Stone Island Celebrates Lunar New Year & Issey Miyake Unveils Wooden Specs in This Week's Top Fashion News

In this week’s fashion headlines, Lunar New Year themed collections dominated streetwear drops, while other designers unveiled material innovations, regional lines and personal ventures.

Joining a growing list of brands in the streetwear universe participating in the Lunar New Year celebrations, Stone Island and Carhartt both showcased Year of the Snake collections that focussed on updating signature styles with refined festive elements. Off the heels of the company’s Paris Fashion Week announcement, Issey Miyake’s eyewear line unveiled a line hand-carved wooden glasses. Also in Japan, L.L. Bean‘s JAPAN EDITION line was joined by new outerwear additions characterized by a retro flare. Finally, a behind-the-scenes team member from N.HOOLYWOOD is ramping up the roll-out of his own brand XS.SML.

Below, Hypebeast has rounded up the top fashion stories of the week so you can stay up to date on trends in the industry.

Stone Island Celebrates the Lunar New Year With “Year of the Snake ‘025” Collection

Among the stand-out collections from the consistent stream of Year of the Snake capsules is Stone Island’s subtle Lunar New Year capsule. While making subtle nods to the festivity’s serpentine inspiration with a sithering quilting pattern and red embroideries, the line maintains the timelessly modern Stone Island aesthetic. The “Year of the Snake 025” collection includes new jackets, pants, vests, hooded sweatshirts, crewneck sweatshirts, shorts, baseball caps and a messenger bag, each in silver or black with red details. Stone Island’s signature nylon metal makes up the garment-dyed jackets, which also boast detachable sleeves, transforming them into vests. Each purchase also arrives packaged in a special bright red bag with a silver Stone Island logo for a final touch of festivity.

The Stone Island “Year of the Snake ‘025” collection is available now via Stone Island’s webstore and brick-and-mortar outposts in the APAC region, and a global release may follow in the coming weeks.

Carhartt WIP Debuts Japan-Exclusive Reversible Active Jacket

One particular piece from Carhartt’s Lunar New Year collection caught many eyes with its uncharacteristic material and reversible functionality. The New Year Active Jacket adopts the silhouette of Carhartt’s hooded work jacket, but uses faux green leather in place of the usual cotton duck canvas. Additionally, the jacket is designed to be worn inside out to show the black diamond quilted liner. The reverse side is adorned with a simple Carhartt word mark and accented with green trims and golden zipper details. The Japan-exclusive piece is available now at Carhartt WIP stores in Japan and on the brand’s official web store.

Issey Miyake Eyes Debuts New “Wood” Frames

Issey Miyake has announced the launch of a new eyewear collection that utilizes wooden frames instead of traditional acetate. From Issey Miyake Eyes, a joint venture between Issey Miyake and Kaneko Optical, the “Wood” frame range features a rough-hewn texture hand-carved for a unique texture that cannot be replicated by industrial processes. The available shapes include Round, Hexagon, Square and Boston, each offered in an elegant black varnish. Priced at ¥55,000 JPY (approximately $348 USD), customers can choose their lens tint and shape suited to their taste. The “Wood” Issey Miyake Eyes collection is set to release on the brand’s webstore and retail outposts on January 6.

Now more than ever it seems that Issey Miyake’s namesake brands have picked up the pace in continuing to evolve his Legacy. Later this January the company’s 2021 born IM MAN label is set to hold its runway debut in Paris Menswear Week.

L.L. Bean Drops New JAPAN EDITION Outerwear Capsule

Blending retro outdoor aesthetics with domestic streetwear influences, L.L. Bean’s Japan-focussed JAPAN EDITION line introduces new outerwear tailored for the country’s customers.

The Windy Ridge Jacket is a lightweight 1990s-inspired piece with large waist pockets, a wide button placket, and two-tone nylon options in off-white/forest green and black/forest green. Another piece named the Field Coat is a more traditional work jacket with corduroy accents and golden hardware, offered in beige and light blue cotton. Finally the Roxbury Vest is a windbreaker-like layering piece in 90s-inspired color palettes an adjustable bungee waistband.

While L.L. Bean JAPAN EDITION is a Japan-exclusive capsule, one can only imagine how easily the consciously designed styles could take flight in their domestic market where outdoor design trends continue to grow.

XS.SML’s SS25 Debut Collection Centers Around Technical Silhouettes and an Earthy Palette

Hikaru Watanabe, originally a patternmaker at N.HOOLYWOOD, launching his own label in Spring/Summer 2025 called XS.SML. The brand’s Instagram bio reads: “Is beauty just a question of looks, or could there be more to it than meets the eye?” reflecting its intellectual design vision.

The SS25 collection includes breathable, technical styles, including short-sleeve shirts, button-ups, wide-legged pants, shorts, and hooded windbreakers. The line is rendered in earthy tones like khaki, army green, taupe, and ocher, and adorned with ruching details for a draped, crinkled effect. Follow the new brand for release updates on the inaugural line.