As a Savage x Fenty model who’s routinely photographed in lingerie, Connecticut-born Lulu Bonfils – aka @louisvuittoncrocs – is an obvious poster girl for living your best life in your nicest pants. 

In addition to walking for Rihanna, working with MAC, and sitting for Canadian painter Chloe Wise, Bonfils is also an artist with an inspiring drive – a practice established early on. “My mother is a painter, so I grew up with an art-centred lifestyle, it was very normalised,” she says. “I’m always creating, because it’s what I feel I need to do. There’s an inner push that creates a necessity to be constantly working; my drive comes from that compelling need.”

Encouraged by those close to her in both the fashion and art worlds, Bonfils, now based in Brooklyn, is keen to use her platform in a positive way, making art that excites people whether via modelling, sculpture, or drawing. “I’m surrounded by so many people who are like-minded, ambitious, and have the same drive to keep doing more,” she concludes, “it keeps me going and gives me the inspiration I need.”

What issues or causes are you passionate about and why?

Lulu Bonfils: Helping young women with chronic illnesses – namely fibromyalgia, a condition I’ve had for the past seven years – as well as the complicated battle of mental illness in the new and confusing society we currently have. These are important because they’re issues I battle with daily, and many of my followers reach out to me voicing similar problems, so I feel compelled to help every one of them with tips I’ve learned along the way.

When it comes to your work, what are you most proud of?

Lulu Bonfils: Being able to do beauty campaigns as a plus model, which feels groundbreaking because people don’t consider plus models as ‘regular models’ (a term that means nothing now). I’m also proud of my ability to expand what I thought was possible and to go into unknown territory as an artist.

What creative or philanthropic project would you work on with a grant from the Dazed 100 Ideas Fund?

Lulu Bonfils: I’d like to put on a group art show with artists that I deeply admire. With the project, I hope to achieve the feeling of wanting to create art after looking at amazing pieces, so I’d definitely have a space for guests to create with free materials. I would also love to create something formulated for people suffering from fibromyalgia, like a survival kit with all the things I personally use to tackle symptoms.