Charles & Keith’s International Women’s Day ad campaign features Singaporean teenager Zoe Gabriel, who gained attention in January after being ridiculed online for labelling the brand’s bag a “luxury” item.
“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,” Gabriel wrote on her Instagram account.
The campaign is part of Charles and Keith’s campaign to support women’s rights through the UN Women’s Storytelling for Gender Equality program. In addition, to commemorate Women’s Day, the brand has released a purple edition of one of its handbag styles, The Alia, from which 20 per cent of all revenues will be donated to the program.
The Singaporean teenager suffered criticism earlier this year after posting a TikTok video of herself receiving a Charles & Keith handbag as a present from her father. Gabriel’s video, captioned “my first luxury bag,” went viral on social media and attracted heavy criticism, which forced her to make a second video to explain.
Charles & Keith was intrigued by Gabriel’s narrative and the brand invited her and her father to lunch with its founders and a visit to the headquarters in Singapore. A black Charlot bag and a custom Gabine leather saddle bag were then delivered to Gabriel by the brand.
The brand is aiming at Gen Z consumers, appointing rising K-pop all-girl group Itzy as its global brand ambassador last year.
