By ALEXANDRA JEN WONG
Designer goods, fancy restaurants and spa treatments are not just for adults these days.
SINGAPORE: Young, restless and ready to rock – and shop.
Walk into the trendier shops or eateries these days, and do not be surprised to see teen customers.
One 19-year-old, who wanted to be known only as Rachel, told The Sunday Times she spends up to S$6,000 (RM14,000) a month on shopping.
The university student, whose parents run businesses, said her biggest buy was a S$5,000 (RM12,000) Chanel bag.
She said: “If my mother can afford it and buys it for me, then I will accept it. If I can’t afford it, I won’t buy it. I don’t think it has to do with peer pressure. Perhaps it is more a matter of upbringing. My family values quality, and branded items are usually of a higher quality.”
At Ion Orchard, staff at luxury store Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) say one in 10 teen customers is local. One favourite purchase is the Muse Two bag, which costs S$2,180 (RM5,220).
The teens are typically around 16 to 17 years old, say YSL staff.
A sales assistant at Dior said that the store sees on average 30 teenagers a day, with many of them coming with their friends and in groups. Those who make purchases spend S$2,000 (RM4,800) on average.
But one 19-year-old university student, who wanted to be known only as Amanda, said: “I don’t believe teens have to spend excessively to look good. What matters is whether we know how to appreciate what we have.”
She added that she enjoys S$20 (RM45) dresses as much as the pricier ones.
Still, Amanda – the daughter of a finance professional and a housewife – does have favourite brands such as Prada and Miu Miu. When it comes to things she really wants, such as a Mulberry Alexa handbag which costs about S$1,600 (RM3,800), she will save up for it.
One parent, a partner in a consultancy firm who declined to be named, said she buys expensive goods for her children “to give them the best”. She added that branded items “last a lifetime”.
She buys Chanel and Louis Vuitton bags which cost up to S$5,000 each, which she shares with her two daughters, aged 21 and 25.
Another parent, who also declined to be named, said: “If you can afford to buy things you think look nice, then why not?”
Well-dressed teenagers are also increasingly seen at upmarket dining places.
Staff at Basilico, an Italian restaurant at The Regent Singapore, said there has been an increase in the number of teen customers at lunchtime, spending at least S$39 (RM90) each for the weekday buffet. Teenagers are also turning up with their friends on Sundays, when brunch prices range from S$59 (RM140) to S$175 (RM420).
Popular nightclub Zouk also noted an increase in the parties hosted by teenagers and young adults over the past few years.
Benny Heng, its director of operations, said four to five birthday and farewell parties are held there each month, up from one to two before. He added that such parties are usually attended by 20 or more people while in the past, there were 10 or fewer guests.
Cost does not seem to be an issue. The teens and young adults attending these parties at Zouk typically spend S$60 to S$70 (RM145 to RM170) a head – drinking champagne, shooters and premium vodka like Grey Goose, which costs S$230 (RM550) a bottle.
One teenager even told The Sunday Times she rented a yacht for about S$750 (RM1,800) from Grand Cruise for her boyfriend’s birthday party. The 19-year-old, who did not want to be named, used her savings and her 15 guests paid S$35 (RM80) each to offset the cost.
The entire bash cost more than $1,000 (RM2,400), including two bottles of Moet Champagne and four bottles of wine.
Teens are also conscious about their looks. Kay Nalla, marketing manager for Bonafides, a beauty spa, said teens now make up about 30% of its clientele, with one-third of the teenagers being male. It even has a specially tailored product, the “teenage healing facial”, with 30 to 40 teens signing up each month. This costs between S$45 and S$65 (RM110 and RM160) a session.
But not all teens agree with such a lifestyle. Charmaine, 19, a university student, said: “These teenagers come off as superficial. Most care only about the brands they buy and the places they are seen at, because it shows that they can afford it.”
Madam M.L. Fong, 45, a housewife and mother of four, said: “It is worrying when teenagers spend so much money before they even know how to earn it. It’s definitely an issue parents should be concerned about.”
Associate Professor Ho Kong Chong, from the National University of Singapore’s department of sociology, said young people are influenced by marketing pitches, and that the teenage market is lucrative.
He added that “the extension of school has resulted in a prolonged period of youth, and exploring of identity, while still dependent on parents”.
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