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Fashion welcomes the year of the rat

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London, UK
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Fashion is celebrating the year of the rat with limited-edition capsule collections and merchandise lines. Take a look at some of our faves.

Can rats – a source of phobia and carrier of illnesses – ever be fashionable? Apparently so. As the commodification of Chinese New Year continues, Western retailers are paying tribute to 2020’s zodiac animal with a cartoon revamp, turning the commonly reviled rodent cute, and pasting it across bags, clothes, and accessories. Celebrated by over one billion people annually, Chinese New Year is a popular occasion to spend and therefore unsurprisingly popular amongst brands wanting to capitalise on an extremely lucrative market. From Gucci and Adidas to Moschino and Marc Jacobs, here are some of our favourite limited-edition capsule collections made for honouring the start of the lunar calendar in style.

Dover Street Market

Following the success of their last Chinese New Year collection, Dover Street Market has just announced the launch of its ‘Year of the Rat’ series, featuring exclusive collabs with brands such as Nike, Stussy, and Idea (to name a few). The extensive 2020 capsule consists of 45 pieces, all emblazoned with quirky, reworked rat designs that are characteristic of both DSM and the brands they were co-designed by. There’s also a couple of accessories you can get your hands on (including a funky water bottle if you feel like channelling your inner VSCO girl) but it’s the tees that take centre stage. The whole drop is a basically a collector’s dream – check it out in store, or at doverstreetmarket.com.

Gucci

I know what you’re thinking: Mickey Mouse isn’t technically a rat, but Gucci doesn’t seem to care, and has just dropped a huge collection of limited-edition pieces featuring the world’s most famous rodent to celebrate Chinese New Year. A collaboration between creative director Alessandro Michele and Disney, the capsule consists of clothes, accessories, shoes, and bags, all adorned with the iconic cartoon character in various different styles. The range of brightly coloured, energetic items intersperse classic Gucci with new designs and throws it back to the 1980s, updating the original vintage look with high-definition digital printing. While I love a Gucci capsule collection as much as the next person, I must admit I’m a little disappointed. It seems slightly lazy to have opted for the Mickey Mouse design and personally I much prefer what they did for the Year of the Pig. At least they didn’t use a completely different animal and hope no one would notice.

Moschino

Like Burberry, which created ‘Ratberry,’ an adorable cartoon rat in a branded cap and pearl necklace to feature on monogrammed leather card cases as well as in a special online game exclusive to their website, Moschino has partnered with Robert Armstrong to release a Mickey Rat collection. The cheeky comic book character (and not-so-subtle parody of Mickey Mouse) made his first comic book appearance in the 70s and returns as the face of Moschino’s new Chinese New Year line, on men’s and women’s varsity-inspired ready-to-wear and accessories.

Rag & Bone

Remember in 2015 when a video of a rat dragging a slice of pizza through the New York subway became a viral sensation? Well Rag & Bone has immortalised the famous rodent for Chinese New Year, combining realism with the online zeitgeist in their new line. The capsule collection ranges from tees, sneakers, and sweaters, to bags, card cases, and coin pouches, all branded with the Pizza Rat graphic. Who knew a scavenging pest could look so cool?

Marc Jacobs

Joining forces with (appropriately named) Miami skate brand Stray Rats, Marc Jacobs hasn’t just embraced Chinese New Year with a zodiac animal-inspired collection, it’s also invited the rodents to take part in a photo shoot. The line’s campaign imagery, which shows models trying to keep a straight face while live rats explore their upper bodies (it looks much better than it sounds, trust me) was shot by Collier Schorr and features friends of both brands, including Frank Ocean. The capsule, which pays homage to the fashion house’s Stinky Rat collection from the 2000s, has been revised by Stray Rats founder Julian Consuegra, who’s put a unique spin on a recognisable grunge sweater – and other apparel – from the label’s archive. I think it’s kinda cute.

Adidas

Doing things slightly differently this time, Adidas has gone down the understated route with a mostly white Superstar Clean to commemorate Chinese New Year. Decorated with a rat that sits in a gold-foil finish on the tongue, each silhouette features a different original watercolour graphic alongside the rodent, a nod to the Asian nation’s cultural heritage.

Alternating between the left and right shoes, the designs stand out vividly against the simple trainers, the Cleans providing a crisp blank canvas for painted detailing. Symbolising peace and longevity, a crane adorns the lateral side midfoot on one pair, with a red beak and blue gradient feathers stretching up from the toebox. On another, a snarling tiger wraps around the heel’s curve mid roar and, completing the trifecta, a flowing pink koi fish – which represents good fortune – occupies most of the third pair’s backing in a pink and purple palette. New year, new kicks, eh?

It’s quite apparent that practically everyone in the fashion world has got involved this year. If it’s not entire collections, it’s a feature piece here and there, such as a bag or keychain from the likes of Kate Spade, Louis Vuitton, Chloe, and Fendi for example. However, while I love a themed item, when you consider the role that fashion – namely the production of resource-intensive products that depend on passing trends – plays on our current climate crisis, I must give credit to brands who are releasing capsules that are a little less fleeting. Brands like Celine, whose series of minimalist accessories with just the occasional bursts of the lucky red colour typical of Chinese New Year celebrations are fit for pretty much any occasion. And Diane von Furstenberg, whose red floral print dresses can definitely be worn time and time again.

These brands are successfully honouring the start of the lunar calendar without promoting pieces that are transient in design and purpose, and I think others should take note. If the fashion industry truly wants to achieve sustainability, it’s not going to do so without moderating its rapid cycle of consumption, and nothing says ‘omg that’s so three seasons ago’ like Gucci jewellery from the Year of the Rooster now does it. If you’re genuinely keen to spend thousands on some rat merch, just remember that it should be for life, not just for the New Year. I’m sure the planet will be grateful.

Feature Media Manager & Senior Writer London, UK

Sofia (She/Her) – I’m the Deputy Editor & Media Partnership Manager at Thred, specialising in exclusive articles and live interviews, fashion and beauty with a focus on sustainability, women’s rights, psychedelics, and Latin America. I studied Spanish at the University of Exeter and International Journalism at City, London. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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