The ultimate Spring Festival fashion edit according to China’s style set

Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival (春节), has evolved into a global moment of movement, renewal, and celebration. Marking winter’s end and spring’s arrival, the lunar new year bridges centuries of heritage with contemporary creative expression, particularly through fashion. Global cities and travel destinations like Dubai have become key stages for that story to unfold. In Dubai — and particularly at Mall of the Emirates — Chinese New Year is increasingly treated as a seasonal anchor: a moment shaped by reunions, prosperity, considered purchases, and intentional self-reward. For Chinese travellers, residents, and the wider global fashion community alike, the mall has become a stop during the Spring Festival period, offering a calibrated mix of luxury retail, hospitality, and services designed for high-intent holiday spending. When Mall of the Emirates opened in September 2005, it immediately distinguished itself from conventional retail formats. Developed by Majid Al Futtaim, the project was designed as a destination in its own right — blending retail, entertainment, and leisure at a scale that reinforced Dubai’s ambition to operate as a global hub rather than a regional one. Over the following two decades, Mall of the Emirates expanded in phases, evolving with shifts in luxury consumption. In September 2010, a major extension introduced the Fashion Dome, adding more than 30 luxury fashion houses from Dior to Versace, alongside destination dining, while the debut of the 562-sqm Clé D'Or Luxury Lounge signaled an early focus on ultra-VIP services. That long-term vision is now accelerating. In early 2026, Majid Al Futtaim unveiled a 5 billion dirham ($1.36 billion) redevelopment that will add new retail, dining, and wellness offerings, as well as New Covent Garden, a cultural center anchored by a 600-seat theater — further blending luxury, culture, and lifestyle into a single integrated experience. Mall of the Emirates celebrates the Year of the Fire Horse In celebration of Chinese New Year, Mall of the Emirates, together with Jing Daily and the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, will host a three-day program featuring Chinese designers Yushan Li and Jun Zhou of PRONOUNCE and Susan Fang for a limited-edition pop-up at the VIP Clé D’Or Luxury Lounge, complemented by a rare Huangmei opera performance and appearances from leading fashion and lifestyle voices. Below, Jing Daily’s editors and China’s leading fashion KOLs share a curated selection of Chinese New Year capsules alongside versatile garments, accessories, and bags — pieces designed both for the festivities and for year-round wear. Visit the Mall of the Emirates Fashion Dome for comparable pieces to complement your Spring Festival wardrobe. How to style for Spring Festival and beyond Bottega Veneta: Quiet luxury that celebrates Bottega Veneta entered Dubai in 2018, but its reopened Mall of the Emirates store in June 2024 marked a strategic repositioning. The space features concrete tiles inspired by Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa, reinforcing the brand’s quiet luxury codes. This CNY, the focus is on leather goods and accessories suited to gifting, rather than overt zodiac visuals. Key New Year pieces include Intrecciato handbags in warm reds, deep browns, and seasonal neutrals, alongside small leather goods designed for everyday use — cardholders, clutches, and compact crossbody styles that align with Spring Festival gifting habits. Beyond the New Year selection, Bottega Veneta’s core leather goods — from understated totes to everyday crossbody bags — remain foundational wardrobe staples, designed for year-round use and especially suited to spring’s lighter, more mobile rhythms. Balenciaga: A new vision for a new year Balenciaga strengthened its Middle East presence around 2018 as part of a long-term regional integration strategy. Its 500-sqm Mall of the Emirates store, opened in early 2024, features the brand’s signature “Raw Architecture” design and carries exclusive Couture pieces. With Pierpaolo Piccioli newly at the helm of Balenciaga, the Lunar New Year marks his first opportunity to extend that vision into a cultural moment — offering an early glimpse of how his sensibility translates into campaigns, activations, and the house’s next chapter. The highlight is the Le City East-West limited-edition handbag, released in exclusive seasonal colorways, alongside zodiac charms, accessories and footwear tied to the New Year drop. The collection balances playful symbolism with everyday wearability, making it attractive to younger shoppers looking for festive pieces that still fit into an urban wardrobe. Smaller leather goods and charms work well as entry-price gifts, while