Benno Bulang

Benno Bulang is a German model from Dresden whose career began with a chance encounter at a Berlin metro station. Discovered during the May Day celebrations in 2015, he made his runway debut a few weeks later as a Prada exclusive for spring-summer 2016. That rapid introduction brought him into a generation of menswear casting defined by slim proportions and unconventional faces.

His first season also included Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, and Dior Homme, followed by shows for Raf Simons and Gucci. Willy Vanderperre became an important early collaborator, photographing Benno for magazine work as well as Prada’s spring 2018 campaign. The relationship extended his association with the house from runway casting into its advertising imagery.

Campaigns for Lanvin and Just Cavalli helped establish his print career alongside the shows. For Paul Smith’s fall 2019 advertising, Benno took on a more particular role, appearing in images that recalled photographs of the designer himself. Theo Sion photographed the campaign around a replica of Smith’s original Nottingham shop.

Magazine work gave him room for more theatrical transformations. His portfolio includes Vogue Hommes and L’Uomo Vogue, alongside a WSJ. Magazine story photographed by Gregory Harris. In a 2020 editorial for Man About Town, Oli Kearon photographed him in archive pieces from Charles Jeffrey’s Loverboy line, with Jeffrey himself styling the story.

David Sims photographed Benno for UNIQLO +J’s spring 2021 campaign, adding Jil Sander’s collaboration to his advertising portfolio. Later editorial assignments include Men’s Uno Hong Kong and Esquire Japan. His runway career continued alongside those photographs, taking him back to Dries Van Noten and onto the Hermès catwalk a decade after his Prada debut.