Lil Wavi
Lil Wavi (Instagram display name WAVI) is a fictional CGI male fashion and streetwear influencer made as the digital model of the streetwear label Waviboy. NYLON (Nav Gill, 4 Dec 2020, updated 20 Feb 2024) credits British creative Wolf Groom, who started Waviboy at 17; I-D (9 Jul 2018) calls the creator Emily Groom, a London-based creative director and founder of Waviboy. Described as a hypebeast with face tattoos, grills, icy blue eyes and cyberpunk jewellery, inspired by Lil Miquela and Shudu. Groom says early realism upgrades were dropped after a couple of months. NYLON reported nearly 16,000 Instagram followers in 2020; the account now shows about 10.2K with 14 posts, the newest 3 Jan 2022, so it appears inactive.
- IG Followers
- 10.22K
- Since
- 2018
- Last updated
- 15 October 2026
- Nature
- AI persona
- Niche
- Fashion
- Style
- Cartoon
- Debut
- 2018
- Origin
- London / UK (per I-D: Groom London-based)
- Created by
- Wolf Groom
Summary
Lil Wavi (Instagram display name WAVI) is a fictional CGI male fashion and streetwear influencer made as the digital model of the streetwear label Waviboy. NYLON (Nav Gill, 4 Dec 2020, updated 20 Feb 2024) credits British creative Wolf Groom, who started Waviboy at 17; I-D (9 Jul 2018) calls the creator Emily Groom, a London-based creative director and founder of Waviboy. Described as a hypebeast with face tattoos, grills, icy blue eyes and cyberpunk jewellery, inspired by Lil Miquela and Shudu. Groom says early realism upgrades were dropped after a couple of months. NYLON reported nearly 16,000 Instagram followers in 2020; the account now shows about 10.2K with 14 posts, the newest 3 Jan 2022, so it appears inactive.
Is Lil Wavi AI?
Yes. Lil Wavi is a fictional CGI streetwear influencer, the digital model of the label Waviboy, created by London-based creative Groom (named Wolf Groom by NYLON and Emily Groom by I-D).
Both press pieces describe Lil Wavi as a computer-generated character, and the person behind him says so directly. NYLON (2020) calls him a CGI influencer who is "technically not real", made by Groom with gaming elements, Photoshop and video editing. I-D (2018) quotes Groom saying the team "code garms for him to wear and pass on the data through the computer", and describes him as an avatar with his own Instagram account. His Instagram bio says "not entirely human" and names Waviboy Studios.
No page names a human who performs, voices or models as him, so this is not a hybrid persona. The only human attached is the creator, who built and runs the character rather than appearing as him. The two outlets disagree on the creator's first name (Wolf in NYLON, Emily in I-D), and both use she/her for Groom. That looks like one person under two names, but neither page settles it.
What is not known is how the images are produced day to day, or who writes the posts now. The Instagram account has 14 posts, the newest from January 2022, so it appears inactive. No TikTok, YouTube or platform AI label was recorded. The verdict rests on the creator's own statements, not on a platform tag.
Evidence
NYLON describes Lil Wavi as a CGI influencer who is "technically not real", created by Groom as the model for the streetwear brand Waviboy.
nylon.comIn I-D (July 2018) the creator calls Lil Wavi a CGI avatar and a digital model who models Waviboy's line, and says they code the clothes and pass the data through the computer.
i-d.coThe Instagram bio reads "creative director of Waviboy Studios" and "not entirely human", and the account is run as a character rather than a person.
instagram.com
Assessed 15 October 2026
Audience over time
How their audience has moved
Followers · Instagram
10k
Read once so far, on 15 Oct 2026. The line starts with the next reading.
Tracked since 15 Oct 2026. Each platform is read about once a week.
@lil_wavi
External Links · 4