8 top chic and showy red packets, from Gucci, Cartier and more – make your lai see stand out from the pile this Lunar New Year

Jan 22 , 2020

Just a few of the multitude of bright and beguiling red packets on sale, to share luck and prosperity with family, friends and colleagues, over the 2020 Lunar New Year festival in Hong Kong. Photos: Kwokwang Chow

Show off your innate sense of class and style when you share the wealth as the Year of the Rat kicks off with these lush and lovely red packets, from top luxury fashion houses and Hong Kong’s most swoon-worthy malls

A new year heralds new adventures, new changes and of course, in Chinese culture, red packets. Banknote-stuffed red packets – or lai see in Cantonese – come packed with luck and prosperity, sharing blessings with acquaintances, family, friends and loved ones. Even though red is the uniform colour of lai see, forward-thinking brands are increasingly challenging conventions with a vibrant creativity, bursting out electric hues and patterns for a stylish and modern touch.

Channelling another layer of luck – as eight is the luckiest number in Chinese culture – we chose our eight favourite lai sees from an array of options available in Hong Kong this Lunar New Year.

Gucci

Gucci pays tribute to Disney’s signature character, Mickey Mouse, in celebration of the Year of the Mouse – rat and mouse share the same name in Chinese. The quirky fashion house also embraces its new vintage-spirited and light-hearted collection with a minty-green envelope.

Etro

Etro hits us all with intense nostalgia, bringing us down memory lane with the most iconic and comical cartoon in almost everyone’s childhood, Tom and Jerry.

Giuseppe Zanotti