Advertisement
Singapore
This Week in AsiaPeople

Singapore TikTokker Zoe Gabriel mocked over US$60 handbag is now a Charles & Keith model

  • Zoe Gabriel, 17, has been chosen to model a handbag as part of Charles & Keith’s campaign for International Women’s Day
  • Gabriel had faced social media scorn in January after she thanked her dad for buying her a Charles & Keith bag, which she considered a luxury item

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
7
After facing social media backlash for describing a Charles & Keith handbag as ‘luxury’, 17-year-old Zoe Gabriel has been chosen to model a bag for the brand’s International Women’s Day campaign. Photo: Instagram/@zoeaaleah
Amy Sood
A teenager in Singapore, who was ridiculed on social media for labelling a S$80 (US$60) Charles & Keith bag a “luxury item” during a TikTok unboxing, has turned the tables on her critics after being named a brand ambassador for the home-grown city fashion chain.
Advertisement

Charles & Keith, a Singapore accessories retailer with 600 branches worldwide, on Sunday shared a photo of Zoe Gabriel, 17, modelling a handbag as part of its campaign for International Women’s Day.

Gabriel – who goes by ‘zohtaco’ on TikTok – was the target of social media scorn in January when some users mocked her for thanking her dad for the purchase of a bag from Charles & Keith, disputing its right to be called a “luxury”.
 
But her impassioned response explaining her humble upbringing went viral, sparking debate about Singapore’s obsession with price tags, and the public flaunting of wealth.
“Money is the topic that makes me most uncomfortable to talk about,” she said, holding back tears in a TikTok video rebuttal as the criticism poured in. “And that is because growing up, I did not have a lot. My family didn’t have a lot.

“Your comment spoke volumes about how ignorant you seem because of your wealth,” she added.

Advertisement

Charles & Keith picked up on Gabriel’s videos – which have amassed more than 30 million views on TikTok – and invited her for a tour at their Singapore headquarters and lunch with co-founder Keith Wong.

Now the brand, founded in 1996 by the Wong brothers who lend their first names to the chain, has asked Gabriel to model a special handbag, giving the teen the last laugh over her status-driven online critics.

Advertisement