At age 22, Vanderloo entered the University of Amsterdam to study history. He began modeling after accompanying a model girlfriend to a photoshoot. Vanderloo has been the primary model for Hugo Boss black-and-white print ads and billboards since 2005. He has also worked for Calvin Klein, Valentino, Armani, Banana Republic, Donna Karan, Trussardi and Guess. Vanderloo is signed to Wilhelmina Models in New York City. In addition to his work in the fashion industry, Vanderloo's likeness was used as the default model for the male version of Commander Shepard in the video games Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 for Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3 and Wii U. Vanderloo made a guest appearance on Cycle 11 of America's Next Top Model in 2008.