Year of the Snake collections

With an elegant combination of white, black, and gold, the French Maison reveals a selection of creations by Maria Grazia Chiuri that celebrate the Year of the Snake. It’s common knowledge that Monsieur Dior had a fascination with the divinatory arts and featured stars and constellations in many of his collections, hence, it comes as no surprise that Chiuri uses historic references and brings them to the present time. As part of the Cruise 2025 collection, Dior presents the Dior Astral motif in two versions: the first deaturing the constellation of Serpens, and a second variation with the representation of the animal. Pieces like the Dior Book Tote, the D-Connect sneakers, the Lady Dior bag or the Dway mules become anew under the new sign.

Red + red = Valentino + China. Ok, maybe we’re not that good at maths, but we’re good at recognising matches made in heaven. The Maison’s signature colour – Valentino red – becomes the main character in this special campaign under the creative direction of Alessandro Michele. It stars two Chinese Brand Ambassadors: the award-winning actress Sun Li and the ‘Queen of C-Pop’, Jolin Tsai, wearing vibrant looks from the Avant Les Débuts collection. Shot in a vibrant, luxurious interior by Fish Zhang, the campaign aims to portray joy, celebration, and sophistication.

Give it to Prada to make a campaign that’s conceptual and re-imagines the symbolism of an animal. In Chinese culture, the snake is often associated with individualism, but the Italian House has decided to give it a complete spin and turn it into a sign of community and unity. The campaign, under the creative direction of Ferdinando Verderi and photographed by Oliver Hadlee Pearch, features a snake-like chain of human silhouettes — an heterogenous group of people working in a variety of disciplines like artists Peng Wei or Zhang Enli, models Du Juan and Zhao Lei, art historian Wu Hung, or Brand Ambassadors like Li Xian, Ma Long, Ma Yili, Jia Ling, or Yang Shuyu. Oh, and if you want to dive deeper into it, the new chapter of the Prada podcast is titled Speaking of the Snake, hosted by Violet Wang, so you can have a listen.

You already know that Balenciaga is synonymous with forward-thinking ideas and pioneering technology. So instead of dropping a collection or a campaign, the House has launched the Balenciaga Snake Game for smartphones. Blending nostalgia and tradition but also innovation, it invites people to have some fun and get playful. And since gaming is such an important part of our daily lives, the House has announced that the top players in each region will be eligible to win exclusive rewards, including limited-edition handheld consoles and keychains recalling the spirit of retro games.