Tribute to tradition: These modern CNY fashion campaigns celebrate culture

Self-portrait unveiled its Chinese New Year campaign, directed by its Malaysian founder and creative director Han Chong, in a project with gathered a cast of icons including Malaysian model Ling Tan and legendary actress Carina Lau. Photo: Self-portrait

Every year, fashion brands give us a fresh take on style through their Chinese New Year campaigns, celebrating a time of year that precedes the arrival of Spring.

Honouring tradition in various ways, campaigns centre around time-honoured practices and rituals like the colour red and the imagery that evokes feelings of warmth and togetherness.

Shared rituals

Self-portrait unveiled its Chinese New Year campaign, directed by its Malaysian founder and creative director Han Chong, in a project with gathered a cast of icons including Malaysian model Ling Tan and legendary actress Carina Lau.

Shot in Shanghai by longtime collaborator Leslie Zhang, the campaign pays tribute to the festive season with a series of scenes which celebrate family, friendship and new traditions.

Carina Lau and Ling Tan are joined by models He Zhi and Ji Shuyan, drawing on the tradition of shared rituals around the dining table, and reunion of loved ones.

The campaign coincides with the release of the brand’s New Year collection, which features styles for women and kids including designs inspired by the cheongsam.

Read more: Bold and vibrant outfits an integral part of Chinese New Year fashion

Tribute to arthouse cinema

A campaign featuring touching portraits taken in a cinematic atmosphere star actress and supermodel Du Juan. Photo: Prada

In the Chinese zodiac, the dragon is depicted as a wise and powerful animal symbolising prosperity and good fortune and which, according to an ancient myth, gave rise to the Chinese nation.

Prada’s new campaign for the 2024 Chinese New Year celebrates the year of the dragon through images imbued with a deep colour palette and inspired by arthouse cinema, particularly iconic Chinese films.

The result is a series of moving portraits shot in a cinematic atmosphere starring actress and supermodel Du Juan and singer Zhao Lei.

Set in the historic Prada Rong Zhai residence, a space opened by Prada in 2017 following meticulous restoration work, the campaign showcases an exclusive selection of men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, bags, footwear, jewellery and accessories.

The highlights of the women’s items are ultra-light organza skirts, paired with knitwear made of fine materials and blazers with a belted waist, technical fabric pea coats and handmade tops in wool.

Bags range from the new Prada Buckle and the Prada Arque to the sophisticated Re-Nylon and leather Re-Edition as well as soft leather styles, all available in black and grey and the warmest beige hues.

Iconic Re-Nylon appears across jackets, vests, trousers, shirts, backpacks and travel bags in the menswear selections, featuring alongside stylish camel brown or black coats and brushed leather lace-ups and loafers.

Celebrating love and togetherness

Capturing the essence of the festive season, this campaign stars actress Tian Xiwei. Photo: Gucci

Gucci’s new capsule collection pays tribute to a time when families gather to honour this occasion, embracing the rich traditions associated with this time of year.

Capturing the essence of the festive season, the campaign stars actress Tian Xiwei and actor Zhou Yiran, depicted in intimate portraits and scenarios that celebrate love and togetherness.

Through stills and video, simple yet precious moments are the focus, as both talents are pictured wearing looks from the Year of the Dragon capsule collection.

A curated selection of ready-to-wear, handbags, shoes and accessories which mix the House’s codes and iconic motifs to references to the dragon motif, a symbol of harmony and prosperity.

A classic, reimagined

Paying homage to traditional Chinese culture, colours featured in this campaign evoke a comforting and joyful atmosphere. Photo: Valentino

Maison Valentino’s 2024 Chinese New Year collection celebrates the harmony between the brand’s signature Rosso Valentino hue and the Chinese tradition.

The collection deepens the brand’s reverence for local culture, with brand ambassadors Yang Yang and Yang Zi starring in a new story, featuring wishes in festive lanterns.

Classic Maison elements are redefined, and the red VLogo sets the tone of each item, as a tribute to Haute Couture and craftsmanship.

For the women’s selection, a red dress and jacket add festive flare to timeless designs, while iconic bags are reimagined in the Rosso hue.

In the men’s selections, red and beige make a striking debut as complementary colours, seen on sneakers and the Garavani VLogo tote.

The colours evoke a comforting and joyful atmosphere, delivering an optimistic outlook for the New Year.

Beyond tradition

This Upcycled collection tells the stories of clothes and those who have worn them in the past. Photo: Miu Miu

Miu Miu introduces a capsule collection, Denim and Patch bags, to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Accompanying this launch is a campaign which debuts a capsule collection, comprising polo shirts, cardigans, cashmere slips and the iconic Wander and Arcadie bags.

Conceived in 2020 and designed to uphold the precious nature of vintage clothing and encourage circular design practice, Miu Miu Upcycled tells the stories of clothes and those who have worn them in the past.

For 2024, the Upcycled Denim collection focuses on upcycled jeans. Dated pre-2000 and

sourced from denim specialists all over the world, these are chosen specifically for their colour, weight and the qualities of fading.

In a series of images captured by Jet Swan, actor Ever Anderson and model Huijia Chen breathe new life into the upcycled collections in an intimate exploration of the relationship between garment and wearer.

Read more: Complement your Chinese New Year outfit with dazzling jewellery

Intricate craft

Renowned actress Yang Mi stars in a campaign dedicated to the intricate craft and colours of Chinese jade sculpture. Photo: Loewe

Jade, which has deep roots in Chinese culture, is honoured in a collection by Loewe, paying homage to master carving with a collection of bags, charms and fine jewellery.

Dedicated to the intricate craft and colours of Chinese jade sculpture, the Jade collection features in a new campaign shot by David Sims and starring renown Chinese actress Yang Mi.

The campaign also includes a short film celebrating the beauty of Chinese jade craft, offering a glimpse into the creative process of the commissioned master carvers.

Loewe commissioned master jade carvers Xiaojin Yin, Qijing Qiu and Lei Cheng to each create a series of five limited-edition pendants, individually hand-carved and mounted on an 18 carat gold chain.

Building on the rare craft of the pendant series, the brand has launched a new collection of Flamenco Purse Mini bags in an variety of colours inspired by the hues of hand-picked antique jade carvings: Emerald Green, Dark Brick, Spring Jade, Sugar Yellow, Dark Khaki, and Light Mauve.