Model eating noodles from a Nine Lives takeout box

CAMPAIGN

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Nine Lives · Speculative brand + fashion extension

Nine Lives

A late-night noodle brand run by a very unimpressed cat.

ROLE

Creative Director + Art Director

SCOPE

Identity, Packaging, Fashion Extension, Film

STATUS

Self-initiated concept
AI-assisted production
Invented brand

DELIVERABLES

Mark · Packaging · Fashion Bag · Film

DIRECTION

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I started with the cat, not the logo.

THE IDEA

I wanted to create a noodle brand with real personality, so I started with a character: a grumpy black cat. If the cat worked, it could carry the packaging, a fashion piece and a film.

CREATIVE DIRECTION

The cat is built into everything. Its ears are the flaps on the takeout box, and its tail turns into a noodle running down the side panel. The graphics stay red and black, with a blocky wordmark that reads at a glance.

THE STYLING

I styled it like a high-end fashion campaign, even though the concept was intentionally ridiculous. I dressed the model in a dramatic black lace gown and paid close attention to the details: her skin texture, freckles and slightly undone hair.

I liked the contrast between the glamorous styling and the gritty subway setting. Keeping the imagery realistic made the unexpected moments even more fun.

MY ROLE

Concept, naming, identity, packaging and product design direction, image creation, film direction and edit.

Nine Lives takeout box with cat-ear flaps

Long vertical panel graphic: the cat's tail as a noodle

Side panel · one very long tail

The box · ears up

The mark · unimpressed, on purpose

THE FASHION BAG

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Satin drawstring bag with cat ears, a cat-tail pattern and noodle fringe

I wanted the bag to feel like something you’d actually want to wear, not just branded merchandise. I carried the cat’s identity into the design, using its tail to create a repeating silk pattern and adding fringe that hangs like noodles. The cat ears complete the design, so even the smallest details connect back to the original character.

Fashion extension · black, cream and burgundy satin

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FILM

Film development

I developed the film scene by scene, creating key images to establish the styling, camera angles and action before animating them. Working this way helped me keep the character, bag and visual direction consistent as I built the film.

Key frame 1: model in a black lace gown seated on the subway, holding the Nine Lives bag

01 · The setup. A late-night subway ride. Evening gown, handbag, end-of-the-night exhaustion.

Key frame 2: close portrait of the model on the subway with chopsticks in her hair

02 · The beauty beat. Chopsticks hold her hair up. One pull changes the look.

Key frame 3: the Nine Lives bag opened, with chopsticks lifting noodles out of it

03 · The reveal. The handbag opens. Inside? Noodles.

Key frame 4: the model eating noodles straight from the Nine Lives bag on the subway

04 · The payoff. Dinner, straight from the bag.

Midnight noodles. To go.

I wanted the film to feel like a fashion campaign, until it takes an unexpected turn.

She’s heading home after a night out. Still in her gown, exhausted and hungry. She pulls the chopsticks from her hair, letting it fall, then opens her handbag to reveal piping-hot noodles.

It’s completely ridiculous, which is exactly why I liked it. The styling and cinematography make you expect one thing, and the noodles deliver something entirely different.

Nine Lives — To Go · 0:15

Speculative, self-initiated work. Nine Lives is an invented brand. Images and film produced with generative AI tools under my creative direction.

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