Lunar New Year: The best capsule collections for the Year of The Snake

Red and creams accented by a dazzling dusting of gold accents embody French maison Christian Dior’s homage to the celebratory spirit of a brand-new year. Combining Monsieur Dior’s deep-set belief in the profound significance of astrology with the Year of the Snake, this collection depicts the Serpens constellation with a radial moon phase that recalls the Chinese lunisolar calendar. The design is deftly interplayed against key accessories such as the Lady Dior bag, a Small-Brimmed Bucket Hat, and the Caro Glycine Wallet, among others, making ideal companions to banquet invitations during the height of the celebratory season.

Maestros of Milanese style, Dolce&Gabbana, have debuted fresh interpretations of heritage codes from both Italian and Chinese sartorial spheres in celebration of the Lunar Chinese New Year. Produced in collaboration with Chinese illustrator and visual artist Sun Jiayi, this limited capsule line will feature designs from four bespoke creations: Reunion, Celebration, Love Knot, and The Fireworks, interspersed with a cartoon tribute to the Year of the Snake set against a bed of blossoming peonies.

Choice silhouettes will be adorned with these prints, including bags, slingback pumps, and knitwear for the ladies. A sharply fitted Italian cut blazer, co-ord sweats, and printed loungewear items culminate the menswear line’s most coveted pieces.

An inherent pillar of Gucci’s heritage, the snake has long been associated with the Florentine brand, especially under former creative director Alessandro Michele’s tenure. In 2025, the serpent takes on renewed meaning in its undulating form, representing tenets of resplendent renewal and transformation into a new year. Available in your choice of Gucci Rosso Ancora with either pink or blue accents, they complement an assortment of new classics, including the stunning Gucci Blondie bag in glossy patent and Gucci Re-Web sneakers. 

Commemorating two major milestones – the Year of the Snake and their very own Centenary, FENDI will be revisiting one of its most recognisable contemporary house codes to dial up the festivities. Meet the FENDI Eyes, an instantly indelible icon from Spring/Summer 2014 that encapsulated the label’s capacity to appeal to a fresh, fun-loving generation of fashion consumers. The same whimsy it imbued from before assumes a transcendental role in this year’s celebratory capsule perched on the corners of the Baguette and Soft Trunk, while peeking behind the folds of the Peekaboo. Look toward a year of abundance by pairing it with your choice of matching small leather goods.

In the Cantonese context, Lunar Chinese New Year celebrations in most households tend to also involve a cast of stars on the small screen, courtesy of Hong Kong’s Television Broadcasting Company (TVB). Drawing from a generational wellspring of shared tradition, legendary actress Carina Lau has once again been tapped by creative director Han Chong to front his latest Spring/Summer 2025 campaign. An obvious tribute to the exaggerated melodrama, opulence, and feminine strength that Cantonese female TV protagonists personified during the turn of the new millennium, this latest collection continues to perpetuate the label’s core strengths in tweed suiting and sultry micro hems, while introducing fresh elements that include a new double-bow curved mini bag.

The first of Longines’ now considerable family of timepieces, the Conquest represents a storied 71-year legacy that will now be further extended by the introduction of a new limited-run, 2,025-piece Conquest Heritage model for the Lunar Chinese New Year. Honouring the story of ‘Stealing the Immortal Herb’ from the famed Chinese tale ‘The Legend of the White Snake’, each watch from this release will be etched with a design by artist Wu Jian’an, where a spiralling snake radiating in concentric circles is depicted clutching a Lingzhi mushroom to immortalise the continuity of life and time’s rippling passage. This is paired with stunning gold-tone hour markets set against a gradient red dial.

Beloved Spanish house LOEWE is no stranger to honouring tradition. After all, with an annual tradition of showcasing the varied facets of Chinese craft since 2020, the label understands the inherent value in perpetuating its legacy for the sake of posterity, with the art of Chinese knots, jade carving, and this year, Chinese cloisonné enamelling, all taking turns to adorn their most iconic accessory shapes. In a partnership with Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts and third-generation enameller Xiong Songtao, minute pieces of decorative enamel are presented on the new Nest bag as interpreted by a snake head and lotus details, in addition to cloisonné pendants that dangle coyly off necklaces.

