If you forgot, here is your reminder that International Women’s Day is just around the corner. This is the day when the stories of women are especially heard and listened to. This year, CHARLES & KEITH aims to bring meaningful conversations about discrimination and gender inequality to build a fair and equal society.
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Nina Shahriman chevron_right
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Diversity, Equality and Similarity: UN Women’s ‘Storytelling for Gender Equality’ programme
Launching a purple edition of one of its best-selling handbags, The Alia, CHARLES & KEITH will take 20% of its proceeds to fund the UN Women’s ‘Storytelling for Gender Equality’ programme. The brand believes that sharing stories from women will create positive social norms and play a part in policymaking to tackle violence against women.
The campaign presented in-house talented ladies from various departments with strong and elegant vibes while donning The Alia bag in purple. One of the talents that caught the attention of many is Zoe Gabriel, positioned as Content Creator & Brand Community Ambassador.
In January 2023, Zoe went viral on Tiktok after posting a video of her unboxing a CHARLES & KEITH handbag that she received as a gift from her father. Though the video seemed to be harmless and heartwarming, some people questioned Zoe’s caption where she said “My first luxury bag” since they believed that CHARLES & KEITH is not considered a luxury brand.
Zoe replied to the negative comments with a one-minute and forty-second video on her Tiktok. Starting with her recollection of how she grew up with financial strains, she expressed her disappointment at how ignorant some can be because of their wealthy lifestyle. To Zoe, an S$80 bag is a lot because she knew her dad worked hard for it.
Zoe also reminded her viewers who are in a similar situation that they too, deserve good and nice things even if they are not well-off. She believes that the things she wishes for will come slowly but surely.
Some did understand Zoe’s point of view since not everyone can spend that much on a bag – S$80 can put so much food on the table.
As a response to this issue, the brand reached out to Zoe and invited her and her father for lunch and a headquarters visit. A week after the video that went viral with 22 million views was posted, Zoe received two handbags with a card, warmly welcoming her to the CHARLES & KEITH family.
CHARLES & KEITH applauded the way Zoe handled the situation with grace and encouraged her to be the inspiration for others to be kind, compassionate and confident.
Today, Zoe is a Brand Community Ambassador for CHARLES & KEITH, a globally well-known fashion house. In her part of storytelling, she wrote a description of women:
“We are like fields of poppy and lakes of lotus – diverse and bold in our differences, beautiful in our own ways.” - Zoe Gabriel
The 17-year-old who enjoys poetry expressed her intention to celebrate women with compassion this time around with this handwritten letter. Perhaps this story of Zoe can inspire others to continue being individuals of compassion for us to move towards a more considerate and empathetic society.
Read more on the campaign here.
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