Qixi 2026: How luxury brands are crafting new codes of love

As spending becomes increasingly concentrated around key shopping occasions, Qixi has evolved from a day of romantic expression into a strategic moment for brands to capture gifting demand. But its significance extends beyond sales. The Chinese holiday, which falls on August 19 this year, has become a platform for brands to experiment with new forms of creative expression. As consumers’ views of love and relationships continue to evolve, brands are developing fresh narratives through visual storytelling, product design, and cultural symbolism. Below, Jing Daily examines how eight brands are creating more emotionally resonant campaigns around one of China’s most important cultural occasions. Prada Prada’s Qixi 2026 campaign centers on unspoken connection and spatial perception rather than traditional romantic love. The film unfolds inside the Chapel of Music in Aranya, designed by Vector Architects under the direction of architect Dong Gong. Conceived as an instrument in which sound, light, and air shape the experience of space, the chapel’s circular geometry becomes central to the film’s exploration of how people sense one another across distance. Starring brand ambassador TransfOrmProject and actress Zhang Yifan, the campaign follows six characters who inhabit parallel worlds. They never occupy the same scene or physically meet, yet remain within one another’s field of vision. Circular camera movements, mirrored perspectives, and shifting spaces build a silent dialogue, turning connection from a single encounter into something gradually formed through looking, sensing, and responding. The same idea runs through the collection. Womenswear uses the Devoré technique to expose the structures beneath the fabric, while translucent organdy creates light, architectural silhouettes. Dimensional floral-bouquet embroidery and gradient beading bring shifts in color, texture, and luminosity. Meanwhile, menswear carries deliberate tears, abrasions, and worn treatments that suggest the passage of time, pairing retro proportions with contemporary construction. Through architecture, camera movement, and the interplay of revelation and concealment in the clothes, Prada turns Qixi into a study of perception and presence, carrying one visual idea coherently across media. Qeelin To celebrate Qixi, Qeelin has introduced natural purple jadeite into its signature Wulu gourd for the first time. In Chinese culture, the phrase ziqi donglai — “purple aura from the East”— evokes good fortune and renewal. Its symbolism complements the Wulu’s associations with fulu, or fortune and prosperity, giving the collection a deeper cultural resonance. The pieces reflect Chinese consumers’ growing interest in emotional value and personal meaning. Here, jewelry is not simply an expression of identity or taste but a portable symbol of belief, blessing, and hope. Global brand ambassadors Liu Shishi and Wang Chuqin present two contrasting ways of wearing the stone. Liu pairs purple jadeite with diamonds, emphasizing a restrained sense of Chinese elegance, while Wang layers the Wulu Tag necklace into a younger, more relaxed wardrobe. By combining rare materials, established design codes, and distinct ambassador styling, Qeelin demonstrates how traditional Chinese symbols can be renewed through contemporary design. Bvlgari Themed “Love is Now,” Bvlgari’s Qixi film stars brand ambassador Zhang Linghe. Rather than confining love to the rituals of the festival, the film looks at how affection takes shape through gifts, surprises, and ordinary moments. That emotional framework carries through the Qixi selection. The B.zero1 Qixi special-edition necklace uses its spiral form and pink sapphires as a symbol of bold declaration. Divas’ Dream, Serpenti Viper, Octo Finissimo, and Bvlgari Bvlgari extend the themes of tenderness and lasting companionship. The heart-shaped Serpenti Cuoricino handbag and a Qixi fragrance gift set broaden the offer into everyday gifting. By organizing jewelry, watches, leather goods, and fragrance around ideas such as courage, protection, companionship, and devotion, Bvlgari gives each category a distinct emotional role — and consumers a wider vocabulary for gifting. Louis Vuitton This year, Louis Vuitton presents its Qixi edit through a library-themed pop-up series across China. The “La Bibliotheque” concept transforms luxury spaces such as Wuhan SKP into immersive environments where products are arranged on bookshelves, encouraging tactile engagement and positioning each item as a treasured volume imbued with personal sentiment. The Qixi-edition Speedy 30 Bandoulière features a heart-shaped