Design-centric red packets

MINI

Created by the award-winning firm Kinetic, these colourful packets were inspired by the spirit of MINI: adventurous, fun and full of character. The box set features two designs depicting stylised topographic and urban maps in bold, contemporary colours. To channel the Lunar New Year's spirit of prosperity, the designs also feature luxurious, textured embossing and gold foil-stamping. Each red packet is specially constructed without any glue seams, so it unfolds elegantly like a map.

Like MINI Singapore's Facebook page and follow them on Instagram for a chance to own these red packets.

BYND ARTISAN

Homegrown book-binding and stationery company, Bynd Artisan, has collaborated with calligrapher Joanne Lim of The Letter J Supply to create this set of red packets, which comes in metallic gold and light lilac. Ms Lim has handwritten the word Prosper on the red packets. To give it a twist, the "O" takes the form of a pair of oranges, as they represent luck and wealth. By having the oranges on top of each other, the "O" takes the form of the lucky number eight.

Spend a minimum of S$100 in a single receipt from its ateliers at Holland Village, Raffles City and Takashimaya to get a free pack.

HRVST.STORE

Letterpress company, The Gentlemen's Press, has just launched its first batch of red packets under its stationery arm, Hrvst.Store. The red packets feature the Chinese character "fu" and peonies to symbolise a year of good fortune and prosperity. They are customised and individually stamped using the old-school technique of letterpress and finished off with a layer of matte gold foil.

A pack of eight cards retails for S$8.80. Use the code CNY20 for a special discount.

MERITUS HOTELS AND RESORTS

Cherry blossoms are popular flowers during this festive season as their blooms mark the arrival of spring.

This year, red packets from Meritus Hotels and Resorts feature red cherry blossoms that are intricately embroidered to create a three-dimensional effect. Threads of various colours were used in the creation of each cherry blossom to simulate the soft gradient of a natural flower, against a deep red fine-textured fabric for contrast.

The red packets are given to clients and regular guests.

TUNGLOK

Tung Lok means "happy together", and the concept behind this year's red packets revolves around happiness and reunion. No surprises then that the illustrations are of family and friends, gathered around the table for a reunion meal.

The red packets come in two designs -- the fish which symbolises abundance, and the dog, because it is the Year of the Dog. The vibrant origami and pop-up effect give an element of surprise. The packets also come with festive greetings, which were handwritten by TungLok's founder Andrew Tjioe.

The red packets will be given to diners at all TungLok restaurants.

PERK BY KATE

Hong baos are red, but what if your relative loves pink? Perk by Kate gets pretty in pink.

The local lingerie company has done away with the usual festive greetings and horoscope-related visuals and created a festive packet that can be used for other special occasions as well. Founder Kate Low explains that each packet is adorned with the Chinese character "qiao", which means grace and delight.

Each pack comes in a set of eight, and is given away with every lingerie purchase.

CLUB21

Created by design veteran Theseus Chan, of WORK, who was inspired by tropical flowers to kick-start the Lunar New Year. The packets have bold, fluorescent hues and holographic foils symbolising joy, renewal, abundance, optimism and energy. Mr Chan adds that the flowers on the packets are native to South-east Asia and are depicted in a modern fashion, in line with what's seen on the runways for Spring/Summer 2018 collections.

These red packets are given only to Club21 members.

SCENE SHANG

Set against the backdrop of an abstract scenery of spring time, and inspired by the patterns of traditional Oriental fabrics, the rose takes centre stage as a symbol of friendship, loyalty, passion and joy. The words inscribed on the packet are fu gui man tang, with a play on the word gui, using a synonym that means rose, wishing everyone an abundance of love and prosperity for the year.

Spend S$150 online or at the Scene Shang flagship store at 263 Beach Road to get a free pack.

ST REGIS SINGAPORE

The hotel is going for the classic auspicious colours of red and gold for its red packets. Each piece comes embossed with gold floral prints. A definite winner for older family members.

The red packets are given to every table at Yan Ting, the hotel's Chinese restaurant.

THE PAPER BUNNY

Those who can't read Mandarin will appreciate the red packets from The Paper Bunny, a local stationery and lifestyle brand. Each red packet comes with rose-gold foil lettering on smooth red envelopes, with blessings written in English. Its spokesman says that in line with the brand's mission of inspiring positivity and empowering people in their daily lives, the red packets are more than just envelopes to hold money, but also in themselves blessings and well wishes for the recipient.

Each set of eight packets retails for S$5, or spend a minimum of S$30 at thepaperbunny.com, and get a pack free.

ON PEDDER

Theseus Chan, founder of creative agency WORK, asked the younger members of his team to come up with ideas for this series of red packets. The brief to them was to portray the important cultural Chinese symbols of the dragon and phoenix, which together signify harmony. The result are four distinct depictions, that bridge the old and the new.

Spend at least S$680 to get a pack.