Bonnie Strange – Unfiltered, Unapologetic, Unstoppable

Bonnie Strange is the kind of woman you can’t pin down in a single sentence. Model, muse, musician, mother — and a magnetic queen of self-expression whose fearless style moves through moods and identities. She’s wholly unique, effortlessly flipping the script as she moves from gothic shadows to punk rebellion to candy-coated Barbie.

Always breaking the rules with unapologetic intent, it’s no surprise Bonnie made headlines in the early 2000s as Germany’s original It-Girl — and has been turning heads ever since. Over nearly two decades, she’s carved out a cult-cool status: fronting campaigns for Jean Paul Gaultier, MAC Cosmetics, and Adidas, gracing the pages of Vogue Germany, and lighting up screens on Germany’s Next Topmodel. Today, with 1.5 million Instagram followers and a rising career as a genre-fluid DJ and music producer, Bonnie remains every bit the maverick.

But beneath the bold, rule-breaking exterior lies a rare warmth — an open, childlike innocence wrapped in a quietly inviting spirit. Over a neon-pink sundae cocktail topped with whipped cream and a cherry at her Ibiza poolside villa, she begins to share her story. Playful, unexpected, and unmistakably herself, Bonnie explains how her sun-soaked sanctuary gave her the space to slow down, sharpen her focus, and unlock a fresh creative chapter — one driven by music and individuality, where she could experiment, perform, and be utterly unfiltered.

She landed in Ibiza in 2018 — a new mum, burnt out by Berlin’s relentless grind, craving something softer for herself and her daughter. What started as a quick getaway turned into something permanent: raising her daughter barefoot on the beach, surrounded by nature, finally breathing at her own pace. But it wasn’t just a lifestyle shift — it was a reckoning. “I was a single mother, modelling nonstop, hustling brand deals… and still felt empty as hell,” she admits. “I had the money, sure — but I thought I’d missed my shot, the one thing I wanted — my music.”

The island gave her a reset. Bonnie bought synths, taught herself to produce, and converted her basement into a studio. “Now I make all my own tracks”, she grins. “People said I couldn’t — because I’m a girl, and I was 36. One lesson later, I had my first demo. That was all it took.”

Her music today is an exuberant collision of retro textures and rave optimism. “I love everything — ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, metal, house, Barbiecore, and hard techno. My sets merge genres to spark pure joy, infused with Ibiza’s vibrant energy. People don’t need drugs to feel high — just movement and the exhilaration of music.”

And it’s not just sound — Bonnie’s entire aesthetic is genre-fluid. She blends styles in her wardrobe the way she mixes beats: wild, unpredictable, and brimming with purpose. For her, dressing is less about fashion and more about transformation. “One day I’m goth, the next I’m Barbie. Bonnie is a persona, the DJ is another. It’s not about sticking to one style — it’s all about play. I love dressing like it’s a theme party, even if it’s just Monday. Deep down, I’m actually pretty chill — maybe even shy. But dressing up lets me channel all the parts of myself I can’t explain with words.”

Ibiza only cranked up that freedom. “The real style here? It’s not the turquoise necklaces and white lace they sell. It’s the old-school hippies — the ones who wear whatever the hell they want and don’t care what anyone thinks. That’s the Ibiza I love.” Step into her home and that ethos explodes: pink walls, Catholic relics, alien figurines, vintage chaos, and wigs — hundreds of them. Her dressing room feels more like a fancy dress shop on acid than a closet. The house is a Tarantino dreamscape — jovial, provocative, and definitely feminine. “I can spend weeks here without leaving. I love it”, she smiles.

But Bonnie’s story isn’t all wild wigs and rave sets. Beneath the candy-coloured chaos lies a raw honesty. She didn’t have it easy — and she’s the first to say so. Born in Siberia and raised in Germany, she credits her fire to the fierce women who raised her. “It was just us girls,” she says. “My mum, grandma, and great-grandma — we moved to Germany together, all in one tiny room. My grandma had been a doctor in Russia but worked as a cleaner in Germany as her credentials weren’t valid. She was a force”, she recalls tearfully. That legacy of resilience shaped everything Bonnie is today — and carried her through the quieter, more complex battles, too.

Neurodivergent and discovering she has aphantasia — the inability to form mental images — Bonnie has had to fight her way to self-acceptance. “I used to think everyone was lying when they said they could ‘see’ something in their head”, she says. “It made me feel broken.” But over time, she’s come to believe those very quirks might be her creative superpowers.

“I can’t imagine an outfit. I have to put it on. I can’t visualise a scene. I have to build it,” she explains. “Maybe that’s why I do so much — I need to see it, physically, to understand it.” For someone whose creativity spans fashion, music, visuals, performance — and her own personal art collection — her distinctive sensory approach fuels instinctive and unfiltered artistry.

Looking ahead, Bonnie is crafting her own parties, “Hot Girls” — immersive experiences rooted in sound, style, and joy. “We’re working on something different,” she hints. “But it’s not about hype. It’s about the vibe — early 2000s energy, pink lips, and hot people dancing with no agenda.” In a world increasingly shaped by branding and algorithmic personas, Bonnie remains gloriously uncategorisable. “I’m not one thing. I never have been.” And that, ultimately, is her greatest power.