Bunni: The Name Chose Her

Bunni was born on Valentine’s Day 2022, in a bedroom, in front of a giant painting of an elven creature. Naomi Rush, the model and performer behind the persona, was staring at the painting when inspiration struck. She had no wig, just a mullet, some clip-in extensions and a set of makeup brushes. She teased her hair into what was meant to be two horns. The more she looked, the more they looked like bunny ears. She swapped the Y for an I. The name chose her.

It is a fitting origin story for someone whose whole approach to drag feels instinctive rather than constructed.

Drag has always been an extension of my femininity

“It’s naturally one thing that always blended into one for me.” she says. Where modelling asks her to inhabit someone else’s vision entirely, drag hands her the steering wheel. “I have complete creative control over everything I wear in drag. Working as Naomi, I have to be able to trust someone else’s vision completely and mold myself around a team.”

LEFT – Dress: Viktor Fedorov // Shawl: Arielle Uno-Ekwang // Gloves: LeMay // Tights and Heels: Stylists Own
RIGHT – Dress: LeMay // Head Piece: Models Own

That trust in other people’s visions has brought her into collaboration with some genuinely remarkable creatives, none more significant than designer William F. Henderson. “There is truly nobody like Willie,” she says. “He’s a dear friend of mine and essentially the main source of clothing for our drag family MODE, heavily inspired by the fantastical and by feminine fantasy. Willie has known me through every stage of drag, and has also seen me through every stage of my transition. It’s elating to be able to flourish with people you hold so close to you.”

That sense of chosen family runs through everything Bunni does. Transworld, the all-transfemme cabaret show she co-curates at The Divine alongside Nyongbella, Willow Stone, Lala Dangereuse and Dakota Schiffer, grew out of exactly that spirit. It began as a fundraiser cabaret Bunni put on to help fund her own transition. Three of the eventual Transworld cast were in that show. Dakota and Nyongbella came to watch and support. The collaboration that followed was, in Bunni’s words, inevitable. “Stepping out into the crowd at Transworld is so indescribable. We’ve sold out every show we’ve put on.” She pauses on what that means. “Especially within the ongoing negative conversations surrounding transness from those outside of the trans community, it’s so beautiful to see so many allies and trans faces in the crowd.”

Corset and Skirt: William Henderson // Heels and Necklace: Stylists Own

The negative conversations are something Bunni navigates daily. “It has become increasingly difficult to not allow myself to be overwhelmed by the negative ways trans people are treated,” she says. “But I am incredibly privileged to have found a safe space where I can try and release those inhibitions, even if it’s just for one night.” On what a safe space actually means to her, she is precise.

I don’t think I was able to understand what a safe space was for me until I became sober. I soon realised I was using substances to mask in social settings, which led me to heavily question whether the places I’d find myself in were right for me. A safe space to me is somewhere I can be myself entirely, without any external pressure, where I can feel loved with no expectations on how to be.

Dress: Viktor Fedorov // Shawl: Arielle Uno-Ekwang // Gloves: LeMay // Tights and Heels: Stylists Own

The trans community itself has been that for her, even as the wider cultural moment makes simply existing feel like a form of resistance. “The way we have continued to band together against those that are painfully ignorant and bigoted is such a validating sign of our resilience,” she says. “However it does get so tiring having to be resilient when all you want to do is just be.”

On stage, Bunni offers something different. She chooses songs that feel dreamlike, holds eye contact, keeps every movement intentional. “I’d love for someone to feel like they’ve connected with me in the moments where I’m looking them straight in the eye.” She rarely hears the audience’s reaction while performing, too focused to take it in, and often comes offstage convinced she did badly. It’s only in the dressing room afterwards, in the videos people show her where she can hear the crowd, that she realises. “That’s the only time I realise I’ve actually done a good job.”

Coat: Viktor Fedorov // Corset, Tights, Bag, Necklace, Earrings, Heels: Stylists Own

Asked what glamour means to her beyond the surface of it, she doesn’t hesitate. “Glamour for me has always been an illusion. It’s how to present yourself in your highest form, to project however you wish to be seen by those around you.”

If she could perform for a younger version of herself, she knows exactly what she would lip sync. Primadonna by MARINA. “The entire Electra Heart album was on repeat constantly in my adolescence. And all I ever wanted was the world.”

You can catch Bunni at The Divine on 2nd November for a chosen family fundraiser supporting a member of her community’s medical transition, and at Transworld next year.