BUMBLEINO: THE MODEL WHO TURNED FASHION INTO A JOKE

Bambi has never looked particularly interested in taking fashion too seriously. And thank God for that. As @bumbleino, she has developed the kind of visual identity that makes you want to stop scrolling — playful, eccentric, hyper-feminine one minute and completely ridiculous the next.

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She has the face, the clothes and the modelling presence, but what makes her especially interesting is the sense of humour running underneath everything. Bambi understands that looking fabulous and being completely stupid for the camera can happily coexist.

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Actually, they might be better together. That instinct is a huge part of OPIA, the fashion and nightlife universe she created with Bautista Botto-Barilli. What began with the pair making deliberately absurd fashion skits and pretending they were already famous has grown into one of London’s most distinctive queer cultural projects. (Dazed Digital) And the comedy isn’t some marketing trick bolted onto a fashion project afterwards. It is baked into the DNA.

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OPIA plays with the ridiculousness of fashion culture — the posing, the status, the outfits, the parties, the obsession with being seen — while simultaneously understanding exactly why those things are so much fun. Bambi and Bauti have created characters around themselves that are knowingly excessive, glamorous and completely unserious, but underneath the joke is a very sharp understanding of how fashion actually works. They make fun of the machine while becoming part of it. That is quite a talent.

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Bambi’s modelling career fits naturally into this world because she already possesses the quality that OPIA celebrates: personality. She doesn’t disappear into an outfit. She gives it a character. Whether she’s appearing in a fashion editorial, surrounded by the wonderfully chaotic OPIA crowd or performing for the camera, there is always a sense that something slightly unpredictable might happen. And then there is the styling.

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Vintage references, exaggerated silhouettes, camp details and unexpected combinations all become part of her visual vocabulary. Nothing feels too precious. The clothes can be beautiful and ridiculous simultaneously — which, frankly, is where fashion tends to become most exciting.

OPIA has taken that philosophy far beyond Instagram.

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The project has grown from a London queer rave into a much wider cultural platform encompassing fashion, photography, performance, interviews and collaborations, while deliberately championing the people and creativity already bubbling beneath the surface of the city’s nightlife. It has even moved into runway territory, with OPIA presenting fashion events that place queer and underground talent directly into the spotlight. (Dazed Digital) Bambi is therefore more than the model in the picture.

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She’s part of the machinery creating the picture. She helps shape the joke, the fantasy, the styling and the atmosphere. And that is what makes her so refreshing.I n an industry that can sometimes become obsessed with looking expensive, serious and important, Bambi understands the power of being funny. She understands that a ridiculous outfit can be brilliant.

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That a joke can become a movement. That a party can become a fashion institution. And that sometimes the most powerful thing you can do in fashion is simply refuse to behave properly. Bambi doesn’t separate the model from the comedian, the party girl from the creative director or the fashion obsessive from the complete idiot. She lets them all be the same person. And honestly? That’s much more interesting.