From carving their career as a Drag Race UK fan-favourite to becoming an internationally-renowned fashion icon, bestselling author and musician, Bimini’s latest venture is perhaps their most daring yet – to make everyone (including your mum and Jeremy Corbyn) wear latex with their new fashion label, Bonyx.
Joining our call for the first exclusive interview ahead of its launch, Bimini is already casually wearing a latex vest piece at home, in a bid to prove their belief that latex can be an every day wardrobe staple.
“I’ve been wearing the samples since the summer and getting feedback. We started having conversations about wanting to make it accessible because a lot of people will only associate latex with sex because it is sexy,” they share. “I wanted to pull inspiration from this and make pieces that you could wear in the office if you’re a bad bitch – you could wear it walking down the road.” Just like Bimini, Bonyx if for those that don’t play by the rules.
In this exclusive first-look interview, BRICKS founder Tori West dives into Bimini’s journey, the creative process behind Bonyx, and their vision for a fashion brand that truly reflects their working-class values and the spirit of community.
I know you’ve got many fingers in many creative pies. Could you tell us a little bit about this new fashion chapter of yours – what made you want to start a fashion label?
It feels like quite a natural progression. In the past, there have been conversations about potential projects but it’s never felt quite right. I’ve always wanted to work in fashion. My Mum, [who is] from a working-class background, had her own little clothing store in Great Yarmouth. I used to work in her shop on a Saturday, that was my first look into fashion – I mean, look – it wasn’t the fashion I wanted to be looking at. I was looking in Vogue while selling crosshatch T-shirts to middle aged men. Fashion has always been a tool for me, in everything that I do.
I remember first going to charity shops and wearing ripped fishnets and fur coats – I was Kate Moss. To me, fashion feels natural, it feels authentic and real, and so does working with latex. I love latex. I’ve always worn latex. It’s always been a staple for me… just look at my Getty Images!
Bonyx is for somebody that wants to be a bit rebellious. It is for someone who wants to play around with their style and bring in a bit of punk. It’s been a long process, I remember going away in April, and that was when I first started doing the designs and coming up with all the concepts and the ideas. I locked myself away in a farmhouse in Sussex, it’s been fun.
Anytime there’s excess latex, we make accessories. Any off-cuts that are there, we keep them, and then we can try and figure something out from that as well.
Coming up with a name when it’s such an important thing for you personally, can be such a challenge. How did you decide on the name, Bonyx? Were there any specific inspirations behind it?
We were going back and forth for about six months, no joke, there were so many different different names. So basically, Bimini Bon Boulash, my name, originated from my mum’s cat. My mum had this gorgeous white Persian cat, and it was called Bonnie Boulash. I wanted to pull references from that. So we were working through names like Bonnie. Then Bonyx got thrown into the mix, and it felt different. It felt quite unique. It felt like something I hadn’t heard or seen before. It feels a bit naughty. It looks strong, it feels strong.
I know that you’ve been sneakily wearing some of your pieces, I think you’re wearing one now? In doing this, what were the biggest challenges that you’ve had to overcome – did you have any specific feedback?
I am wearing it right now! The trench coat was the big baby, like, the big one. We worked her out a few times because I wanted it to be wearable. The trench coat zip is two tier, so you can either wear it as a full trench or as a sexy little trench dress. It was about getting that right, because that’s quite a difficult thing to do, especially working with latex, because it obviously can be quite tricky material. We were just wearing the pieces. I’ve been wearing the samples since the summer, and getting the feedback. I also put my partner in the campaign because he hadn’t really ever worn latex before. We went to one of the after parties at Fashion Week, and he got so many compliments on it. It was actually quite reassuring. The reaction when it’s been worn out has been really, really positive. I’ve been wearing it when I DJ, worn it on a red carpet, been wearing it just going out for dinner. I wanted to have pieces that can be statement, but you can also dress down.
You’ve been so embedded in London nightlife culture and fashion, even before drag race fame, are you going to be incorporating any of those creative endeavors into your brand?
For sure. I mean, I have been wearing it just to go to the club. I really want to get the brand in raves. You know the Opia girls? I want them to be repping it. That kind of underground club culture. It’s really important to have that community element with it. I just want people to feel cunt. There’s some real key accessories that I love. For example, there’s a latex tie. Even if someone doesn’t want to wear head to toe latex, but still wants something a bit fruity. You shine that up, you put that with a shirt. You’re going to look great, it’s exciting. I feel like it’s exciting. I hope that people, when they see it, and if they buy it and they wear it, they’re going to feel like a bad bitch.
When celebrity brands are launched, there’s often a question mark around how involved they actually are in the business and the creative process. Can you explain the intricacies that you are involved in? Because this brand is such an extension of you.
