Chinese New Year 2025: Malaysian designer collections designed to charm

The glamour and opulence of 1920s Shanghai springs to life in Opium Dreams, Rizman Ruzaini’s latest Chinese New Year 2025 collection that honours tradition and cultural heritage with a contemporary flair. Drawing inspiration from the city’s historic landmarks, such as the Yu Garden and Huxinting Teahouse, the collection features 38 meticulously crafted pieces that channel the cultural splendour of Shanghai’s golden era with koi motifs, geometric patterns, intricate embellishments, and exquisite fabrics. Building upon the historical influences, the designers found their muse in trailblazing Chinese-American Hollywood star Anna May Wong, whose empowering grace echoes throughout the collection.  

Innai Red’s Chinese New Year 2025 collection, aptly named Bloom or Sheng Kai in mandarin, captures the essence of growth, renewal, and the endless possibilities that a new year brings. Each piece in the collection reflects the beauty of transformation through a range of cheongsam dresses, reimagined in modern silhouettes whilst maintaining their classic, formal elegance. In addition to the dresses, the collection also features a selection of blouses, skirts, and shorts, offering countless mix-and-match options for different occasions. Luxurious fabrics such as brocade, embroidered lace, and organza create a visual feast of richness and texture, presented in a vibrant colour palette of soft pastels and bold hues. Intricate details like butterfly embellishments, hand-crafted 3D floral appliques, hand-dyed plumage, decorative frog buttons, beaded trims, and oriental knots further enhance the collection with an extra layer of artistry.

Chinese New Year has always been a celebration of tradition, family, and new beginnings. What better way to embody these values than through pieces that tell a story of transformation, renewal, and heritage? Maarimaia’s Charmed collection, for instance, draws inspiration from the elegance of the Snake zodiac, offering a blend of floral metallic brocades, intricate appliqués, and luxurious feather details. Each piece—whether bespoke or ready-to-wear—is a reflection of meticulous craftsmanship, designed to ensure that you shine in every photo and memory made this season.

Brian Khoo’s Lunar New Year 2025 collection, Serpentine Garden, beautifully captures the essence of the Snake Year with designs that seamlessly intertwine nature’s beauty with artistic fluidity. The collection features an array of garments that capture the undulating, graceful movement of the snake, with flowing, serpentine lines that snake their way across the fabric, whilst delicate petals of the anemone flower and fluttering butterflies further enrich the cultural narrative as symbols of vitality and transformation. The collection also includes outfits for pets, allowing your furry companions to take part in the celebrations.

Melinda Looi brings cinematic nostalgia to life this Chinese New Year with her In the Mood for Looi collection, inspired by Wong Kar Wai’s iconic film In the Mood for Love. These pieces combine vintage silhouettes with bold tailoring, capturing the wistful beauty of 1960s Hong Kong while remaining effortlessly modern. For those who love to make a daring statement, her MELLEAGRIS collection channels the mystique and transformative spirit of the Snake with futuristic textures and vibrant designs, perfect for those who want to stand out in every festive snapshot.

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Khoon Hooi completes this trifecta of photogenic brilliance with his modern take on the qipao. These designs honour the traditional garment while infusing it with bold prints, intricate details, and luxurious textures like velvet jacquard. Perfectly balancing tradition and innovation, Khoon Hooi’s Chinese New Year collection ensures that you’re not just part of the celebration but one of its most memorable highlights.

Behati’s Revolusi collection celebrates Malaysian Chinese fashion through a modern lens, drawing inspiration from cultural exchanges in the Straits of Malacca and historical figures of the Kesultanan Melaka. Traditional garments are modernised in bold and oversized silhouettes, featuring sailor and military elements such as Pankou buttons, wave-like jacquard denim, and white fold-up cuffs as an homage to the Pahlawans of Malaya before Merdeka. Fabrics like Chinese brocades and Nusantara textiles showcase Malaysia’s rich cultural heritage, whilst motifs like clouds, butterflies, and koi fish add symbolic depth to the designs.

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