FERRAGAMO’s Lunar New Year Collection Hits the Core of Youth Aesthetics

From the refreshed logo to the new Pantone signature seen throughout the Spring/Summer 2023 collections, red has undoubtedly become the central visual theme for FERRAGAMO under the creative direction of Maximilian Davis. His SS23 debut introduced a distinctively youthful take on the storied Italian luxury label, with contemporary fabrics and styles as well as functional pieces like leather jackets and hoodies appealing to the new generation of consumers.

Following the SS23 collections, FERRAGAMO once again used red as an auspicious guiding force to create the Lunar New Year “The Year of the Rabbit” collection. To celebrate the occasion, five fashion creatives in Asia were invited to have a conversation about the brand’s rejuvenation as well as the all-important color red.

The changes in the new FERRAGAMO are felt differently by fashion influencers Chen Xingru and Kiwi Lee, fashion entrepreneur Arissa Cheo, and actors Hanna Chan and Nadech Kugiyama, with the emblematic red playing unique roles in their personal lives. As the camera turns to three of these talents, we see them face the new year by following their hearts, with flashes of red light symbolizing their respective clear visions — just like the red eye of the rabbit.

CHEN XINGRU Fashion influencer

Share with us your thoughts on Maximilian Davis and the new FERRAGAMO.
Davis brings a pioneering perspective to the brand’s classics and heritage, conveying the energy of the next generation. I really like this combination of cutting-edge while remaining restrained, and the fashion is surprising too — neither overly street-oriented nor edgy. Everything feels just right, from the fabrics to the designs.

Red plays an important role in the new FERRAGAMO. Does the color have any significance to you?
Red is the most magical color. It doesn’t need excessive design, decoration or embellishment; it itself is the star.

What do you like about FERRAGAMO’s “The Year of the Rabbit” collection?
This collection is full of original ideas! There is no sense of catering to the Chinese market at all. Most young consumers avoid Lunar New Year collections because they stereotypically go for the usual holiday elements without attempting to be cool. But FERRAGAMO’s “Year of the Rabbit” is an exception. It is festive without being kitsch, full of artistic sense and style, which is worth treasuring.

What’s your outlook for the coming new year?
Be safe and free and explore more places!

ARISSA CHEO Socialite and fashion entrepreneur

Share with us your thoughts on Maximilian Davis and the new FERRAGAMO.
It’s exciting to see a traditional brand like FERRAGAMO working with a young and contemporary designer like Davis, where he’s given the opportunity to take the brand to new heights with fresh perspectives while maintaining its core values. The most surprising has to be the change in FERRAGAMO’s iconic red, which truly represents a new era of fashion for the brand.

As the owner of your own brand ARISSA X, what’s your take on FERRAGAMO making such huge creative changes?
It is absolutely necessary for a fashion brand to keep making moves to stay relevant even if they are risky, and I’m excited to see how FERRAGAMO will shake up the scene once again. I expect Davis to inject a new youthful aesthetic and energy while staying true to the values of FERRAGAMO.

What do you like about FERRAGAMO’s “The Year of the Rabbit” collection?
This unique collection captures the essence of Lunar New Year so well, with fashion-forward pieces that embody artistic values.

What’s your outlook for the coming new year?
I’m all for stepping out of my comfort zone and exploring new possibilities and experiences in all areas of my life.

KIWI LEE Model

Share with us your thoughts on Maximilian Davis and the new FERRAGAMO.
Davis made me see FERRAGAMO in a new light. It’s definitely more chic, and presents a stronger, sleeker silhouette in their clothing and accessories. It made me fall in love with FERRAGAMO again.

Red plays an important role in the new FERRAGAMO. Does the color have any significance to you?
Those who know me know that red has never been my go-to color. If I’m wearing red, it must be an important occasion.

What do you like about FERRAGAMO’s “The Year of the Rabbit” collection?
I think it’s lively and makes you feel the strength and vitality of nature. It’s amazing to adopt a spirited rabbit’s eye as the main visual motif.

What’s your outlook for the coming new year?
To be more calm while remaining curious about things.

HANNA CHAN Actress and model

Share with us your thoughts on Maximilian Davis and the new FERRAGAMO.
Davis seems to have injected FERRAGAMO with new blood full of energy. He called his SS23 collection “New Hollywood”, but I envisioned another beautiful world where people were supposed to dress like this. Davis’s vision coupled with the original history of FERRAGAMO is already a pleasant surprise.

SS23 represents a new journey for FERRAGAMO. Is there a similar moment in your acting career?
For me, every performance is a new journey, each role a unique soul. Every time I prepare to devote myself to a new role, it represents a time for me to embark on a new journey.

What do you like about FERRAGAMO’s “The Year of the Rabbit” collection?
It feels as if FERRAGAMO is moving forward with a new look in the new year.

What’s your outlook for the coming new year?
I hope I can continue to be adventurous and keep studying hard in the new year. I also hope to make new breakthroughs.

NADECH KUGIMIYA Actor and model

Share with us your thoughts on Maximilian Davis and the new FERRAGAMO.
For me, FERRAGAMO is all about leathers, shoes, suits and ties. In fact, I’ve always bought my parents FERRAGAMO scarves as gifts during Christmas and New Year’s. The latest collection gives me the feeling of “less is more”.

SS23 represents a new journey for FERRAGAMO. Is there a similar moment in your acting career?
I always find excitement in every job. Every new journey starts with preparation, and those with the most changes are the days on set. I love that imagination can take us to an endless world where there is no right or wrong.

What do you like about FERRAGAMO’s “The Year of the Rabbit” collection?
It’s effortlessly elegant.

What’s your outlook for the coming new year?
To do my best in every moment that life brings. Life is short, so be honest with your thoughts and good to your soul.

#FERRAGAMOLNY “The Year of the Rabbit” Collection

Launched in celebration of the upcoming Lunar New Year, the festive collection highlights the youthful spirit Davis brings to FERRAGAMO through impactful graphics centered unexpectedly around the rabbit’s eye. The enlarged eye motif is rendered in striking scarlet, diffused on the pupil like a tie-dye effect that alludes to the designer’s Trinidadian roots.

To reiterate Chen, the collection is full of originality, with no overt intentions of pleasing the Chinese audience in terms of graphics and style. While most Lunar New Year collections will contain well-worn elements associated with the zodiac figure that inevitably turns off the youth crowd, FERRAGAMO’s “The Year of the Rabbit” is a collision of avant-garde aesthetics and visual art, showcasing the outstanding ocular motif on silk shirts, tees, bags and ties in a manner more commonly associated with streetwear.

“The Year of the Rabbit” is a prime example of how FERRAGAMO is reinventing itself through stylistic transformation. The prominent design motif of the collection serves to broadcast the stylized red visual into the aesthetic perceptions of the younger generation, gradually embedding the brand identity into the hearts of this group.