One Woman’s Journey from Industry Novice to Wrap Expert
by Abby Bowman
Jess Bonifacio was hooked from the moment she first saw a bumper wrapped. The then-20-year-old Phoenix resident was making a living as a go-go dancer and breeding reptiles at a pet store when she reconnected with an old high school classmate. He invited her to visit him at the high-end wrap shop where he worked.
“It totally blew my mind to watch him take what’s essentially a two-dimensional sticker and fit it to a bumper with a torch,” Bonifacio says.
That’s when she knew she’d found her new career.
“‘I want to do this,’ I thought. ‘Why shouldn’t I?’”
Her former classmate, Mike Shedd, got permission from the shop owner to hire her as an apprentice. Shedd and Bonifacio became a couple and worked at that shop together for about two years.
“Long story short, we had a falling out with that owner,” Bonifacio says.
She and Shedd decided to start their own business.
Now, 10 years after Bonifacio watched Shedd wrap that bumper, the two own Phoenix, Arizona-based Wrapsesh under the personas “Vinyl Vixen” and “Slim Sheddy.”
Building a Brand
Bonifacio had taken on the moniker and created a webpage for her brand, Vinyl Vixen Wraps, while she was still an apprentice.
“I made that page when I started wrapping to promote women being in the scene,” she says, adding that it ended up gaining so much traction that she and Shedd’s customers frequently refer to the business as both Wrapsesh and Vinyl Vixen Wraps.
Bonifacio describes her own branding as “girly, cutesy and galaxy-themed.” The Vinyl Vixen motto is “Slay in Color.”
“I have a very colorful personality,” she says. “I’ve always been like that, the black sheep. I look at it as a superpower. It’s not a weakness. It’s something that makes me ‘one of none,’ and I’ve built my brand off of it.”
That branding grabs attention in multiple ways, Bonifacio says. Using herself as the face of the brand in an industry with a predominantly male client base was a deliberate choice.
“You can’t deny that sex [appeal] sells in the car world,” she says. “If you have a girl and a cool car, you’re going to automatically get more views than seeing a guy with a car. That’s just how it is.”
For Art’s Sake
Her brand’s bold, colorful theme is another big draw to all genders, says Bonifacio. She says Wrapsesh has more female clients than the average wrap shop. Her Vinyl Vixen brand complements Wrapsesh’s edgy, Americana aesthetic and appeals to anyone seeking a unique, artistic wrap job.
Bonifacio showcased her wrap skills and artistic talent at SEMA 2025, where she did a multi-layer wrap on a Thundercat at the Mutoh booth. The car belonged to a repeat customer.
“It was my client’s first time at SEMA, so I decided to stick with a purple theme, because that’s always his theme,” she says. “I also asked myself, what can we do that nobody’s done before? What will blow people out of the water?”
She ended up using clear, auspicious cloud PPF to make the design shape-shift.
One of the biggest lessons Bonifacio has learned is to focus on collaboration rather than competition.
“The people at the top are looking to collaborate,” she says. “People at the bottom are looking to compete.”
Bonifacio particularly enjoys collaborating with and encouraging other women in the industry. She says she receives messages from many women just getting into the business.
“They’ll say, ‘I’m not being taken seriously. These guys think I’m a joke,’” she says. “I tell them that how you carry yourself is the most important thing … You bring something different to the table, and you can market yourself differently.”
“When I walk into a room, I [command] respect as a business owner, a female installer and a wrapper because my work can back it up,” she adds.
Abby Bowman is the editor of Window Film Magazine. Email her at abowman@glass.com and connect with her on LinkedIn.
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