Profile: Jerry Stolwijk – From Drag Queen to Fashion Scene

 

“I was one of the first on the scene that looked like a fashion model as opposed to a drag queen,” says Jerry. Based in New York with a killer portfolio packed full of tear sheets, hair and make-up artist Jerry Stolwijk is fondly recalling his days pre-fashion career. “I was inspired by the fashion magazines of the time; Versace, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, it was a case of “is that a boy or a girl” when people saw me.”

 

Today you are more likely to see Jerry credited in the likes of Vogue, Marie Claire, Nylon, Dansk and L’Officiel than on the club scene but for him it was all part of the same process. Growing up in the Netherlands Jerry had always experimented with hair and make-up. By the time he was 15 he got a job in a salon and from there he developed his skills as a stylist training with the likes of Vidal Sassoon, Toni & Guy and L’Oreal.

 

He may have been in the salon by day – but by night he was a go-go dancer on Amsterdam’s thriving club circuit. It was the late 80s, early 90s – clubs such as the Roxy and It were the places to be. “It really felt like that time was the heyday, it was so much fun, all those places just don’t exist anymore,” says Jerry.

 

The go-go dancing soon developed into full drag and it wasn’t long before he found himself in high demand. “I was working clubs all over Europe; particularly Belgium, Germany and Holland,” he continues. As a drag artist Jerry used his alopecia to his advantage, his flawless, hair-free canvas gave him the freedom to dramatically transform his features. “I’ve always been about contouring and highlighting, working with skin tones to bring out the bone structure, back then the make-up was a lot heavier but many of those skills still apply today even though it’s a lot more subtle, he says.”

 

A summer drag gig over in Istanbul turned out to be the location of Jerry’s editorial debut. The salon had introduced him to photo-shoots and catwalk shows and Jerry was hooked. “I not only took the make-up and wigs I would need but some extra kit in case an opportunity came about,” explains Jerry. “People in Istanbul loved the show and I became very popular. Next thing you know I meet the Turkish Peter Lindberg: photographer – Tamer Yilmaz and I am doing the make-up/hair for the cover of Marie Claire.”

 

While the idea of an ex-drag queen doing your make-up could seem a tad scary Jerry’s portfolio reveals an extensive range of looks – some so subtle that they could almost be described as painterly. “I always treat each model as an individual – I’m not all about big lips you know,” he quips.

 

While the drag days have long gone the club has been replaced by the gym. “I’ve gone from drag queen to muscle Mary,” he jokes. As for his career it’s all about constantly evolving; “I get bored easily, that’s why fashion is perfect for me, its all about change.”

 

 

 

 

Jerry Stolwijk work credits:

 

Editorials:  Black Book, Cosmo Girl, Cosmopolitan, Elegance, Elle, German Max, GQ, Harpers Bazaar, Kult, L’Officiel, Madame Figaro, Marie Claire, Massive, Maxim, Nylon, Oprah, Oyster, Rolling Stone, Seventeen, Surface, Vogue.

 

Photographers:  Chris Tribelhorn, David Drebin, David Harenbruck, David Harry Stewart, Davide Cernucchi, Erez Sabag, Howard Schatz, Jimmy Hansen, Jonathan Ornstein, Jose Picayo, Matthias Clamer, Michael Leis, Michael Wirth, Michael Zepetello, Phillip V Hessen, Piotr Sikora, Roger Moenks, Roxanne Lowit, Ruedi Hofmann, Sune Woods, Stratis & Beva, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Tom van Heel

 

Clients:  Avon, Club Monaco, Dove, Escada, Estee Lauder, Lancaster, Macy’s, Max Factor, Michelle Roth, MTV, Neiman Marcus, Neutrogena, Nike, Request, Ricci Andrist, Samsung, Sony, Schwarzkopf, Spiegel, Target.

 

 

 

 

Jerry is represented by Stockland Martel agency in New York www.stocklandmartel.com

 

 

By JoJo Iles