It had occured to me as I was making an iced coffee: how many people my age were doing the exact thing, using oat milk because of stomach issues? I did a bit of research and as I had figured, non-dairy alternatives are increasingly popular (Staropoli, 2022) and a high number of Gen Z and millennials were oat milk fans (Bissel, 2022). Even more, most Asians are lactose intolerant (Bapat & Nehru, 2022). Thinking even further, I realized oat milk was more of a lifestyle than just a food staple; many people avoided dairy as it can make them more prone to issues like acne (Sachar, 2021) but there was also that association with healthy living, in a “that girl” era of Emma Chamberlain matcha lattes and yoga. 

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

In essence, oat milk as a lifestyle. I figured it would be cool for an oat milk and activewear/lifestyle brand to collaborate. I did a bit of digging for local brands, and found Oatside (an oat milk brand) and The Paper Bunny (a lifestyle brand). I was looking for brands that could meet in the middle in terms of aesthetic, but also had similar values. I can’t say for sure if both brands would collaborate in real life, but the concept of an activewear/lifestyle brand and an oat milk brand collaboration is something I think could work as they likely target similar lifestyles. 

 

Concept Planning

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

I wanted the collection to combine Oatside’s aesthetic and The Paper Bunny’s muted colour palette. I picked what both brands were consistent with aesthetically. I had an idea of having the primary graphic be a self-care spa day for the two characters: Oatside’s bear mascot and Paper Bunny’s bunny drawn in the same style. I started with a rough sketch and then transferred it to Illustrator to finish off. Following Oatside’s design aesthetic, I used the pen tool to create more organic shapes. I wasn’t too great at this drawing style, so I worked around that by hiding most of the body in milk to make it seem as if they were taking a relaxing soak. 

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

The collection consists of things people would use everyday, including a metal bottle to hold their oat milk drink.

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

I worked on this project to demonstrate my ability to identify trends and concept ideation. I think the base idea is there, but it could maybe be improved design-wise. Overall, I think I partly fulfilled my original objective, but there are probably some aspects of this collaboration concept I’m missing, which is something that would improve with experience. 

 

In terms of work process, I find that my work process has improved alot. I’m much better at prioritizing things, so if I find myself spending too long on something, I move on. I also didn’t get frustrated at all working on this, as I broke up the process between working on my other blogs.