From The Straits Times    |

Homegrown brand The Paper Bunny has gone from producing only stationery to offering an assortment of lifestyle products including bags, bottles and clothing over the past seven years. We got its founder and creative director Jaime Lee to tell us about how she keeps the brand relevant and how she overcame the biggest challenge in her entrepreneurial journey.

What made you evolve the brand?

The Paper Bunny started off designing stationery pieces to add positivity and design into everyday desk essentials. However, as our customers grew with us, the demand for more everyday pieces created with the same aesthetic and heart led us to develop into a full lifestyle brand.

While our range of products have evolved and grown, the heart of the brand has always remained the same—to inspire wonder, light and appreciation of life with every encounter with the brand and the pieces we offer, through a holistic integration of form and function, good design and positive sentiments.

It seems like the designs are more mature now. Is this a reflection of the brand’s growth?

As the team and customer base grew, our design aesthetic and preferences also grew with us. It is intentional to the extent that this is an evolving of our own desires of what we want to carry and use and wear ourselves—we create pieces that we love ourselves, and hope that our community will love them too.

What makes The Paper Bunny planners relevant in this digital age?

You’d be surprised by the number of people who still rely on good old pen and paper to organise their thoughts and get things done! But in all seriousness, our planners are so much more than just a calendar—we created them to be practical everyday companions. They allow you to have an overview of your entire month so you can plan the specifics of each week, and also offer inspirational quotes bi-weekly and a gratitude space weekly so users can be intentional about being grateful.

They are by-products of years of refinement based off customer feedback and took nine months to create—it’s hard work and heart work. The feedback and loyalty of our planner users keep us going, knowing that it is impacting our community every single day.

What inspires your designs?

It changes all the time and can be anything from nature to fashion and so much more. Colour is really important to me and my design team and this comes through in all our pieces and works.

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had in your entrepreneurial journey and how did you overcome it?

My biggest challenge has always been self-doubt. I think that no matter where you are in your entrepreneurial journey, there are always moments where you’re not sure if you’re able to keep going, or what the next stage would be. This also hits us harder as we’re women.

I remind myself every day that I am here for a purpose—creating and leading with a purpose so it shouldn’t matter what other people are doing. Success looks different for everyone and I want to define my own as having made an impact on my team and our TPB community every single day, whether it be in my personal dealings with them, through the pieces that we create, or the content that we share.

You’re celebrating your anniversary, and we are too! How has it been thus far?

Happy Anniversary to Her World! It has been an exhilarating ride—one filled with ups and downs but looking back, I’m glad we pressed on every low season and celebrated every win. We would not have been able to make it to our seventh year without a team which also believes in what we do and who genuinely care about each other and care about our community.

Growing a brand and continuing to pivot through the different seasons are not easy but I’m thankful and so grateful and so proud for what we have achieved together.