We, The Snake

The Prada Chinese New Year 2025 Campaign

 

The new Prada campaign for Chinese New Year 2025 celebrates the start of the year of the snake, a powerful source of metaphorical visions.

Drawing on the profound respect afforded to this mysterious animal in Chinese culture, the images reinterpret the snake’s coils and turn them into a striking creative symbol. The curves trace twisting spirals and become a visual representation of the concept of community, documented as a winding row of people from a variety of disciplines who interact and bring to life this sign of the Chinese zodiac.

Featuring creative direction by Ferdinando Verderi and photography by Oliver Hadlee Pearch, the visuals are composed of a snake-like chain of human silhouettes who are interspersed by various real characters either alone or together. For the occasion, Prada brings together a heterogenous cast of people from different walks of life including its Ambassadors Jia Ling, Li Xian, Ma Long, Ma Yili, Yang Shuyu; Art Historian Wu Hung; Artists Peng Wei, Zhang Enli; Architect Rossana Hu and models Du Juan, Ju Xiaowen, Zhao Lei. An homage to the deep respect for this animal in Chinese culture, the campaign reframes our emotional connection to the snake, as seen in the film directed by Dorothy Sing Zhang. The entire cast gathers together and, as a whole, demonstrates their innate correlations between one another.

To mark the occasion, Prada is presenting an exclusive selection of ready-to-wear and accessories. Bags are the highlight of the women’s offering, including a leather top-handle cubic bag with golden hardware, a pared-back, minimal tote, and a shoulder bag with removable tricks. Outfits feature a pleated skirt design paired with a matching jacket or minimal blouse, as well as dresses in noble fabrics embellished with applications. For him, two exclusive soft bags in a new green hue accessorize coats, blazers, and trousers with voluminous shapes and relaxed silhouettes.

There is also an evocative new version of the Prada logo: the sinuous rope that surrounds the lettering effortlessly grows a head and tail and turns into a snake.