Oatly’s S/S2025 Look Book: oat milk goes couture

Les points-clés en français au bas de l'article

Oatly has recently added an unexpected feature to its website: a Spring/Summer 2025 look book, i.e. a curated selection of “very hot recipes for hot and cold days” presented like a fashion editorial – a format reminiscent of La Petite Maison’s Déjà Vu vintage magazine, which we analysed here.

Barista Sketchbook meets fashion editorial

The look book opens with a visual feast and a sensory explosion: milky, syrupy liquids ripple from the top of the screen, sensuously filling dewy glasses. The resulting marbled textures and jellyfish-like diffusion effects offer a tactile, almost hypnotic experience. This immersive entry point transports the viewer into a torrid summer mood – and into a new cultural territory for the brand.

Also referred to as a “Barista Sketchbook”, the section draws direct inspiration from a Vogue-style editorial. The minimalist layout, characterized by its split-screen design, elevates the content, projecting high-end sophistication while maintaining the playful, irreverent Oatly voice.

Focus on typography: fashion x quirk

Typography plays a key role in building the tone:
• A serif title font used for cocktail names: closely echoes Vogue’s iconic typeface, with vertical stress, strong contrast between thick and thin strokes and fashion-forward elegance, which evoke sophistication, craftsmanship and timelessness, while adding a commanding feel – reinforced by the all-caps usage.

• A sans-serif typewriter font used for publication dates underneath and in the “Recipes” and “Lookbook SS25” text boxes above: adds retro authenticity, literary undertones, and a subtle nod to DIY culture, reinforcing Oatly’s unconventional ethos.
The text boxes, which mimic old-school industrial labelling, suggest sections/subsections and imply that this is only the beginning of a broader creative series.

• An oversized “Oatly” logo in a hand-drawn, cartoonish, bubble-style font, which creates a striking visual twist. With its sticker-like appearance, it contrasts sharply with the elegant editorial fonts, as a cheeky reminder pasted on at the last minute: “We may look like Vogue, but don’t get confused – we’re still Oatly.” This deliberate clash reinforces the brand’s playful dual identity: stylish, yet subversive.

Layout & content: From lab notes to elixirs

Each recipe is displayed like a double-page magazine spread, structured as follows:
• Left: cocktail name and publication date, placed over a grid background evocative of graph paper. This background adds both visual texture and a wink to science-lab rigor, as if each drink were a carefully engineered creation, reminiscent of a high school biology sketchbook.

• Right: full-bleed, high resolution photography of drinks styled like luxury elixirs. Think rich, indulgent textures, vivid color palettes, carefully curated garnishes (Oatly ice cubes, raspberries on cocktail picks), and moody lighting. Standouts include the Lacto-Fermented Blueberry Matcha with its otherworldly hues and The Coconut Matcha Cloud, erupting like a botanical volcano.

• Below the image: the recipe itself – ingredients, tools, steps – accompanied by tips, fun facts and tongue-in-cheek comments (fictional anecdotes on the origin of the recipe, the feeling you get when you choose that particular drink, etc.)

Beyond the website: Oatly’s Instagram playground

And the fun doesn’t stop there. Oatly’s Instagram is packed with posts inspired by the recipes in the lookbook – only in ways you wouldn’t expect. Think: an “Ube Matcha dryer tutorial” or a Cherry Bakewell Dirty Soda mixed using vacuum-sealed ingredients moved by a dry cleaning conveyor.

Random and genius: this is Oatly’s distinctive voice. A brand with a list as long as your arm of creative campaigns that disrupt conventions – beautiful, yes (especially here); boring, never.

Hedonism and the rise of Barista (nightlife) culture

As oat milk becomes mainstream and faces pushback amid renewed interest in “real” (animal) milk, plant-based brands need to navigate both growing competition and increased scrutiny. The original narratives built around health and sustainability are making room for a new conversation, one centered on taste and culture.

As “Barista culture” is growing, many brands have developed their specific range - renowned experts like Minor Figures or MOMA but also mass market brands like Alpro or Bjorg.

But where Oatly outpaces the herd is in its ability to go beyond mere packaging polish. It doesn’t just imply style, it orchestrates it, fully. It also cleverly taps into the no-lo culture – naughty, nighty cocktails with zero alcohol but all the ivresse and allure.

A Masterclass in brand reinvention

With its Spring/Summer 2025 lookbook, Oatly turns oat milk into something stylish, mischievous, and alive. These aren’t just drinks; they’re attitude-filled experiences. Even the simplest recipe (No Brainer, a post-gym shake) is served with swagger:

“Let the prepubescent gym bros play around with the plastic bottle shakers as you exit the workout space after a sweaty sesh with this booster poured into an oversized coupe glass stuck between your index and middle finger, serving them their first life lesson in style and taste.”

This is what great branding looks like: the ability to evolve without losing identity, to stay consistent while constantly surprising. Stylish? Absolutely. Predictable? Never.

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Les points-clés en français

• Oatly a récemment ajouté sur son site un Look Book Printemps-Été 2025 : une sélection de recettes à base de lait végétal présentées comme des cocktails ultra-chics
• Un nom et un format directement importés de la mode, avec une mise en page 100% inspirée du magazine Vogue : minimalisme, agencement de l'espace, utilisation des polices d'écriture, photographie hyper-travaillée
• Un look book qui fait coexister deux univers : celui de la mode et d'un lifestyle sophistiqués et celui d'une marque impertinente qui aime le décalage (les vidéos réalisées pour relayer les recettes sur l'Instagram d'Oatly sont la meilleure illustration de cet esprit "random et génial")
• Alors que la catégorie s'essouffle un peu, nombreux sont les acteurs qui choisissent de se positionner sur le terrain de la "culture barista" (vs. les arguments santé et environnement des débuts), en créant de nouvelles gammes
• Là où Oatly se distingue, c'est dans sa capacité à faire vivre ce territoire de manière inédite et parfaitement alignée avec son ADN de marque, tout en établissant un pont habile avec la culture no-lo : des cocktails au lait d'avoine qui n'ont rien à envier, en termes d'allure et d'attitude, à leurs équivalents alcoolisés