Here’s the puffer bag that took Singapore by storm. Meet The Paper Bunny!

If you look at the trend on TikTok that shows what “every Singaporean girl” wears, you’ll see that most of these TikToks show the same Puffer Bag.

It’s The Paper Bunny Puffer Swing. It’s a shoulder bag that people waited in line for…for up to six hours! But The Paper Bunny didn’t become popular overnight.

It actually started as a stationary shop by a woman who left her career in law.

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✨ Childhood hobbies

Ever since she was a child, Jaime Lee loved designing things. “I used to hand-make elaborate cards for my loved ones, but I would get bored of folding and sticking over and over again,” she shared.

She became a successful lawyer, but never lost sight of her creativity. In 2010, she had the idea of designing wedding invitations for her friends!

Jaime’s friend taught her some basic software–it was love at first sight. “I could design something that was still my own work, and it could reach many more people,” said Jaime.

She quit her job at a law firm and started working at a commodities company. “I wanted to explore my curiosity during the evenings,” she said.

So she started taking graphic design classes at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. There, she not only designed wedding invitations, but custom stationery too!

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🐇 Leap of faith

In 2013, she co-founded The Paper Bunny with her husband, Justin Tan. At the time, not many Singaporean brands were selling stylish planners, journals, notebooks, and other paper items.

And the Internet looked very different. “There was very little e-commerce,” she said. “It was such a gray area. The learning curve was steep.”

For the next three years, Jaime juggled her full-time job, her family life, and The Paper Bunny.

At one point, Jaime was planning an event for a client—right before she gave birth to her child! Eventually, she quit her full-time job, focusing on making The Paper Bunny business grow.

⭐ Big bets

Jaime realized that people saw the love she poured into her brand. “They wanted more products or pieces that had the same heart, design principles, and storytelling.”

That’s why they don’t confine themselves to only making certain products—like “just stationary” or “just clothing and stationary”. But they were very intentional to not just carelessly launch product after product. Each must have the essence of The Paper Bunny.

So, in 2018, they made a big bet and moved into lifestyle, going beyond just their paper-based products.

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🚀 Nowhere to go but up

And it paid off! In 2021, Jaime opened a flagship store for her bags, lifestyle items, and accessories.

By 2023, no one could deny that The Paper Bunny had taken Singapore and beyond by storm.

You saw their Puffer bags go viral on TikTok. People would line up for hours just to buy one of the bags. Even people from overseas were scrambling to get their hands on a puffer bag, hiring personal shoppers to line up and buy the bags for them!

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🌟 Here and now

Over ten years after their opening, Paper Bunny also started working with big brands like Starbucks, Coach, and Singapore Airlines!  

Today, The Paper Bunny continues to bring joy to people’s lives in over 50 countries like Australia, Thailand, South Africa, and the UK.

When Jaime started The Paper Bunny, she had no way of knowing what lay ahead. But taking the leap of faith made all the difference–now, she gets to live a life she’s truly passionate about.