Fashion has long utilized the symbolism of horses, with brands such as Gucci, Loro Piana, Versace, Dior, Celine, and Stella McCartney using the motif repeatedly. In 2026, the Year of the Horse will arrive in China, and the interest in horses in fashion will be in the spotlight.
A celebration of the brand makes sense. Chinese New Year is a key consumer spending period for the region, with online retail sales increasing by 5.8% during the eight-day holiday period in 2025. government data. Mintel found that in February 2025, Year of the Snake, 47% of Chinese consumers reported spending more on clothing during the holiday period.
This year’s Lunar New Year (CNY) festival begins on February 17th and will run for 16 days until March 3rd. Brands are already on board. Horse motifs continue to appear at Burberry, Loro Piana, Sandro and Tory Burch, while horse-related accessories and charms are available at Fendi and Moynat. Some brands are timing their Chinese ambassadors to make the most of the celebrations, with Emporio Armani using TF Boys’ Jackson Yee, Loewe using Chinese actor Wang Yibo, and table tennis star Ma Long being Prada’s frontman. Some are collaborating with local designers to make the most of this moment, including Barbour’s Feng Chen Wang, H&M’s Jacques Wei, and Galeries Lafayette’s Shuting Qiu.
The last Year of the Horse was 2014, and a lot has changed since then. Alec Hou, founder and CEO of brand experience agency Essence Group, says today’s consumers are more visually and culturally literate than they were 12 years ago, as exposure to global luxury storytelling has “raised expectations significantly.” At that time, CNY campaigns in China were still largely symbol-driven and literal. Hou says expectations have changed since then. “For 2014, we used a lot of red zodiac animals and overt festive vibes,” he explains.[Chinese] Consumers were impressed not by the execution itself, but by the attention it received from a global luxury brand. ”
Since then, consumption has soared in China, then leveled out with the economic slowdown after the pandemic. Mintel notes that Chinese yuan consumption in 2026 will move away from the flimsy and unrealistic spending of the past, and toward more rational choices in which shoppers seek both practicality and cultural resonance when making purchases. This means that RMB best practices have changed and it is more important than ever to strike the right tone. Restraint is the key. Brands are encouraged to offer products that foster emotional connections, such as those that tap into Chinese cultural elements and connect to seasons and traditional wellness concepts.