Prada’s new advertising campaign for the 2024 Chinese New Year celebrates the Year of the Dragon. Photographer Leslie Zhang [IG] captures the images at the Prada-restored Rong Zhai cultural center in Shanghai.

The 2024 Lunar New Year campaign stars supermodel and actor Du Juan and Zhao Lei, the face of Yang Fudong’s film ‘First Spring’, currently on show at the Pradasphere II exhibition in Shanghai.

The photographs are imbued with a deep colour palette are inspired by arthouse cinema and capture the festivities’ characteristic joy and optimism.

Power of the Dragon

According to ancient Chinese mythology the dragon is closely linked to the creation and origin of the Chinese nation.

One prominent myth tells the story of the Dragon Kings, who were powerful and influential deities in Chinese mythology. According to this myth, the Dragon Kings were responsible for controlling the waters, including rivers, seas, and rainfall, and were revered as protectors of the land.

The dragon's role in controlling the water was crucial for agricultural activities and the well-being of the people, contributing to the prosperity and growth of the Chinese nation.

Additionally, dragons are often associated with the emperor in Chinese culture, symbolizing imperial power and the authority of the ruling dynasty. The dragon's influence on Chinese mythology and its association with rulership further solidifies its connection to the creation and development of the Chinese nation.

Prada Rong Zhai Restoration

Demonstrating Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli’s respect and admiration for Chinese cultural heritage, in 2011 Prada initiated the restoration project of the residence, which lasted 6 years and required the utmost care for details, superb craftsmanship and respect for architectural essence.

The garden villa is a product of Shanghai’s decadent prime in 1918, when 'Flour King' Yung Tsoong-King, an influential industrialist and businessman from Wuxi, first purchased the home for his family.

Honoring Local Cultures

Prada’s approach to their 2024 Chinese New Year campaign is a less commercial approach that stands out in its sincerity. It comes on the announcement by Louis Vuitton that new K-Pop stars LE SSERAFIM are the house’s latest ambassadors.

Just as Prada images their new campaign by Shanghai-based Leslie Zhang at their own Prada Rong Zhai cultural center in Shanghai, Louis Vuitton shot their new campaign against the visual backdrop of Seoul’s Jamsugyo Bridge.

LV also used the bridge for their April 2023 fashion show and is promoting a bag collection created exclusively for their Seoul clients.

Anne has spent more days in Seoul than I can possibly count, cultivating deep roots with my colleages in South Korea and Hong Kong.

Money cannot buy the appreciation, long-term respect and loyalty awarded to western brands [now global] who honor the local culture, as Prada does in these images.

LV tapped this same cultural appreciation and mutual recognition by promoting Seoul’s Jamsugyo Bridge.

The Politics of Luxury Markets

We can expect this appreciation to grow in stature in the coming years. In China, the initiative is particularly important with the probability of a slowing Chinese economy.

CNBC business news reported that for 2023, exports Chinese exports to America fell 4.6%, the first such annual drop since a 7.7% decline in 2016. You would never know it with TEMU literally owning Google Ads, but it’s a fact.

Equally-important, China suffered a major ‘loss of face’ result in the Taiwan elections, where the ruling Democratic Progressive Party pulled off a historic third consecutive presidential victory on Saturday, January 13th.

China issued angry statements after Taiwan elected Lai Ching-te, considered to be a dangerous separatist by Beijing. WaPo just reported [Sunday noon] that Chinese warships are on the way, acting as a visible, angry reprisal for Taiwan’s voters denigrating Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s legacy.

Prada’s new campaign and cultural actions in China clearly offer respect at a volatile time in Chinese politics. Not only is the cultural recognition due the Chinese for their own prodigious artistry now thousands of years old. Prada’s approach is very smart business. ~ Anne