Happy Chinese New Year! Welcome to the 2025 roundup of Chinese new year fashion campaigns, a Following the Yuan tradition.
The Year of the Snake is a challenging one for brands. The tools in their toolbox are running out, while macro environment continues to create mounting headwinds.
Chinese consumers have become increasingly aware of Western brands’ portrayal and representations of them. At the same time, brands across the board are experiencing budget cuts, as weariness of growing nationalism linger, and sales-boosting traffic stars become bad news.
Not to mention, snake isn’t a culturally significant zodiac sign in China to begin with — especially comparing to dragon last year, which even drove a baby boom amid a population decline — it is also a tough subject to be creative with. There aren’t an abundance of auspicious, non-villain IPs to choose from. Snake doesn’t carry positive connotations in China either, many of us grew up with the cautionary tale of the farmer and the snake.
So, if you take it too literally, like what Prada has done with “We, The Snake” (huh?), you are making it weird. I know you don’t mean to call these famous, beautiful, intelligent people snakes, but it’s hard to keep the mind from wandering there.
CNY 2025 sees fashion brands, especially luxury, taking the safer route.
As “Spring Festival” has been added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list on Dec. 4, brands are adding relevant elements from shadow puppetry (Loewe) to bamboo sculpture (Burberry) in their CNY campaigns to honor Chinese heritage, using far less so-called traffic celebrities.
Ironically, the biggest scandal of the season came from domestic milk tea brand Chagee, which apologized after using Lunar New Year instead of Chinese New Year in an Instagram post. (I will discuss this on LinkedIn this week.)
Negativity aside, my personal favorite this year are from Miu Miu, Arc’teryx, and Loewe, here’s why:
Loewe, as it did last year, artfully answers the topic with the message of “renewal” and shed light on lesser-known Chinese craft. Its short film “Spring Awakening: Dance of the Snake” portrays the seasonal journey of a snake, blending contemporary dance, traditional kite-making, and shadow puppetry starring dancer Xie Xin (谢欣), and feature work from shadow puppetry artist Shen Xintong (申昕彤) and kite-making artist Zhang Xiaodong (张效东).
Loewe’s 2025 CNY capsule collection pays tribute to Chinese craftsmanship with leatherwork inspired by snakeskin, and Chinese cloisonné, an ancient decorative enamel technique.
Speaking of choosing Chinese talent, I’d love to applaud Loewe’s efforts as well as that of premium sportswear Arc’teryx’s. Since 2023, it has been showcasing powerful combinations of sportsmen and artists of Chinese heritage in their CNY campaigns.
I’m still obsessed with their debut CNY campaign, which featured Canadian Olympic climber Alanna Yip comparing sports with art, and Shanghai artist Zinan Lam (林子楠) talking about what surfing means to him.
I’ve been following Alanna (she announced in January that she joined Arc’teryx as an engineer 😭) for years, but the campaign is where I first discovered Zinan, and likewise, the 2025 campaign is where I learned about ice climber Zhou Peng (周鹏) and Emei martial arts inheritor Ling Yun (凌云).
As Chinese sports industry continues to grow and niche sports enter capture the public’s attention one by one, consumers need education, and perhaps that can start from a cursory search of these talents’ background. That’s why I think this format carries a lot more value than similar short films.
Meanwhile, Miu Miu, the world’s hottest brands per Last Index in Q3 2024, did not disappoint its Chinese audiences with highly localized creativity this CNY under “Miu Miu Encounters” series. It stands out from a bunch of cookie-cutter CNY campaigns that mixed and matched elements of red apparel, cartoon animals and celebs.
From a vinyl listening party in Shanghai featuring Brand Ambassador Lexie Liu’s new single to a flower boat oyage in Guangzhou's historic Liwan Lake Park, and popups with ice skate bikes at Beijing’s Shichahai ice rink, Miu Miu manifested her charm and quirkiness IRL. And its playful incorporation of a Chinese knot into its logo for the festive season is just the cherry on top!
I first talked about why luxury brands should maintain an accessible image amid China’s economic downturn in 2022 at a China-Italy Chamber of Commerce event in Shanghai. That message remains relevant, and perhaps even more so these days.
The notion of luxury has changed: Once aspirational during an era of economic growth, it now risks feeling disconnected from middle-class consumers, who are often the source of a brand’s buzz. You may be selling to few but at least your CNY campaigns should feel accessible for all. 🔚
I also LOVE Self Portrait’s campaign featuring Hong Kong actors in a nostalgic cha chaan teng setting, but we ran out of space here to delve into it (see at the end). Here are some other campaigns on the horizon. What are your favorite CNY campaigns this year?
