Van Cleef & Arpels, Rolex:“RichTok” and the brands of Asia’s 1%

Few people feed their cats caviar, quail eggs and sashimi on Versace plates, but Chinese-American influencer Rebecca Ma (Becca Bloom) does. Inviting viewers into her extravagant daily life has propelled Bloom, who joined TikTok in January 2025, to more than 4 million followers and made her the face of “RichTok.” The daughter of a billionaire and founder of tutoring platform Studipal, she draws income from her fintech ventures and family wealth. That independence gives her rare selectivity and means she has little need for sponsored content. From discussing her mother’s love for Manolo Blahnik heels and Elie Saab gowns, to wearing “casual” Hermès ready-to-wear, or popping to Paris to shop luxury, Bloom’s account offers ample insight into luxury consumption in 2025. For luxury brands struggling to decode the spending patterns of ultra-wealthy millennials and Gen Z consumers, the rise of “RichTok,”where genuinely wealthy creators document their daily consumption without brand partnerships or marketing filters, provides maisons with unprecedented access to authentic purchasing decisions, styling preferences, and value assessments among their most lucrative demographic. Valuable luxury consumer insight The socialite-entrepeneur’s approach exemplifies a movement of creators who document wealth not through polished campaigns, but through their daily lives, which provides valuable insight for brands and retailers looking to understand their highest-paying consumers. Hailing from Singapore, another “RichTok” name Chloe Liem has attracted 1.2 million followers by styling herself as the “Van Cleef Princess.” She showcases stacks of Alhambra pendants with the nonchalance of labelling herself proudly as a “stay-at-home daughter.” While in Hong Kong, Mei Leung (516,000 followers on TikTok) casually posts Rolex orders and $75,000 monthly spending breakdowns. Interestingly, she mixes Cartier and Loewe with more accessible labels like Chimi sunglasses (under $200), as well as Balenciaga joggers or Loewe tank tops. What unites all of these “RichTokers” is their willingness to be boldly transparent about how wealthy they are — Leung has even posted screenshots of her credit card statements. For luxury maisons, the rise of RichTok highlights both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is control: these creators are insiders already embedded in luxury ecosystems. Bloom’s family, for instance, attended an invitation-only Van Cleef & Arpels retreat where her parents were seated next to the CEO. Despite being asked not to film, she gave fans footage as to how the highest-paying Van Cleef & Arpels shoppers are treated. There is impressive influence radiating from these content creators despite not being paid endorsers. A Rolex watch featured in Leung’s videos, or a Van Cleef bracelet on Liem’s wrist resonates because it is presented as an organic part of their authentic lifestyle, alongside errands to Erewhon or Dior knits worn to lunch. Luxury lifestyle beyond product A notable shift in consumer behavior is taking place. For Gen Z, wealth is about layering lifestyle markers to portray luxury as comfort and routine: jewelry, fashion, wellness, even the food served to pets. Another “RichTok” influencer commonality is that despite saving in some areas such as sunglasses or sometimes sweatshirts (Leung does wear Sporty & Rich and Guess), they splash out a lot on classic jewelry. Richemont’s 2024 earnings illustrate the durability of this trend. In the group’s annual report, its four jewelry maisons, including Van Cleef & Arpels, saw sales rise 8% to 15.3 billion euros ($17.8 billion), with all regions except Asia-Pacific posting double-digit growth. By contrast, LVMH reported an 8% decline in fashion and leather goods revenue in the H1 2025, underscoring the vulnerability of categories tethered to more seasonal trends. While heritage appeal remains strong, maisons may need to recalibrate their strategies to speak more directly to affluent digital natives who see luxury products as a functional part of their life. Bloom’s presence is instructive. Her closet includes Hermès ready-to-wear, Chanel couture, and gowns from Elie Saab, a house that reported 30% YoY revenue growth in 2024. What makes Bloom powerful is how quickly people have flocked to ogle at her wealth. Despite aspirational consumers reining in spending, the world’s top 1% are still spending a lot, if not more, with their lifestyles plastered all over social media. For brands, the lesson is subtle. Influence in this realm cannot be bought in the conventional sense. Sponsorships and product placements risk diluting the very scarcity that makes creators like Bloom so magnetic. What resonates instead are experiences that affirm their insider status: private viewings, exclusive retreats, and heritage storytelling that aligns with their narratives. Ultimately, “RichTok” should be treated as a form of real-time market research. The unfiltered way influencers like Bloom, Liem, and Leung showcase their purchases offers maisons a rare window into how wealthy Gen Z and millennial consumers experiment with styling, and assign value to jewelry, fashion, and their lifestyles. By studying these patterns, brands can anticipate demand shifts, identify rising product heroes, and recognize the cultural cues that drive desirability. In a slowing luxury market, the insight embedded in “RichTok” may prove as valuable as influencer partnerships would be.

Chanel, Rolex: ‘RichTok’ and the brands of Asia’s 1%

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Chanel, Rolex: ‘RichTok’ and the brands of Asia’s 1%