This month, our news roundup is inspired by the collections celebrating the New Lunar Year – the Year of the Dragon – starting on February 10. Check them out!
Italian Red
Maison Valentino’s 2024 Chinese New Year Collection highlights one of the brand’s mainstay hues, Rosso Valentino. The capsule deepens the luxury label’s reverence for local culture and Chinese tradition. It redefines classic maison elements, and the red VLogo sets the tone of each item as a tribute to Haute Couture and craftsmanship. For the women’s selection, an iconic red dress and VLogo Jacket add a festive flair to classic Valentino designs, while the Valentino Garavani VLogo Signature slingback, VLogo Locò mini bag, VLogo Locò bucket and VLogo Moon mini bag – all highlights of the new collection – find themselves reimagined in the Rosso hue. For the maison’s men’s selection, red and beige debut as complementary colours, seen on the Valentino Garavani One Stud sneakers and VLogo tote. The colours create a comforting and joyous atmosphere while delivering an optimistic outlook for the New Year.
What’s the Time?
To celebrate the Year of the Dragon, IWC Schaffhausen presents a limited edition of the Portugieser Chronograph. The timepiece is powered by the IWC-manufactured 69355 calibre, a robust and precise mechanical chronograph movement in a classic column-wheel design. It features a 41mm stainless steel case, burgundy dial, contrasting gold-plated hands and appliques. Limited to 1,000 pieces, this watch’s gold-plated rotor of the automatic winding system takes the shape of a detailed dragon, visible through a sapphire glass caseback. In addition, the case ring features an engraving of YEAR OF THE DRAGON 2024. The piece comes with one black calfskin strap and a burgundy rubber strap. Burgundy is a charming shade of red, symbolising the vibrant colour of fire, traditionally used to welcome the Lunar New Year in China and promises longevity and luck.
Mystical Jewels
Begüm Khan is a Turkish jewellery brand founded by Begüm Kıroğlu in 2012. It combines mystical Eastern culture with modern elegance, creating unique designs. Her pieces always reflect the wonders of fauna and flora. This time, the brand’s new eye-catching icon is the dragon, a symbol deeply rooted in Chinese mythology and culture that is a source of inspiration for quirky creations. This new icon is not just a celebration of the Chinese New Year but a testament to the designer’s genuine interest in the country’s culture and traditions. The dragon family, crafted with 24-carat plated gold on bronze, embellished with semi-precious stones and crystals, meets the Begüm Khan woman as a reflection of China’s millennia-old history and perception of beauty.
All About the Dragon
In homage to the Year of the Dragon, MAX&Co is launching a Lunar New Year capsule. The mythical creature is incorporated throughout the collection in bold or subtle ways. Vibrant and joyful pieces include a maxi sweater – or mini cardigan dress – starring an intricate dragon motif embellished with detailed embroidery and sequins. A cable-knit jumper is also enlivened with the same design. Elsewhere, the dragon is celebrated more abstractly, though no less striking. A knit skirt set has a graphic intarsia pattern corresponding to mythological scales. Casual T-shirts accompany these pieces. Available to a global audience, these creations are intended to go beyond the celebrations for the many seasons and years to come.
Chinese Lettering
BOSS celebrates with a collaboration with novelist and calligrapher Feng Tang in a dragon-themed capsule that draws inspiration from Chinese calligraphy. This collection embodies the essence of belief and courage, heralding the New Year with anticipation and dreams. Feng Tang takes cues from Chinese characters and traditional patterns, crafting a modern and minimalist calligraphy style that showcases the dragon character as the hero motif of the collection. These exclusive pieces embrace classic red and black tones with milky white accents. The collection features a range of men’s and women’s items, from classic collegiate-style baseball jackets and casual sweatshirts to knitwear pieces and T-shirts. Singer and actor Leo Chen takes the spotlight as the face of the campaign.