As the only imaginary animal in the Chinese Zodiac, which is based on a cycle of five elements and twelve animals ruling each year, the dragon has long been a totemic figure in Chinese culture. So with the year of dragon coming around the corner, how can fashion brands famous for trends ignore it?

Since the dragon pattern was formed and used for clothes in the Shang Dynasty (17th century BC to about 11th century BC), imperial families tried ever harder to restrict the usage of dragon on clothes exclusively to themselves.

This proved to be a difficult task - even considering that in old feudal China, the sovereign basically held autocratic power - due to the fact that Chinese people are too fond of dragons to give up the right to wear them.

It wasn't until the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) that the sovereign finally established a monopoly on wearing dragon patterns, particularly the most famous emblem with four claws and two horns.

Fast forward to 2012, however, and the dragon pattern has already returned to the public, with brands all over the world trying to court the large Chinese market by presenting their new products decorated with Chinese dragon patterns.

 

Salvatore Ferragamo Bags

If you're a hardcore dragon fashion enthusiast, you won't be able to pass the year without getting your hands on one of only three models of Salvatore Ferragamo bags designed for the Year of Dragon. The three types include classic W-shape handbag, of which only 20 will be produced around the world, the elegant Sophia handbag, and the concise purse - both of which boast only 68 in circulation.

The bags are all red, which represents good fortune and happiness in Chinese culture. On each of the handbags are embroidered gorgeous Chinese filigrees of dragons and lotuses, adored by Chinese people as an emblem of something that retains its purity despite emerging from dirt. On the red purse there's a vivid silver metal relief of a dragon, winding its long body (or tail) as it flies proudly through the air.

 

Glashütte Original Watch

The German high-end watch producer Glashütte Original has made a dragon watch which could best be described as a true reflection of the dragon's nobility. As an exceptional limited edition piece, only eight of them exist in the whole world. On the porcelain dial of the watch, a delicate dragon is drawn by hand with pigment consisting of pure gold dust. Processed via a high-temperature forge, the pigment turns into matte gold on the finished product. Following this, skillful craftsmen finish the golden dragon with agate-tipped pens to make it appear finely-chiseled. At the six o'clock position on the dial, the dragon appears to be playing with an exquisite orb - an extraordinary "escapement", which is simply a mechanical device that regulates movement and can neutralize rate deviations of the balance wheel of the watch due to gravity, thus keeping better time. This is an innovation which can raise the price of a watch up to 10 times over similar watches.

 

Bally's Dragon and Phoenix Capsule Collections

There's a Chinese idiom which says that if you're seeking prosperity, look to the dragon and the phoenix. The dragon, which represents male, and phoenix, which represents female, often appear together as a couple. In ancient China, the dragon and phoenix were the symbols of the emperor and his empress, while in modern China they refer to husband and wife and are usually embroidered onto wedding gowns. Hence, Swiss luxury brand Bally is duly promoting its Dragon and Phoenix Capsule Collections separately for men and women. The eye-catching collections of shoes, clothes and other accessories can be purchased from Bally's online store.

Kingston's Fortune Dragon Drive Flash Card

Following last year's popular Lucky Bunny Drive, US tech conglomerate Kingston is rolling out the cutest and the most functional dragon of the year. Even the packaging of its latest 8GB flash disk, Fortune Dragon Drive, imparts a strong sense of festivity, with red as its main color. Peeking out from the pack, you can see a small cartoon dragon bearing curling whiskers and pleasant smile and sitting on a printed "throne". It may feel a bit cruel to "behead" it in order to insert the drive into your computer, but it's no difficult task to pop the pieces back together again.

 

 Vertu Signature Dragon Cell Phone

Like the Ferragamo bags, Vertu's Signature Dragon phone also boasts three varieties, respectively, using emeralds, rubies and diamonds to match the precious 316L-grade stainless steel. Under the keyboard is written the word "dragon" in archaic and stylized Chinese characters (thought it will likely be a challenge for any modern reader to easily notice its meaning).

The backside of the phone features an anaglyph of dragon, which is said to require more than four artisans cooperating to produce it over the course of 36 hours, with the scales on the dragon alone requiring eight hours to hand carve. The work does not end until the "dragon" is sent to Switzerland to receive a mark of "725 purity" authorized by the Swiss Inspection Bureau, and then returned to the workshop to inlay the jewels and complete the final few processes. Though it might be much cheaper if all these time- and labor-consuming processes were simply done by machine, it wouldn't result in the treasure that die-hard collectors crave.

 

Adidas Neo Label

Trendy Adidas sub-brand Neo Label celebrates the Year of Dragon with its new series, which is decorated with many traditionally-auspicious Chinese elements. Their men's hoodies are adorned with a pattern of an aggressive dragon on the chest, while the ladies' hoodies are printed with symbols of the bat, whose name in Chinese is a homophone for good fortune. Unsurprisingly, both men and women's hoodies are red. Also, the "double xi (happiness)" pattern, which is usually traditionally only used for bridal chambers, is freely adopted in the knitwear hoodies and shoes.