Fashion brands celebrate Chinese New Year with latest products

The Chinese New Year is drawing near and the whole country has been bathed in a festive atmosphere, ready to embrace the coming spring. 

Fashion and luxury brands are also launching new collections to start a healing, joyous Year of the Ox. 

Hermès

Ti Gong

Hermès recently launched its 2021 spring/summer new collection at Hermès Maison in Shanghai. 

With the theme, "A Human Odyssey," the collection is not only a retrospective of the house’s heritage but also an exploration of new life in the future.

A selection of pieces from the new collection comes into view as guests enter the fourth-floor area. 

Designed by artist Jan Bajtlik as a homage to the Polish School of Posters, the Cheval de fête scarf 90 is one of this season's featured pieces. The cockades, ribbons and geometric patterns on the scarf echo the simplistic, stereotype-shattering designs of Warsaw graphic designers back in the day. 

A portrait of the designer’s dog Kluska is also hidden in the pattern, adding the usual touch of whimsy.

The men’s scarf drew inspiration from items in the Émile Hermès collection, such as the toy horse with a mane that resembles the iconic punk hairstyle. The rebel spirit of this piece is also highlighted by elements like tattoos and pins.

In the Leather Bag Universe, the Hermès Perspective Cavalière bag features a unique design with clean and simple curves inspired by saddle flaps that stands out from traditional squared or rounded shapes. The bag clasp is an engraved saddle nail, while the adjustable shoulder strap is decorated with a serial number like a stirrup belt.

The new interpretation of the Haut à courroies bag is an ingenious combination of canvas and leather. Inspired by military uniforms, the bag conveys an adventurous spirit, with utilitarian details such as an abundance of pockets, a flat cardholder and a removable water bottle holder.

In the Women’s Universe, bright colors and whimsical designs are a vibrant part of the spring/summer collection. Featuring an adorable smiley face, the Kellydole calfskin and Mysore goatskin bag charm is a miniature version of the Kellydole bag created by Jean-Louis Dumas in 1999.

Other highlights of the season include bracelet, pendant necklace and earrings in Swift calfskin and gold metal. Inspired by a belt designed in the 1950s, this collection is featuring metalwork embellished with openwork hearts and pearl leather.

The jewelry and watches area is highlighted with an Hermès Bijouterie reimagining of the Birkin bag, in which the iconic bag is transformed into the focal point of a long necklace in new combinations of materials — silver, rose gold, white gold and diamonds.

In the watch collection, the new Heure H watch is adorned with a metal bracelet that features an invisible integrated folding clasp. A natural extension of the case, the links formed by small squares echo the geometry of the dial. This geometric watch is presented in three variations, including one that is inlaid with diamonds and one without diamonds.

YI Collection

Ti Gong

The fine jewelry brand YI Collection launches its Zodiac pendants series in 18k gold and diamond to celebrate the coming Chinese Year of the Ox.

The Zodiac animal styles took a long time for the designer and founder Yi Guo to get right. 

“I didn’t want anything too cute or cartoonish," she said. "To find just the right balance of being not too realistic and exuding a certain charm took about six months to develop."

In the end, each animal has their own personalities and qualities which make them extremely special. The Zodiacs are sold as a set with the newest chain style. This slinky thin snake chain is an elevated necklace that looks chic and modern with this collection.

Yi began her styling career over 10 years ago in New York. Her adventures in the East began when she was given the opportunity to move to Shanghai, her birthplace. She spent her first three years in Shanghai as a style editor at Vogue China. 

Inspired by her travels to Sri Lanka and Myanmar, the sapphire and ruby capitals of the world, she decided to create a small collection of fine jewelry, something beautiful and tangible.

These handcrafted pieces exude a simple modern elegance that reflect Yi's personal esthetic. The pieces were designed to shine on their own or to be worn together for added effect. 

All the gemstones are hand selected from the best sources in the world. No two gems are exactly alike. Each piece of YI Collection jewelry is unique.

Swatch 

Ti Gong

OX ROCKS 2021! is a limited edition for the Year of the Ox. Warmed up by the fiery black, red and gold-colored strap, the dial represents the perfectly harmonious ox in a yin and yang shape (a Taoism conception of harmony), adorned with two black crystals. The golden tones bring luck and prosperity while red symbolizes happiness, success and good fortune.

The Swiss watchmaker’s new watches of the series BIG BOLD and New Gent, which are available this month, also come right on time, both online and offline.

A new engraving technique gives the BIG BOLD watch dial a unique three-dimensional look, while the textured strap feels as good as it looks.

Concise in style, precision in thought, the New Gent watches reveal a special glimpse into the day-date disks with a sharp laser cut dial.