Prada turns local bridges into Qixi love story

What happened Prada is celebrating this year’s Qixi Festival (August 29) with a dedicated menswear and womenswear collection, introduced through an evocative campaign starring brand ambassadors Li Xian and Chen Haoyu. Among the three romantic occasions celebrated in China, like Western Valentine’s Day, and the internet-native 520 (“I Love You” in Chinese numerical shorthand), it is Qixi Festival that resonates most deeply with Chinese cultural heritage. Rooted in an ancient tale of celestial romance, Qixi embodies both nostalgia and emotional depth, offering global brands a rare opportunity to genuinely connect with local consumers through cultural relevance. Set against the backdrop of modern Shanghai, the campaign’s visual narrative reinterprets the myth of star-crossed lovers separated by the Milky Way, allowed to reunite only once a year on a bridge formed by magpies. Prada maps this story onto a cityscape by tracing the couple's journey across seven symbolic Shanghai bridges, transforming urban infrastructure into poetic metaphors for emotional connection. Prada’s Qixi collection captures the pulse of urban life through sleek, tactile design. Women’s looks pair piped brillantino pajama tops with pleated wrap skirts, softened by a pale pink gabardine blouson. Accessories like pointed kitten heels with raw details and the supple Dada bag add contrast and character. Menswear revisits classic silhouettes with a retro-modern twist. Lightweight outerwear, Shetland-knit tees, and aviation-style shirts are styled with denim or mohair trousers for dynamic texture. While aged-effect sneakers underscore a sense of worn-in sophistication. Launching July 25, Prada’s Qixi campaign on Xiaohongshu (#七夕与桥相遇) invites users to share stories about emotional and physical “bridges.” Participants can unlock limited-edition postcards at select Prada boutiques, while the top 10 posts win exclusive 3D photo albums and signed postcards from brand ambassadors and Chinese actors Li Xian and Chen Haoyu, creating a loop between digital storytelling and in-store experience. The Jing Take In China’s roster of romantic festivals, Qixi offers global luxury houses the most profound cultural entry point. Prada’s campaign stands out not simply for its visual elegance, but for its localized storytelling and infrastructure-level symbolism. By anchoring the Qixi narrative to real-world Shanghai landmarks — Zhejiang Road Bridge, Shanxi Road Bridge, Fujian Road Bridge, Wuzhen Road Bridge, Xizang Road Bridge, Waibaidu Bridge, and Yangpu Bridge — the Italian maison seamlessly connects myth to modernity, intimacy to public space, and brand equity to local sentiment. The choice of bridges is particularly astute. In Chinese culture, bridges are physical structures and emotionally resonant symbols — thresholds, meeting points, keepers of memories. Their depiction in literature and film adds layers of meaning to Prada's campaign, turning each crossing into a cinematic expression of connection against the backdrop of urban rhythm. Moreover, Prada’s Xiaohongshu strategy signals an evolved understanding of China’s digital ecosystem. Moving beyond traditional e-commerce activations, it encourages Gen Z and millennial consumers to explore urban environments as a form of aesthetic expression and social sharing. By encouraging users to tell their own stories of love, place, and memory through the lens of Qixi, Prada boosts engagement and localizes the brand experience in an organic, participatory way. This isn’t Prada’s first Qixi localization. In 2024, the brand teamed up with Baidu to launch “Prada Qixi Boyfriend Xian,” an AI companion modeled after actor Li Xian. While last year focused on tech-driven novelty, this year's campaign shifts toward emotional storytelling and community engagement, marking a move from personalization to narrative depth. As Qixi increasingly becomes a battleground for luxury storytelling, Prada’s multilayered approach sets a benchmark with cultural fluency, experiential retail, digital interactivity, and emotional branding. In doing so, the brand doesn’t just pay tribute to an ancient legend; it reanimates it, transforming the Qixi bridge into a runway of connection, memory, and modern love. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

Prada turns local bridges into Qixi love story

On this page

Published July 18, 2025

Sectors

Insights

Company

Prada turns local bridges into Qixi love story