Loewe Debuts Short Drama Series to Celebrate Qixi Festival

Loewe is celebrating this year’s Chinese Valentine’s Day, Qixi, via a new format — a short drama series titled “Say Yes to Love.”

The series, with five 45-second episodes, tells the story of unexpected romantic encounters and is “a timeless meditation on making deliberate choices, letting go, and trusting fate for future encounters,” said Loewe in a statement.

The Spanish leather house said it chose the popular short video format to “attract dynamic and diverse audiences who have become part of the Loewe community,” said the brand.

The story was penned by the renowned Chinese screenwriter Qin Wen, who was recently named Loewe’s China cultural consultant, and stars Chinese actors Chen Duling and Chen Zheyuan. The series was produced by Loewe’s in-house creative team.

The plot centers around a meet-cute at an art gallery, where Chen Duling, who plays a heartbroken girl, runs into Chen Zheyuan, who plays a shy photographer.

The drama focuses on a Loewe magpie charm from the brand’s Qixi Festival collection, the house’s signature Puzzle, Flamenco and Amazona bags also made cameos in the series.

For Qin, the simple love story shows how love can be “deep, free and natural,” said Qin in an exclusive interview with WWD. “Love has its own determined course, just be your most natural self and feel its flow as it passes through you.”

Qin said the script was meant to reinterpret a traditional Chinese romantic legend in a contemporary, youthful way. Qin was especially inspired by ancient love poetry that interprets Chinese romanticism — “If love between both sides can last for aye, why need they stay together night and day?” and “When autumn’s golden wind embraces dew of jade, all the love scenes on earth, however many, fade.”

“They unexpectedly match how people today live — busy, often away from home,” said Qin.

Loewe’s qixi collection features two exclusive iterations of the Ola bag — one in deep navy smooth calf and another in silver laminated calf, both adorned with a qixi magpie charm. The collection also features a magpie dice charm and a padlock charm. The collection was made available in selected stores and online on July 24.

Qin, whose work explores womanhood through era-defining TV series, most recently worked on a TV adaptation of “Blossoms Shanghai,” a series based on Jin Yucheng’s novel.

Qin and Chen Jie, a Kunqu Opera singer-turned-culinary rising star, were appointed Loewe’s China cultural consultant in June. The two have previously made guest appearances on Loewe’s Chinese-language podcast Loewe FM.