That’s what I’ve always wanted it to be, an extension of me. I’ve been involved in pretty much every decision that we’ve made. It’s been a super involved process, from everything at the beginning like choosing the very specific type of latex that we use. There was a lot of collaboration through that process, but then also on the stuff that isn’t necessarily directly on the design side of things. So from the website, to thinking about the marketing and how we want to portray it, what the tone of voice is, all those kinds of elements to it. I’ve been involved in every element of it on a daily basis. Inboxes, across email, WhatsApp, phone calls, it’s been busy for the last year.
That’s the thing about us working-class bitches, we just do our own bitch work, don’t we?
Right! I don’t want to just put my name to something, I want to be fully involved. When I was coming up with the ideas I was trying to pull in references of what was happening in the now, there’s obviously that kind of Western Gothic vibe. Western Gothic meets matrix, sexy, brave, underground vibe. I’m excited to make content for Christmas. I’m gonna put my whole family in latex. There is that rebellious nature to it, but it’s also not so serious. You can have fun with fashion, and I think that’s so important, and it’s so embedded in the ethos.
Could you tell me about why you’ve chosen to work with this fabric specifically? How do you plan to make latex garments a more everyday wearable item?
I think latex is something that I’ve always worn, even before drag. I started dragging in 2017, so there are incredible latex designers that I’ve worked with in the past, I’ve always really admired the fabric. Latex is so unique, it’s sexy, it’s mysterious, it’s rebellious. Not everybody will want to wear it – and that’s fine, but for those who do, it should be accessible. We’ve done background research and really used that to create the collection. That’s why we used the colour black; 90% of people surveyed said that they want to wear black. Black is an accessible colour, it’s a staple. I think more people would wear latex if it was something that was accessible and easy to wear. That’s why some of the accessories are so important to the collection. You can just style an outfit and just elevate that, or make that outfit and pop a bit more with a bit, you know. It’s entry level latex, that’s what makes it accessible.
We wanted to make it accessible to as many people as possible – some of our accessories are twenty quid. We definitely wanted to have an array of different prices that were accessible to different audiences.
Growing up, I often found myself feeling financially rejected from fashion. I simply couldn’t afford to be a consumer of my favourite labels. Is that something that you tried to tackle in terms of accessibility?
It’s always been about that, every conversation we’ve had, because latex isn’t the cheapest material to work with. We wanted to make it accessible to as many people as possible – some of our accessories are twenty quid. Obviously there’s some high end pieces, they’re more of the big statement pieces, like the trench. We definitely wanted to have an array of different prices that were accessible to different audiences.
Sustainability is at the core of this label. You wanted to avoid the fast fashion sector, which is imperative in this current climate. Could you tell me a little bit about the processes you’ve made to ensure these things aren’t overlooked?
It’s all made to order, so it’s not a shit ton of stuff being made in bulk and then just sitting there. You’re getting something that has been handcrafted. That’s a big thing for me, it’s slow fashion. I’ve worn this vest so many times now. You’ve got to look after latex, you’ve got to give it love, it’s a material that you’ve got to learn to love and learn to work with. Because of that, it’s going to be there for a long time. Another reason why I think accessories are so important, they remove a lot of waste. Anytime there’s excess latex, we make accessories. Any off cuts that are there, let’s keep them, and then we can try and figure something out from that as well.
More emerging or independent designers are rejecting this idea of the typical fashion calendar in order to promote slow fashion and sustainability. Where does Bonyx stand on this?
We are not rushing anything. It has taken a long time from the initial conversation, to this point. We’re not doing the typical February and September collections. We want to feel organic, and I think that the audience will appreciate that. I would really love for the brand to host an anti-fashion week party. No guest list. Like, if you want to come and party, then come! I remember first moving to London, going to the Somerset House, standing there in hope that I was going to make it into a fashion show. I felt like there was such an air of exclusivity. Not everyone, especially the working-class, could get access to that. Fashion should be for everybody. So there’s definite conversations we’re having where we want to create an accessible community around the brand.
If you could get someone in latex that wouldn’t normally wear the material, who would that be?
Do you know what? Jeremy Corbyn, that’s who I want. Jezza. It’s gonna happen, the unexpected people. I want people who aren’t your everyday fashion icons in Bonyx.
As we head into 2025, what can we expect – do you have any specific goals or something you’re really looking forward to doing now that it’s out in the world?
I am excited to see people that might have never worn it to get their first piece. Yeah, like, Jeremy Corbyn. I want to have a community styling board, and get everybody involved with the brand. I just want to see people wearing it, I want the cool club kids in it. This is the start. I’m really looking forward to growing with it.
Bonyx is out now and available to shop via Bonyx.co.uk