Boss x Creation of the Gods
Boss’s LNY ad is led by actor Li Yunrui, who stars in Creation Of The Gods II: Demon Force (《封神第二部：战火西岐》) is scheduled to be released in Chinese theaters on January 29, 2025, the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Format: Ad, capsule collection
Chinese artists: Actor Li Yunrui
Links: Red Note (released on Dec. 2)
Bottega Veneta
The brand shot the short film, featuring actors Tony Yang, Shu Qi, and Fan Wei in Liuyang, the birthplace of fireworks. The capsule collection features classic silhouettes and signature leatherwork elevated by snake-inspired designs and earthy colourways.
Format: Short film, capsule collection
Chinese/Taiwanese artists: Actor Tony Yang, Shu Qi, Fan Wei
Links: WeChat (released ), Website
Burberry
The synergy between heritage and modernity is celebrated throughout Burberry latest campaign, featuring actor and brand ambassador Zhang Jingyi, and the dedicated capsule collection. The bespoke series features nine sculptures, each handwoven and shaped into abstract, serpentine forms.
Format: Short film, capsule collection, installation
Chinese artists: Actor and brand ambassador Zhang Jingyi (张婧仪), Bamboo sculpture artist Qian Lihuai (钱利淮)
Links: WeChat (released on Dec 2), Website
Dior x Kaws
Dior has partnered with KAWS once again for a new menswear collection in celebration of the Year of Snake in 2025. This reunion is centered around a snake motif shaped like the word “DIOR,” accented by a green apple as the dot on top of the “i.”
Format: Ad, capsule collection
Chinese Artists: Brand Ambassador Deng Wei (邓为)
Link: Red Note (released on Jan. 3)
Dolce&Gabbana
For the Year of the Snake, Dolce&Gabbana launched an exclusive collection and a short film in collaboration with Chinese illustrator Sun Jiayi. It also introduced WeChat mini-program “DG Fireworks Gift Box” for users to send digital greetings with each other.
Format: Animated short film, special collection, WeChat mini-program “DG Fireworks Gift Box”
Chinese artists: Illustrator Sun Jiayi (孙佳艺)
Links: Red Note (released on Dec. 26), Website
GANNI
GANNI collaborates with Chinese female artist Manshen Lo, who’s known for her previous work with the acclaimed Irish writer Sally Rooney’s book cover. The campaign features illustrations inspired by dreams and transformation (蜕变), symbolizing hope for the new year.
Format: Illustration/animation, capsule collection
Chinese artists: Illustrator Manshen Lo
Links: Wechat, Red Note (released on Dec. 18)
Hermès
Hermès’ LNY campaign features an animated snake gracefully weaving through scenes to unveil festive gift ideas nestled in the iconic orange box. The animated snake symbolizes prosperity and renewal, bringing elegance and dynamism to the story.
Format: Animated short film, limited selection
Link: Red Note (released on Jan. 9), Website
Moncler
Moncler’s LNY campaign celebrates the Year of the Snake with designs symbolizing wisdom, flexibility, and resilience, featuring intricate snake-inspired patterns intertwined with traditional Chinese knot elements.
Format: Ad, capsule collection
Chinese Artists: Actress Lu Yuxiao (卢昱晓)
Link: Red Note (released on Dec. 19); Website
Salomon
Salomon introduces the PANHUI (蟠虺) Collection to celebrate the Year of the Snake, bringing back three iconic heritage models; XT-Whispr, X-Alp, and XT-Quest. With snake-inspired textures and red accents, the collection symbolizes freedom, power, and perspective — honoring tradition while looking to the future.
Format: Ad, capsule collection
Chinese Artists: Brand Ambassador Bai Jingting (白敬亭)
Link: Red Note (released on Jan. 1), Instagram
Self Portrait
In an homage to Hong Kong on screen, legendary actress Carina Lau returns for the Lunar New Year campaign. Rooted in the collective memories of growing up with TVB dramas, Self Portrait’s short film “Acts Behind the Silver Screen” celebrates the way stories shaped lives, brought imaginations to life and connected families and loved ones.
Format: Short film, capsule collection
Chinese artists: Campaign starring Carina Lau (刘嘉玲), Bowie Wu (胡枫), William Chang (张叔平); Photographer Feng Li (冯立)
Of course the brand makes decisions but they’re not really artistic ones. Take Miu Miu for example, if we really want more great work, spotlight needs to go to the actual creators: Shujun Wei, Edward Quarmby, Lotta Volkova. Feels a bit tone deaf to be on a heavily anti-capitalist platform filled with creatives and not mention the creatives. But again, maybe that’s just me who likes to see who’s behind the actual work.