the bags anchor higher-ticket purchases. THAT Concept Store Launched by Majid Al Futtaim in 2021, THAT Concept Store positions Mall of the Emirates as less of a luxury mall than a lifestyle and cultural destination. The immersive space curates a rotating mix of established and emerging fashion, beauty and art brands, catering to creatively driven, globally minded consumers. For Chinese New Year, THAT Concept Store serves as a discovery-led gifting stop, offering niche beauty labels, design objects and limited-edition pieces that appeal to younger Chinese travellers seeking individuality over overt festive symbolism. ZEGNA: The modern language of menswear ZEGNA entered Dubai in the early 2000s and deepened its regional commitment through a joint venture with Al Tayer Group in 2015. In June 2025, it staged its first-ever runway show outside Italy in Dubai for its Summer 2026 collection. The major fashion moment underscored how ZEGNA continues to evolve beyond heritage, using the show format as a cultural platform to signal new energy and direction for the season ahead. ZEGNA's Spring Festival selection is built around subtle equestrian references integrated into tailoring. Standout pieces include the Il Conte jacket, whose lining features galloping horses against mountainous landscapes — a discreet nod to the zodiac — alongside cashmere scarves, knitwear and Triple Stitch Secondskin shoes. Beyond the capsule, the brand’s latest ready-to-wear and signature staples round out the offer with refined wardrobe essentials designed to carry well past the holiday and into everyday wear. Tumi: Smart design for constant motion Tumi is sharpening its focus on the Middle East as a key growth market for travel retail, expanding its presence across Dubai’s airports and downtown locations through late 2024 and early 2025. The positioning reflects the region’s role as a global transit hub, where mobility and lifestyle increasingly intersect year-round. The brand’s Year of the Horse Lunar New Year capsule reworks core silhouettes from the “Alpha Bravo,” “Voyageur,” and “Belden” lines with equestrian-inspired details. Standouts include updated backpacks, totes, and crossbody styles featuring embossed horse motifs, bridle-style trims, and contrast stitching, alongside lightweight nylon designs finished with subtle horseshoe accents and embossed card cases. Beyond the capsule, Tumi’s broader offering emphasizes lightweight construction, durable performance fabrics, and streamlined silhouettes suited to spring’s steady rhythm of short-haul trips, gym commutes, and everyday city movement — pieces designed for longevity well past a single season. Prada: Infinitely and effortlessly cool Prada officially entered the UAE market in 2011 through Al Tayer Insignia, opening a 1,140-sqm flagship at Mall of the Emirates the following year. Globally, Prada has been one of the more experimental houses during CNY, often commissioning artist collaborations or limited-edition accessories tied to the zodiac. For shoppers already familiar with Prada’s CNY output, this year’s edit stands out for its cohesive visual language and strong link to the house’s core triangle emblem. Bvlgari: Radiance for the new year Bvlgari has long treated Dubai as a strategic showcase market. The brand regularly presents high jewelry collections in the city, including “Aeterna” and “Polychroma,” alongside its iconic “Serpenti” line. During its 140th anniversary, Dubai played host to landmark showcases that blended Roman heritage with regional design sensibilities. For CNY, the house has released Year-of-the-Horse limited editions across jewelry, watches and accessories. Highlights include a Horse Brooch in 18K rose gold set with rubies, diamonds and black onyx; ruby-accented Serpenti necklaces and bracelets; and the Serpenti Seduttori automatic watch with a red guilloché dial. These pieces align with CNY gifting traditions, where color symbolism and animal motifs carry emotional value, making Bvlgari a go-to for high-impact festive gifts. Ulta Beauty: Crafting a Spring palette Beauty is also gaining ground as a CNY shopping category in Dubai. On January 29, 2026, Ulta Beauty made its Middle East debut at Mall of the Emirates. The launch will run through February 6, featuring founder meet-and-greets from regional brands, live music, in-store activations and complimentary gifts for the first 100 customers. Actress Nadine Nassib Njeim attended the opening night. As the number-one beauty retailer in the U.S., Ulta Beauty brings an all-in-one model — spanning makeup, skincare, haircare and fragrance — that mirrors how consumers increasingly shop beauty during festivities: as both gifting and self-investment.

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The ultimate Spring Festival fashion edit according to China’s style set