Teen in S'pore shamed for labelling Charles & Keith bag as 'luxury', explains she's not from privileged background

20 per cent of Charles & Keith was owned by LVMH, owner of top fashion labels.

Hannah Martens | January 10, 2023, 11:38 AM

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A 17-year-old girl was ridiculed online when she posted a TikTok video of herself getting a new Charles & Keith bag, which she called "her first luxury bag".

It was purchased for her by her father.

Tiktok user "Zohtaco", who goes by Zoe, uploaded the video of her excitedly unboxing her new Charles & Keith bag with the caption, "Thank you dad".

@zohtacothank you dad πŸ₯Ήβ™¬ Glitch - Just audios

The enthusiasm the teen showed was not matched in the comments section of the TikTok, as commenters went as far as shaming Zoe for labelling Charles & Keith as "luxury".

Screenshot from TikTok

Screenshot from TikTok

Screenshot from TikTok

Screenshot from TikTok

On TikTok, the teen listed Singapore as her location.

Opens up about her background

In response to the commenter "Cressy", Zoe uploaded another video to address the negativity she received in the comments section.

She opened up about her family's background and situation, and talked about how her family did not have a lot of money when she was growing up.

@zohtaco Replying to @cressy ♬ original sound - zoe πŸ¦‹

She tearfully shared how her family could not afford BreadTalk, and to her, BreadTalk was "a luxury thing".

BreadTalk is a homegrown chain of bakeries in Singapore.

Zoe said: "Your comment spoke volumes on how ignorant you seem because of your wealth. To you, an S$80 bag may not be a luxury, [but] for me and my family it is a lot. And I was so grateful that my dad was able to get me one."

By the end of the video, Zoe was visibly crying as she expressed her disbelief over the hate she got for being excited about her new bag.

Many commenters in the comments tagged Charles & Keith in hopes that the company would sponsor more bags for Zoe.

Overwhelming support

Amidst all the hate and negativity, many commenters expressed their support for Zoe and agreed that Charles & Keith was a luxury brand.

Screenshot from TikTok

Screenshot from TikTok

Screenshot from TikTok

Screenshot from TikTok

Zoe uploaded one more video to thank all those who showed their support for her.

@zohtacothank you everybody &lt3 also a reminder that everyone’s life experiences and financial circumstance will be different from yours :) remember that what is cheap for you may be everything to another πŸ˜ƒπŸ‘πŸ»β™¬ original sound - zoe πŸ¦‹

While Zoe mentioned an anonymous account was created "just to comment" on her previous video, the account appears to have been deactivated as it cannot be found.

Zoe clarified that she did not make her videos for attention, exaggerate her experience or gain clout.

"If you received the same amount of comments that I did in the nature that they are in (negative comments), what would you do? How would you feel? Wouldn't you want to defend yourself as well?"

Dad appreciation

While talking about her family's plight, Zoe opened up about how grateful she was to her father for working hard to afford that bag and buy it for her.

Many commenters wrote that she has a good and caring father and that her attitude reflects how well she was raised.

Screenshot from TikTok

Screenshot from TikTok

In response, Zoe uploaded a video on Jan. 10 to express her appreciation and gratitude towards her father.

Is Charles & Keith a luxury brand?

According to its Wikipedia page, Charles & Keith is considered a luxury group.

In 2011, Charles and Keith Wong, founders of Charles and Keith, sold a 20 per cent stake to Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) private equity arm, L Capital Asia, for more than US$30 million.

LVMH owns numerous top fashion labels, including Marc Jacobs, Dior and Givenchy, which are all luxury brands.

According to Forbes, the Wong brothers have since bought their shares back from LVMH.

Top photos from TikTok/Zohtaco