the ground up.
Sanxtuary has been a bold space for BIPOC and queer creatives. What felt urgent or necessary about expanding from a magazine into Sanxtuary Studio, and why now?
Sanxtuary Magazine felt like an urgently needed space in an industry where the work of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) and queer creatives is too often stolen & whitewashed- so we created a space where it is instead platformed and celebrated! Sanxtuary Studio, our new creative agency extends this mission by helping brands accurately represent the diverse audiences they’re speaking to, while still delivering elevated and boundary pushing fashion, beauty and culture based campaigns. This is needed especially now in a time where brands are being punished for DEI, and authentic representation in brand campaigns are being attempted by board rooms of white executives. Sanxtuary Studio is here to help audiences feel properly seen, and help brands communicate better!
→ Dive into more stories of cultural innovation in our interviews with boundary-pushing creatives across fashion, music, and art.
Issue 04 is themed “The Lucky & Blessed Issue,” celebrating joy, gratitude, and creative resilience. What does feeling lucky and blessed mean to you personally at this stage of your career?
This theme was very much about stopping to smell the flowers, and being appreciative of the things and people we do have, in times where our humanity is being tested. I’m just happy to be where I am, and even though it’s quite tough out there currently, I feel lucky to have perseverance! I’m going to keep pushing my career and try to enjoy the journey.
Sanxtuary Studio aims to help brands “move with the culture — not against it.” How do you ensure that cultural alignment and authenticity stay at the centre of every campaign you take on?
Because Sanxtuary is a BIPOC & queer run space, this helps us maintain authenticity in everything we do, because there is no “middleman” to water down the culture based storytelling we inject in our work. We are run by creatives who not only have their own lived experiences to pull from, but also have their ears to the ground and know what’s going on in the world. Having such a diverse team allows us to produce work that really resonates with an equally diverse set of audiences- especially gen Z audiences.
You’ve spoken about the industry’s history of erasing BIPOC and queer creatives. How did those experiences shape your philosophy for both the magazine and the studio?
Everywhere you look you can see this happening. It happens across brands, educational institutions, and other fashion organizations- designers appropriating aspects of people’s culture as a “trend” that they drop next season, or universities with no POC lecturers. As a WOC myself, I know what it feels like to have to work twice as hard, and yell three times louder, for a drop of recognition – and I’ve met so many others who relate to this- so I felt empowered to create a space so others don’t have to shout so loud. The Magazine has platformed so many amazing BIPOC/ queer creatives, and now with the Studio we’ll be able to have an impact on people outside of the industry who will get to see themselves inspired and accurately represented through some of their favourite brand’s campaigns.
With Sanxtuary Studio, you’re translating cultural insight into visuals, strategy, and storytelling. What does that process look like from the moment a brand comes to you with an idea?
It really varies depending on on the project, but essentially it’s all about taking the message that a brand would like to communicate, and creating something exciting, fresh, sleek and in line with their ethos- with the added assurance that with Sanxtuary Studio, we’ll be creating something backed by our cultural insight and our unique point of view! We can help with every step of the process from concept ideation to creative production, to roll out strategy and outreach! Or we can always help with general creative consulting – which can be super helpful for brands needing that insider insight!
Issue 04 exclusively spotlights BIPOC and queer creatives across fashion, beauty and culture. What stories, aesthetics, or conversations in this issue feel especially powerful or necessary to amplify right now?
In this issue there are a lot of conversations specifically about how lucky we are to have each other, and the value of community! There’s also some discussions on manifestation, appreciating your roots, and alternative ways to attract good things into your life which I feel are very important right now. We’ve also got some beautiful editorials in this issue surrounding friendship, guardians, good omens, and recovery- all the things that make you feel Lucky & Blessed!
Representation is often discussed only in front of the camera, but you emphasise who is behind the camera too. How do you build environments where diverse creative teams can thrive and lead?
With Sanxtuary Magazine, we exclusively work with BIPOC and/or queer creatives on all editorials & articles! That means everyone (from stylists, MUAs, photographers, artists, writers, etc) who is typically working super hard behind the scenes, is BIPOC/ queer- not just the models! First of all you can imagine how fun it is on our sets haha- but this means we have the opportunity to create work that feels truly representative of our ethos of platforming these creatives! While we won’t have 100% of the creative freedom with the Studio clients as we do with the magazine, we know we can still make work that’s equally exciting and authentic no matter what the brief – we’ll be tailoring & personalizing the work to the client, but the creative’s we work with are bringing fresh and diverse perspectives!
As Sanxtuary expands into both a magazine and a creative agency shaping culture, what future impact do you envision — both for the platform itself and for the wider creative landscape it’s helping shift?
I can’t wait to see Sanxtuary grow and raise the overall standard of the industry when it comes to inclusivity and representation. Even though it’s our niche, I would love to see the whole industry step up. I think we’ll show others how it’s done- and eventually there won’t be any excuse as to why other brands or creative agencies can’t inject more care into this aspect of their campaigns and work. I hope more creatives across the globe can find our magazine so they can feel the unique and warm community we’ve built! It’s always the brands that are willing to take risks and try something new and boundary pushing that get the most success and excitement, and as a Studio we can’t wait to work with them!