LV tag. Watches, jewelry, footwear, fragrance, and beauty products widen the selection across different relationships and gifting occasions. For a house spanning many categories, the concept gives a broad assortment a unified emotional narrative while helping shoppers find a piece that reflects what they want to say. Balenciaga Rather than staging an idealized vision of romance, Balenciaga captures the natural chemistry of real-life couple Luo Wei and Li Ling in a series of short videos and campaign snapshots. The pair draw versions of the Qixi artworks on one another while accompanying animations turn the motifs into sweets to be eaten and shared. Affection is conveyed through a familiar, playful exchange instead of a large romantic gesture. Handwritten slogans and doodled graphics run across the ready-to-wear and accessories. T-shirts, hoodies, shirts, denim jackets, and skirts carry phrases such as “I ♥ U” and “I ♥ U 2.” By pairing a real couple with informal handwritten marks, Balenciaga gives Qixi a more lived-in, playful interpretation, moving away from grand romantic gestures toward the small, intimate exchanges that define connection. Miu Miu Miu Miu’s Qixi campaign centers on the gesture of giving and receiving flowers. Rather than showing the happiness that follows the exchange, the campaign focuses on the hours before the festival — the flowers waiting to be chosen, arranged, and delivered. Brand ambassadors Lexie Liu and Zhao Jinmai stand amid a vivid floral setting, where saturated color and an unhurried mood create the sense of a romance not yet realized but already underway. The Qixi selection draws on an archetypal Miu Miu wardrobe: slender knits, oversized denim, preppy polo shirts, lingerie-inspired vests, and short skirts, alongside the Miu Miu Vivant and Spirit bags and a range of shoes and accessories. By focusing on the waiting, choosing, and imagining before a bouquet is sent, Miu Miu turns a familiar Qixi ritual into a story about emotional anticipation. Romance, in this account, lies not only in receiving a gift but also in each private act of preparing it. Loewe Loewe’s Qixi campaign, “Love Has No Language,” is inspired by the art of mime. It comprises three short films set across different environments: a juice bar, a home, and a bus stop. Directed by Lola Raban and photographed by Effy Yu, each film traces a different dimension of love: the chance encounter that sparks connection, the gradual process of learning to live together, and the personal, ever-evolving journey of self-love and acceptance. Starring actor Jiang Qiming, the films deliver distinct emotional registers without a single word of dialogue. The corresponding collection reflects the Qixi legend, with artisan-crafted pieces rich in symbolism. The knotted silhouettes of the mini Scarf bag and the Scarf backpack evoke the enduring bond of lovers; Planet charms and a dice give a playful nod to romance and chance; and the Love-bean charm recalls xiang si dou seeds, a traditional Chinese symbol of love, devotion, and longing. Where language falls short, Loewe speaks through craft, transforming silent performance into tangible details. Saint Laurent For Qixi 2026, Saint Laurent presents “Love Letters, Love Matters” (纸短情长), a campaign featuring China brand ambassadors Song Jia and Chen Zheyuan, as well as supermodel Liu Wen. The film series brings to life the writings of screen legend Bruce Lee, sociologist Li Yinhe, and contemporary poet Xu Peifen. Love letters are deeply private exchanges — fragments of longing, devotion, and desire shared between two people. The project explores the power of words, their urgency, and the emotions they evoke when read. It translates the intimacy of love letters into a cinematic language, capturing their quiet emotional intensity. Saint Laurent also presents an exclusive Qixi selection, including ready-to-wear pieces for women and men, new Mini Niki East West Shopping handbags, and special-edition jewelry. To extend the narrative beyond the film, the Saint Laurent Rive Droite store in Beijing will host a photography exhibition. Captured through his signature language of intimacy, Chinese artist No. 223 portrays vulnerability and tenderness with an unguarded naturalism. He explores the subtle relationship between people and objects, deepening Saint Laurent’s ongoing focus on personal emotion, individuality, and everyday moments.

Qixi 2026: How luxury brands are crafting new codes of love

How Bottega Veneta weaved China’s forever it bag

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Qixi 2026: How luxury brands are crafting new codes of love

How Bottega Veneta weaved China’s forever it bag