ARTISTS

Jeffrey Fulvimari
1994-1998

Jeffrey Fulvimari attended the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Cooper Union in New York City, where he studied photography, video, and conceptual art, receiving a BFA in 1985. He started his illustration career in 1993, which began with commissions for Barney’s New York and Interview magazine. Around that time Fulvimari created a set handmade books and postcards that he sold at friend’s shop in the West Village. Lobell spotted one of these books, which included the artist’s phone number in the back, and contacted him about doing some illustrations for the new makeup line she was planning. In an exclusive interview with the Makeup Museum, Fulvimari reflects on the design process. “I remember she wanted them in ballet slippers, and she wanted a light bulb in one of the scenarios...to symbolize the quotes from notable females that were on the lids of the cardboard containers. I think she pretty much left a lot up to me. The Stila girls were really right off the pages of my early books and postcards. And they were basic line drawings, to go with the basic recyclable cardboard aesthetic of the packaging.” Lobell confirms she gave Fulvimari more or less free reign on the original illustrations. “I knew of Jeffrey from a friend - he had drawn something for me for my business card as a makeup artist before Stila. I didn’t give him a lot of direction - more basics like hair color, etc.” Fulvimari left Stila in 1998 to pursue his career in Japan, but remained close to the company throughout the years.

Caitlin Dinkins
1998-2009

Caitlin Dinkins received a BFA in art from UCLA and an MFA in Painting at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. In 1998 Dinkins was working at an art gallery when a friend approached her about illustrating for Stila. Dinkins’ aesthetic embodied a more graphical, streamlined approach as compared to Fulvimari’s slightly looser, painterly lines. Dinkins further defined the Stila girl and become a leader during the 2000s penchant for fashionable brand mascots, such as Henri Bendel’s “Bendel Girl”. Dinkins stayed with the brand for 11 years, ultimately becoming Creative Director. In 2009 Dinkins left Stila to take on various new illustration projects, and expand into the interior design arena. “I feel like the Stila girl has grown up,” she stated in an interview. In 2011 Dinkins partnered with Minh Nguyen to establish Zoe Bios Creative, an L.A.-based artist collective, where she currently represents fellow artists and designers.

Naoko Matsunaga
2009-2013

Tokyo-born, LA-based Naoko Matsunaga studied studied art and fashion at Esmod Japon. After completing her degree she worked as a professional designer, patternmaker, and illustrator in the fashion industry for nearly a decade. In 2006, she took the plunge into becoming a freelance illustrator, and three years later began creating the illustrations for Stila. Under the direction of Creative Officer Jill Tomandl, Matsunaga generally stayed true to Dinkins’ early style for the Stila girls.