Singaporean teen ridiculed for calling Charles & Keith ‘luxury’ is named its brand ambassador
By Iris Jung
March 6, 2023
The Singaporean teen who faced ridicule online after referring to a bag from an affordable fashion company as “luxury” has been named a brand ambassador by the company.
Early this year, Zoe Gabriel, 17, uploaded a TikTok video of herself receiving a Charles & Keith handbag as a gift from her father. Captioning the video with, “my first luxury bag,” Gabriel’s video went viral on social media and received harsh criticism, forcing her to explain her perspective in a follow-up video.
Gabriel’s story caught the attention of Charles & Keith, who initially invited her and her father to have lunch with the brand’s founders and tour the company’s headquarters in Singapore.
In honor of International Women’s Day, Gabriel joined the brand’s campaign as both a model and brand community ambassador.
Gabriel shared the news through a post on her Instagram on Friday:
Women are like flowers: our time and needs to grow may not always align, but that is okay. We are like fields of poppy and lakes of lotus – diverse and bold in our differences, beautiful in our own ways. This international women’s day, let us celebrate with compassion. Let us celebrate with equality through equity, the way flowers do.
Gabriel was photographed with Charles & Keith’s special bag for the event: a purple Alia Chain-Strap Crossbody Bag, which retails for $73.
According to the brand, the campaign supports women’s rights through the UN Women’s Storytelling for Gender Equality program.
The women involved, including Gabriel, detailed what equity means to them and joined the network of UN Women advocates, Charles & Keith shared.
Twenty percent of all proceeds from the Alia Chain-Strap Crossbody Bag will go towards the UN program.
Charles & Keith, also known as C&K, is a Singaporean fashion label with a global presence. With over 600 stores in 37 countries, the brand specializes in handbags, fashion accessories and footwear.
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