After being disturbed by the pandemic for two years, some shops in Montenapoleone, the centre of Milan’s most upscale shopping district, are now showcasing clothing and accessories for the Lunar New Year, even though Chinese travellers haven’t yet made a significant comeback.
As China gets ready to usher in the Year of the Rabbit, clothing and sceneries with meadow and rabbit patterns have appeared in the windows of shops like Salvatore Ferragamo, Loewe and wristwatch Hublot on and surrounding the exquisite street.
Other stores have chosen to covertly showcase tiny capsule collections of key fashion accessories with the same theme inside their establishments.
The latter strategy was used by the upscale department store La Rinascente, which, among other things, featured a collection from the Italian luxury label Gucci.
According to estimates from consulting firm Bain, Chinese consumers’ spending on personal luxury items fell from 33 per cent of the worldwide market in 2019 to as low as 17 per cent last year as a result of reduced travel. Chinese holiday shoppers are being courted by malls from Macau to Bangkok with red lantern displays, unique dances and discounts.
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
