In Pictures: 11 Brands getting fired up for Lunar New Year

As the Year of the Dragon looms, luxury and premium brands from around the globe are banking on specialised Lunar New Year collections to draw in their desired consumer. Alongside the exclusive lines, such labels are also feeding buyers with standout campaigns, each designed to encapsulate the seasonal holiday and its deeply historic traditions. Ahead of the occasion, which is to take place February 10, FashionUnited has rounded up some of the most notable campaigns and collections for this year.

Barbour

British outerwear specialist Barbour entered the Lunar New Year race with a six-piece collection honouring Chinese traditions. A plaid shirt, sweatshirt, cap and scarf are among the curation, as are two classic Barbour designs – the wax jacket and diamond-padded coat, both with a special label embroidered into the lining. At the core of the collection is a bright red hue, which the brand said was featured as a statement colour to symbolise success and good fortune.

Boss

For its own celebratory collection, Boss collaborated with novelist and calligrapher Feng Tang on a dragon-themed capsule that drew inspiration from Chinese calligraphy. Inspiration from the art form’s characters and patterns can be seen throughout the line, while the symbolic dragon is placed at the core as the hero motif. Both men’s and women’s pieces complete the collection, merging the brand’s signature collegiate-style and gender-neutral classics with an aesthetic that aims to radiate a Chinese festive spirit.

Burberry

In keeping with the brand’s signature codes, Burberry’s Lunar New Year collection focused on British wardrobe archetypes, showcasing features like houndstooth checks and rose prints with a refreshed twist aligning with the festive period. The looks were showcased in a dedicated campaign shot in Chengdu and sported by the brand’s ambassadors Tang Wei and Chen Kun, among other models and influential figures.

MCM x Bape

In what is now the duo’s second collaboration, German luxury label MCM and Japanese streetwear brand A Bathing Ape (Bape) came together on a capsule for Lunar New Year. The pieces merge Bape’s recognisable motifs with MCM’s signature Visetos monogram, resulting in a selection of co-branded products that aim to offer a playful take on graphic applications. Among them are a Shark Hoodie, backpack, belt bag, pouch and tote, which sit alongside other MCM silhouettes, each reimagined with Bape’s own streetwear twist.

Tommy Hilfiger x Clot

Tommy Hilfiger also favoured collaboration for its own seasonal collection, partnering with Clot on a line that celebrated the streetwear label’s 20th anniversary. Inspired by Chinese youth culture, the duo worked together on 23 “bold new classics”, rejuvenating Hilfiger archive pieces in what looked to portray an “East-meets-West sensibility”. Among the offerings are that of a reversible bomber, tracksuit, rugby shirt and crewneck, each emblazoned with dragon prints and other co-branded monograms further cementing the sense of collaboration.

Self-portrait

Han Chong’s Self-portrait was another to launch a dedicated Year of the Dragon special this year, appointing a cast of notable women – namely Malaysian model Ling Tan and actress Carina Lau – to lead the campaign, shot in Shanghai by longtime brand collaborator Leslie Zhang. Like the brand’s coinciding Lunar New Year collection, the imagery draws on the annual tradition of sharing rituals, paying tribute to the holiday with looks inspired by the cheongsam – a traditional Chinese gown.

Fendi x Pokémon x Fragment

Italian fashion brand Fendi partnered with game franchise Pokémon and Hiroshi Fujiwara’s streetwear label Fragment on a celebratory collection of apparel, bags and accessories. Suitably, the stars of the collection were dragon-type Pokémons, including ‘Dragonair’, ‘Dratini’ and ‘Dragonite’, who each featured on various staple pieces, such as Fendi’s iconic Peekaboo and Baguette bags, among others.

Miu Miu

Coinciding with the release of its fourth Upcycled collection, Miu Miu has unveiled an accompanying campaign to both introduce the capsule and celebrate the impending Lunar New Year. In it, pieces from the circular ‘Denim and Patch’ bags collection can be seen alongside polo shirts, cardigans and cashmere slips, with a particular emphasis on upcycled jeans. It is also the first collection to include bags among the upcycled offering, with the Miu Miu Upcycled Patch bag, made out of “leather remnants” from the brand’s designs, existing as a core product.

Prada

Like its sibling brand, Prada also set about making a dedicated Lunar New Year campaign. For it, a series of portraits depicting the essence of arthouse cinema capture a number of notable Chinese figures – among them, supermodel and actress Du Jaun, and the face of Yang Fudong’s film First Spring, Zhao Lei. The talents are displayed amid a contemporary Chinese cultural scene set in the Prada Rong Zhai residence, both sporting a selection of exclusive men’s and women’s ready-to-wear and accessories, some of which incorporate the brand’s circular Re-Nylon concept.

Mulberry

Together with Lebanese designer Mire Mikati, Mulberry celebrated the Year of the Dragon with a capsule collection of bags, ready-to-wear and accessories that each look to showcase the season’s “joyous spirit”. A dragon animation is at the core of the line, appearing as a motif alongside an array of bright tassels, braided straps and fringing. Among the highlights are refreshed takes on Mulberry’s Clovelly Tote and Mini Tote, as well as its signature Antony messenger.

Valentino

Putting a particular emphasis on the house’s mainstay hue ‘Rosso Valentino’, the luxury fashion label Valentino launched its own Chinese New Year collection for 2024 with a series of red adorned garments that aim to deepen the brand’s reverence for local culture. Ambassadors Yang Yang and Yang Zi are at the forefront of the campaign, each donning a selection of the exclusive collection, including a red VLogo Jacket, the Garavani VLogo Signature slingback, the VLogo Loco mini bag and One Stud sneakers.