13 Fun Fashion & Beauty Launches To Ring In The Year Of The Rat

Brands across the board are releasing special fashion and beauty collections to celebrate Chinese New Year, which officially arrives on Saturday, Jan. 25. For 2020, it's the Year of the Rat, which is the first zodiac animal of the 12-year cycle. According to Chinese culture, the Rat happened to finish the Jade Emperor's Great Race first — by cleverly hitching a ride on the back of the Ox. Ever since, the quick-witted creature is meant to symbolize intelligence. (Plus, because of their ability to produce prolific offspring, they're meant to represent fertility, too.)

And over the past few years, the fashion and beauty industries have been honoring each Lunar New Year with capsule collections and limited-edition designs tailored to the holiday's respective zodiac animal. Offering clothes, accessories, and makeup palettes inspired by, essentially, a rodent, might be off-putting at first, but leave it to the creative minds behind the likes of Gucci, Rag & Bone, Fenty Beauty, Becca Cosmetics, and many more to produce some of the best launches to celebrate Chinese New Year. Who knew that one day the infamous Pizza Rat would have its own designer merch?

Below, check out (and shop!) some of our top fashion and beauty picks to ring in the Year of the Rat.

Rag & Bone Pizza Rat Patch Beanie

Rag & Bone, Pizza Rat Patch Beanie, $95, available at Rag & Bone

New York City's famous Pizza Rat, a subway-dwelling rodent that was spotted carrying a large slice of pizza back in 2015, is the muse for Rag & Bone's Lunar New Year capsule collection, which features accessories and apparel adorned with an illustration of the internet celebrity.

Pat McGrath Labs MTHRSHP Sublime: Golden Opulence Palette 

Pat McGrath Labs, MTHRSHP Sublime: Golden Opulence Eyeshadow Palette, $65, available at Sephora

Packaged in a sparkling red envelope case with the brand's iconography pressed in gold seal stamps, this palette features six pans of richly pigmented shimmer and matte eyeshadow shades, ranging from glittering golds to subtle nudes.

Gucci x Disney Cotton Drill Jacket

Gucci, Gucci x Disney Cotton Drill Jacket, $2,300, available at Gucci

Who else would Alessandro Michele pair up with for Gucci's Chinese New Year collection other than the one and only Mickey Mouse? The Disney star and his female counterpart Minnie Mouse are found on a slew of ready-to-wear and luxury accessories. Our favorite of the bunch? This colorful workwear-style jacket.

Becca Cosmetics Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter

Becca Cosmetics, Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter Year Of The Rat, $39, available at Becca.

This collector's edition of Becca's most popular highlight features an illustrated graphic of a rat pressed into the moonstone shade pressed powder, symbolizing 2020's Lunar New Year animal.

Off-White "LUNAR NEW YEAR" Mouse Hoodie Sweatshirt

Off-White, "LUNAR NEW YEAR" Mouse Hoodie Sweatshirt, $590, available at Off-White

Virgil Abloh is celebrating the holiday with a men's and women's range inspired by the phrase "GOOD LUCK" and this year's zodiac symbol. Apparel and accessories feature the luxury brand's signature arrow logos, as well as rat motifs, and the color red for good fortune.

Moschino High Sneakers Mickey Rat

Moschino, High Sneakers Mickey Rat, $475, available at Moschino

Creative Director Jeremy Scott created a Chinese New Year limited-edition collection featuring the cult cartoon Mickey Rat, which you can find on womenswear, menswear, and accessories, including a pair of high-top faux-leather sneakers.

Fenty Beauty Stunna New Year Highlighter + Lip Set

Fenty Beauty, Stunna New Year Highlighter + Lip Set: Lunar New Year Edition, $50, available at Sephora.

Bundled together in limited-edition, celebratory packaging, this set brings together two cult-favorites — the Killawatt Highlighter duo in Mean Money and Hu$tla Baby, and the Stunna Lip Paint in Uncensored, a longwear, orange-y red shade.

Dawang Floral Brocade Side Pocket Pant

Dawang, Floral Brocade Side Pocket Pant, $259, available at Dawang

Indie New York fashion brand Dawang paid homage to the traditional Chinese qipao and the symbolic colors red and royal blue for its Lunar New Year capsule collection of three pieces, including a pair of side-pocket pants, a halter crop top, and a side-slit dress. The new range will be available for purchase on Saturday, Jan. 25.

Mansur Gavriel Lunar New Year Limited Edition Bucket Bag

Mansur Gavriel, Lunar New Year Limited Edition Bucket Bag, $675, available at Mansur Gavriel

Mansur Gavriel hand-painted calligraphy-like rat artwork onto its "It" bucket bag, available in regular and mini sizes. The limited-edition release is only available in a quantity of 88 bags, which is inspired by the Chinese culture's lucky number "8" — and double the luck if it's in a pair.

Colourpop Good Fortune Lip Bundle

Colourpop, Good Fortune Lip Bundle, $20, available at Colourpop.

A trio set of new, never-before-seen red lip shades, made especially for the brand's Lunar New Year collection, in Colourpop's beloved velvety soft, luxe liquid lip formula. Completely vegan and cruelty-free, the shades were designed to leave lips with a soft, diffused look.

Coach Troupe Tote 16 In Signature Canvas

Coach, Troupe Tote 16 In Signature Canvas, $395, available at Coach

If rat imagery isn't exactly your aesthetic, then Coach's Lunar New Year accessories should do the trick. The brand is offering some of its signature handbags in a bright (and very lucky) red.

Atelier Cologne Santal Carmen Limited Edition 

Atelier Cologne, Santal Carmen Limited Edition, $300, available at Atelier Cologne.

Expensive? Yes. But this limited-edition bottle — featuring a translucent red glass bottle, gold cap, and Lotus flower design — houses 100ml of Atelier Cologne's popular Santal Carmen, a warm and deep woody scent. A good addition to your top shelf lineup, without a doubt.

​Marni​ Chinese New Year 2020 Vest in Inlayed Cashmere

Marni, Chinese New Year 2020 Vest in Inlayed Cashmere, $890, available at Marni

It was hard to pick an absolute favorite from Marni's Chinese New Year collection, but if we have to choose, it would be this cozy, cashmere vest in a boxy silhouette and with the luxury Italian brand's cartoon-y take on the zodiac's protagonist of 2020.