According to the Chinese lunar calendar, 2019 is officially the Year of the Pig. And while generally, the pig is often associated with negative connotations such as laziness and gluttony, the Chinese believe that the pig symbolises luck, good fortune and prosperity (among other positive traits). That’s all well and good, but it’s still quite difficult to disconnect pigs from typically raucous behaviours. Calling someone a pig isn’t exactly widely received as a compliment either.
Wearing a pig-anything on you? Forget about it. Yet, that hasn’t stopped fashion brands from jumping on the bandwagon of celebrating the final zodiac in the Chinese lunar calendar. The interpretation spans obvious translations of a pig’s colour and shape to recognisable fictional figures (of the bacon variety) that we’re all familiar with.
We do have to hand it to the fashion brands for (generally) managing to incorporate the animal in a way that doesn’t seem entirely off-brand. Campaign images that feature adorable little piglets help too.
Diesel
Porky details: A simplified graphic of the facial features of a pig appears on T-shirts and jumpers. A more elaborate embossed head is featured on the back of a leather jacket, and it appears to sport a mohawk. Edgy.
Reminds us of: If worn together, a bike-riding badass who works at a tech startup in the day.
Mr. Bags x Longchamp
Porky details: Mr. Bags is one of China’s most influential fashion bloggers and his collaboration with Longchamp is super tongue-in-cheek. The pig’s snout is translated into a front compartment on the collection’s Le Pliage pouch and transparent top handle bag. The Le Pliage Cuir (that’s leather in French, in case you’re wondering) series features a drawn out graphic of a pig, complete with a classic squiggly tail.
Looks like: A tasteful homage to the Year of the Pig, that’s not overly cheesy.
Moschino
Porky details: Luxury fashion’s collaboration champ Jeremy Scott, worked with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to feature Porky and Petunia Pig of Looney Tunes as part of this limited-edition collection. It’s what you’d expect from Scott but smart nonetheless.
Looks like: Any other Moschino-branded collaboration—familiar pop culture references marketed for the luxury fashion lover.
Brooks Brothers
Porky details: An illustrated pig’s head appearing as an embroidery on a classic Brooks Brothers shirt, that also appears as a badge on a jumper. But we’re liking the old-school gentleman version that appears on T-shirts.
Looks like: Sir Pork Chop of Baconfield.
Bottega Veneta
Porky details: The Intrecciato sneakers are embellished with a gold coin that features a pig, at the tongue of the shoe. Or go for a more subtle accessory with Bottega Veneta’s red bag charm that is designed in the silhouette of a pig.
Looks like: You’re festive but only if people care to look close enough. The details are almost inconspicuous that you’ll get more wear out of them even after Chinese New Year festivities end.
Moncler
Porky details: A 3-dimensional graphic of a pig’s head that’s designed as a patch on a T-shirt, as well as a varsity jacket.
Reminds us of: The special effect graphics of ’80s sci-fi movies.
Coach
Porky details: An all-red assemblage ranging from ready-to-wear and accessories, depicting a pig in the Wild Wild West and the Coach brand in an Americana-style font. That’s one way to fit in the Coach aesthetic.
Reminds us of: Babe: Pig in the City, except it’s a desert.
Salvatore Ferragamo
Porky details: A silk scarf that’s named ‘Auspicious Pig’, and features several pigs in a multitude of colours and sizes amidst an equally colourful floral scene. It’s basically a painting on a red silk scarf.
Looks like: Someone will be grandma’s favourite grandchild this Chinese New Year; she’d want to snatch this off of you.
Onitsuka Tiger
Porky details: An embossed illustration of a pig that’s the most oriental interpretation as compared to the rest on this list. Available for men, women and kids so the whole family can get in on it. It’s also pink.
Looks like: A super auspicious pair of Onitsuka Tiger sneakers.
Gucci
Porky details: Similar to Jeremy Scott’s approach for Moschino, Gucci adapted a classic fictional character for its Chinese New Year offerings—the Three Little Pigs. Embroidered, printed and emblazoned on almost every Gucci product imaginable, they’re akin to previous collaborations with various other pop culture institutions.
Reminds us of: What it feels to be a kid again. Imagine if we had these high fashion merch while we were kids…
