LONDON — As China continues to be a key source of growth post-COVID-19, luxury players are racing to construct campaigns around every gifting opportunity available in the market to sustain that prime level of growth.

Originated online as an acronym for “I really like you” in Chinese, the phrase 520 has gained momentum in popular culture lately, and May 20 has develop into one other festival among the many younger generation in China for lovers to showcase their affection for each other by gifting one another.

Firstly of the pandemic in China, as each Chinese Recent 12 months and Valentine’s Day were canceled as a result of lockdowns, 520 was elevated to a top priority for brands, including Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Prada.

Since then, the occasion has develop into a fixture on brands’ China marketing calendar, and a warm-up event for 618, which was originated by JD.com to compete with Alibaba’s Singles’ Day sales event on Nov. 11. It’s now a national shopping holiday for all to participate.

This 12 months, some brands went the additional mile to construct impactful campaigns around romance to win over consumers who’re within the mood for love.

Bottega Veneta, for instance, conscripted two models to play a pair holding hands and watching the sunrise on the highest of a mountain, while showing limited-edition bags, shoes and accessories the brand offers for 520.

Editor-turned-fashion consultant Leaf Greener counted the Bottega Veneta campaign as one of the crucial nuanced executions she has seen this 12 months.

“520 means ‘I Love You’ in Chinese. It’s different from Qixi, China’s other traditional Valentine’s Day based on a folktale. This one is more focused on motion, identical to the act of claiming ‘I Love You’ to one another. So the sensation of affection must be presented with a selected gesture. I suppose that’s why the image is all about two holding hands,” she added.

Ami, which is backed by Sequoia Capital China, featured soccer player Zhao Lina, short track speed skater Wu Dajing, and skateboarder Stephen Khou, who’re considered top-tier sports celebrities, within the brand’s 520 capsule collection campaign.

The capsule offers a combination of men’s, women’s and unisex pieces in red, corresponding to skirts, shorts, baseball and fisherman hats, polo shirts, long- and short-sleeve T-shirts, denim jackets and hoodies.

Prada has a clean and subtle 520 campaign featuring models He Zhi and Benji Xu. It highlights pieces from the brand’s Suddenly Summer men’s and ladies’s collection, in addition to the mini Galleria bag in various colours, only available online through the 520 period. The blue version is exclusive to its JD.com online flagship.

Balenciaga, for 520, designed a limited run of things for China. The offering includes T-shirts, hoodies, pierced caps, and socks that feature a specially designed graphic consisting of the letter I and a red heart shape, blurred as if in a vertical motion.

It’s accompanied by a campaign shot by Andrea Artemisio with models posing in nature, and an academic game playable on Balenciaga’s official WeChat account, which allows users to decide on a farmer avatar wearing products from the 520 capsule, who’s tasked with growing virtual crops using regenerative agriculture techniques.

The brand said these initiatives are in step with Balenciaga’s mission to develop into environmentally sustainable and coincide with projects supported by the Regenerative Fund for Nature, which was arrange with the aim of remodeling 1 million hectares of crop and rangelands into regenerative agricultural spaces.

Bags, shoes and jewellery, that are categories which can be easier to sell online, take center stage at several brands’ 520 activations.

Valentino puts the highlight on the brand’s Rockstud23 handbag, for the occasion, with two models portraying the sensation of happily in love while wearing pieces from the brand’s pre-fall 2023 collection.

All items under the 520 edit can be put inside a flower box stuffed with roses in a shade just like PP Pink. This service is accessible in all stores across the Greater China region, in addition to online stores on WeChat, Tmall and JD.com.

Ferragamo feted the launch of the 520 Wanda handbag in Shanghai by decorating its store facade with flowers for a celebration. Designed by creative director Maximilian Davis, the 520 Wanda bag is available in cherry blossom pink, white and gradient green colorways, and is accessible in mini and supermini sizes.

The brand also invited popular singer Shan Yichun, actor Liu Zheyuan and actress Liu Yase to feature within the 520 Wanda campaign, which began rolling out across China starting April 28.

Similarly, Maison Margiela is marking 520 with a capsule collection of its Snatched bags in an exclusive light-colored palette. It also launched a brief film and campaign images featuring model Cici Xiang.

Gucci, which is in a transitional period, is counting on star power to spice up its presence during 520. Brand ambassador Xiao Zhan, who is understood to have a military of dedicated fans buying up anything the star endorses, appears within the Link to Love tremendous jewelry campaign, showcasing ’80s-inspired geometric rings and diamond and green tourmaline-adorned necklaces.

The brand is also offering a 520 curation of products on its WeChat store and guarantees same-day delivery in select cities.

Golden Goose has adopted an identical strategy for 520. Within the campaign, brand ambassador William Chan, who can also be the face of Chanel, doodles alongside an artist on the brand’s signature sneakers, showcasing the brand’s playful do-it-yourself spirit.

Other festivals for Chinese lovers, on top of May 20 and the unique Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14, include the Lantern Festival, which lands on the fifteenth day of the primary month of the Chinese calendar; the Shangsi Festival, an ancient festival celebrated on the third day of the third month of the Chinese calendar, and the Qixi Festival, probably the most famous of all of them on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese calendar.

Qixi stems from the Han Dynasty mythology that celebrated the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, who could only reunite on the Milky Way every year.