Vogue Vignette is a collective of fashion artists led by the talented Stephanie Jimenez Schiller – who drew the cover of this May 2023 issue! Stephanie says she started drawing as soon as her hands could hold a crayon and that in high school she would illustrate and design classmates’ prom dresses! We chatted with her to learn more about her art, business and ambitions for the future.
When did you decide to make art a career? In 2010 I started teaching fashion illustration at Austin School of Fashion Design and it was there I realized I could create a career in art. I spent about six years working on personal and corporate commissions for clients and made a lot of great work that I’m still proud of, but I didn’t know a thing about running an actual business. After years of being unbelievably broke, I sought help from Artist Inc. and two business mentors from SCORE, Richard Jankowski and Michael Harkin. They helped me turn my whimsical visions into a sustainable business plan.
When did you start Vogue Vignette? I officially formed Vogue Vignette in August 2017 as a solo artist and aspiring entrepreneur. My main focus was on live fashion sketching for events. Since then Vogue Vignette has worked for some of the biggest names in the fashion industry like Fendi, Kendra Scott, Louis Vuitton, Neiman Marcus, Salvatore Ferragamo and Tiffany & Co.
How many people do you have now? Vogue Vignette represents six of the most talented fashion artists in the country. We also have a stellar booking manager, my Mama, event assistants and a top-notch social media manager. I have big plans for the company and our artists and am excited to see where the future takes us.
How long does it typically take you to turn a person into a sketch? When we’re on-site at an event, sketches can take between 5-7 minutes for an ink illustration with pops of color and 10-12 minutes for a full color illustration. All of us slow down when we’re at home and those same sketches can take twice to five times as long. We have time to erase, start over or make revisions. It’s hard to be that kind of a perfectionist when there’s a line of people in front of you.
What career accomplishment are you most proud of so far? I’m most proud of the murals that I painted at Austin Community College’s Highland campus. There’s a trio of murals in the Fashion Incubator that showcase a diverse group of fashion designers and their work; Issey Miyake, Isabel Toledo, Josep Font and Ann Lowe. It was one of the first times I put myself out there and asked for what I wanted. It sparked a whole movement in me to be bolder.
What’s on your career bucket list? So many things. I’d like to have a solo exhibition and retrospective of my fashion and abstract artwork. I’m a bit of a hoarder when it comes to my artwork and am ready to get it out into the world. I’ve also been dreaming of illustrating a children’s book and finally turning my ‘Illustrated History of the 1960’s’ series into a coffee table book. This is also really random and I’ve never said it out loud but I’d love to create a short animated musical. I’ve been singing and illustrating since I was a little girl and to pull those two together would make the little girl in me just lose her mind.
Is it stressful to see long lines at an event while you’re drawing? It’s both stressful and stimulating. It really gets the adrenaline pumping and I’m always amazed at the output I’m capable of by the end of the night.
What do you love about what you do? I love the interactions I get to have with people at events. It’s so important to me that my interactions with people are experiential, I want them to feel seen, admired and celebrated.
Anything you’d like to add? It’s been 13 years since I started illustrating professionally but I do think that even after all this time, I feel like I’m just getting started… again.
