To mark this year’s Qixi, China‘s traditional Valentine’s Day, Prada released a romantic short film with its Chinese ambassadors, then extended the narrative into an interactive Xiaohongshu experience.
In keeping with the original Qixi tale — a forbidden love story between a celestial fairy and a mortal man condemned to eternal separation and allowed to reunite just once a year on a bridge of magpies — Prada tapped brand ambssadors Li Xian and Chen Haoyu to reimagine the story against the dynamic backdrop of Shanghai.
Chen Haoyu
Courtesy
Shot along the bridges along Suzhou Creek, Li and Chen are seen crossing seven of the river’s most iconic bridges before meeting each other. The seven bridges — including the Zhejiang Road Bridge, Shanxi Road Bridge, Fujian Road Bridge, Wuzhen Road Bridge, Xizang Road Bridge, Waibaidu Bridge and Yangpu Bridge — feature eclectic architectural styles, a reflection of Shanghai’s evolving cityscape.
“Each bridge becomes a silent threshold — a place of passage and possibility that evokes not only the bond of true love, but also the enduring power of genuine connection to transcend distance and obstacles,” Prada said in a statement.
The Qixi collection, which includes the soft-structured Dada bag and a sleek sneaker with aging effect, among other retro yet classic silhouettes, is designed to “capture the velocity of the urban rhythm,” and can already be purchased online and in stores.
On Friday, Prada will launch an interactive campaign on Xiaohongshu, the popular Chinese social commerce platform.
Dubbed “Encountering bridges on Qixi,” the campaign invites users to collect specially designed postcards at select boutiques, explore city bridges, and share their experiences on the platform. The limited-edition postcards will be available at more than 10 boutiques in China until Aug. 29, which is the actual date of this year’s Qixi.
At 8 p.m. on Aug. 29, 10 posts with the highest number of likes and comments will be selected as winners; each winner will receive a Prada 3D paper craft photo album and a postcard set signed by the two stars of this year’s Qixi campaign.
Prada, no stranger to creative campaigns like this, celebrated last year’s Qixi by partnering with Baidu to release an AI chatbot modeled after Li Xian, which was called “Prada Qixi Boyfriend Xian.”
Prada Ambassador Li Xian’s AI avatar in last year’s Qixi campaign.
“Prada continues to revitalize the traditional essence of the Qixi Festival through a diverse perspective, infusing this timeless festival with enduring vitality in the language of fashion,” the brand said.