Just as much a symbol of cyclic renewal and transformation, the snake also personified profound enigma and deep wisdom. Guided by the lattermost principles, Swiss purveyors of haute horlogerie Franck Muller present the Silhouette CX Snake in tribute to the Year of the Snake. Sensually asymmetrical lines crafted out of 18-karat rose gold line this charmingly graceful yet no less alluring case, which contains an ophidian motif secured using a snow-setting technique against a sunray dial in its centre. Underneath, a central in-house movement drives the limited piece, of which only 28 will ever be produced globally.

A dazzling touch of bijoux is always appropriate for festive engagements, and you will likely find something befitting from Piaget. Working alongside Japanese illustrator Yukiko Noritake once more since their last partnership during the Christmas of 2023, this Lunar New Year capsule beguiles with depictions of the serpent that accompanies some of the maison‘s mainstay pieces, spanning the iconic nimble facets of the Polo 79 watch in 18K gold, to the gleaming diamond bezels of the Limelight Gala Watch. 

Insofar as snakes in fashion are concerned, one brand above all else shares a truly inextricable tether with the enigmatic animal – Bulgari. Most recognisable for its Serpenti line of fine jewellery pieces and watches, all of which evoke the meandrous coil of the serpent as expressed through its Tubogas technique, the brand will be introducing a select line of limited-edition pieces that feature the Serpenti Viper motif in red, available in necklace or bangle-bracelet guises. The horologist at heart will come to appreciate the soft blush dial on the exceedingly rare Serpenti Seduttori watch, limited to a production run of 188 pieces, while the Serpenti Cuore 1968, boasting a heart-shaped silhouette with a serpent handle, rounds off the selection.

Debuting in a new campaign lensed by Oliver Hadlee Pearch under the creative direction of Ferdinando Verderi, Prada’s Lunar Chinese New Year capsule features a diverse cast of characters, each of whom occupies a distinct role in the Chinese cultural pantheon. Tethered together by knots that bind as represented by snakes, this curated collection brings to the fore recognisable mainstays of Prada’s leather accessories, from top-handle bags to shoulder totes, tastefully matched alongside matching skirt-jacket sets and embellished dresses.

As prime purveyors of playful luxury, one can always rely upon Fauré Le Page for a capsule collection that is equal parts festive and discreet. The instantly recognisable Hot Fire Scale Canvas motif, introduced as part of last year’s tribute to the dragon now features the addition of another sinuous serpentine coil for 2025’s Chinese zodiac figurehead. Manufactured through the very same seven-stage printing process, the monogram is ignited with the excitement of a flame accent and contrasted with red leather trim to best suit the occasion. Pick between the Daily Battle Tote or the Pochette Zip, and pair it with a cardholder to go.

Perhaps the most auspicious of all Chinese colours, barring red, shades of gold take eminence in Coach’s Lunar Chinese New Year capsule for 2025. Interspersed across choice pieces from their most noteworthy staples, liquid opulence is tastefully combined with snakeskin-embossed leather in a nod to this year’s serpentine zodiac animal. The tone-on-tone New Year Idol Snakeskin Handbag is a key standout, bearing a sophisticated reptilian exterior that personifies prosperity in every ensemble.

Soft pinks substitute the occasionally overpowering Lunar Chinese New Year reds across offerings from the MCM festive range for 2025. Revisiting their iconic Visetos monogram in blush, arm candies galore fit for every setting showcase the brand’s versatility, whether in exceedingly practical shapes such as a capacious shoulder tote bag for last-minute festive shopping runabouts or a mini top-handle barrel bag that stows all your daily essentials in a pinch without looking out of place set against qipao silks.

What is style without the benefit of quality and comfort, especially where menswear is concerned? Thankfully, there’s no need to pick between one or the other with Boggi Milano’s Lunar Chinese New Year 2025 edit. Purveyors of contemporary luxury Italian menswear, the legacy label has selected from a wealth of a venerated list of bestselling staples to form the basis of a festive wardrobe that is refined in its use of natural fibres, and practical in its malleable cuts, granting sleek appeal in every setting.