June 12, 2023 · By Tatiana McCrea

Community Interview #1: Bunni Designs

Hello there, and welcome to our first (of many) community interviews! My name is Tatiana and I am the owner of DevilsMilk! I pride myself on being apart of the MOST kickass communities out there!

Today, I welcome Bunni from Bunni Designs to this interview! I originally met Bunni years ago at a convention! They are a huge inspiration, and a huge reason we got into clothing! You can even find a collaboration we did with them here.

Let’s get to the good part!

“Welcome! I'm so glad you could do this interview, let's get this ball rolling! Can you please introduce yourself? What name do you like to go by?"

“I'm Bunni!"

"Great to have you, Bunni! I know you dabble in the arts, could you please talk about what you do?"

"I create digital art inspired by my own whimsical tastes and favorite fandoms! I then apply this art to wearables and accessories."

"That is so neat!! How long does it normally take you from concept to release to put a final design together?"

"Oh, wow that's hard to say! It varies a lot on how much free time I have and the complexity of the design. If I had to pick an average, I would say two weeks; but I have had some designs that take years."

"Do you have a favorite design you would like to talk about? What makes it your favorite?"

"It's hard to pick a favorite, but right now I'd have to say my gingham skater dresses that feature fruit from the Animal Crossing games. It's a playful design that makes me smile whenever I wear it or see it on others."

"I can say from personal experience that the supplier you go through creates some very comfy clothes! Is it hard to find suppliers, and when you do is it hard to stick with them? Or do you feel a sense of brand loyalty?"

"The main supplier I use was recommended to me, but my search in finding others has been a bit disappointing and intimidating. I prefer to stick with ones I've got history with, but I also want to broaden my options. I'm always seeking out the best, or better quality and suppliers who have experience making extended sizes!"

"That's completely understandable. I know for me (DevilsMilk), it's hard to stray away from what you know works, because you don't want to potentially disappoint others (customers). What I love about your brand is you work diligently to include people of all backgrounds and sizes. Is that intentional (to emphasize inclusion)?

"I've found that ordering multiple samples and wearing them, or having friends wear new apparel items helps a lot when experimenting with new suppliers. It can be expensive and time consuming endeavor when you're a small brand. As you know, our resources are much fewer than big corporations.

Inclusion and representation are things I feel very strongly about in every area of life, so I definitely want my brand to reflect that and try my best to do so."

“I think you do an excellent job in doing so! It is extremely important, as people of the world aren't perfect cookie cutters. I (DevilsMilk) feel the same way- with diverse backgrounds, sexualities, etc.

Where did you come up with the name 'Bunni'?"

"Aww shucks, thank you! Yeeeessss!! Represent!!

'Bunni' has been my nickname since I was a teenager. I can't even remember who said it to me now, but someone mentioned that my nose was small and cute- like a Bunny's. I started going by that, and over the years, it merged into 'Blue Bunneh'. (I still have an AOL email address with that hahaha).

When I started doing design work, I changed it to 'Bunni' because I thought it looked cuter (hehe)."

“That's super cute! I always think it's interesting that a good portion of people have their nicknames from when they were younger become part of who they are as they grow older.

Do you have anything else that you would like to add or share with the world?"

"Make sure you follow me on social media!"

“You can find Bunni's social media below! Before her socials links is one of her pieces (my favorite). Those colors are phenomenal! You can click on the picture to go straight to the listing."