Why Prada’s $170 spoon broke China’s luxury internet

What happened A stainless-steel serving spoon priced at 1,200 RMB ($170) is not, in itself, unusual. What turned it into a viral flashpoint is the logo stamped on its handle: Prada. Measuring 23.2cm and made of 18/10 stainless steel, the spoon quietly launched via Prada’s official channels in early February, with limited inventory in Shenzhen and Chengdu and only a handful of units available nationwide. On Weibo, the product detonated into a familiar luxury culture war: perceived utility versus symbolic value. The hashtag #PradaStainlessSteelSpoonpriced1200RMb received over 2.29 million views topping Weibo Hot Search. One user, BraveNuomama (@争气的诺麻麻), summed up the disbelief bluntly: “All the spoons I’ll use in my lifetime combined aren’t worth RMB 1,300. What’s the difference between this and a 30-RMB-spoon ($4.5)?” Another, @Jacob_Tech, lumped it together with earlier viral provocations: “Balenciaga’s trash bag, chip bag … now Miu Miu hair clips. Do people really buy these? 4,000-plus RMB ($580) for daily items is a month’s rent.” The debate quickly expanded beyond the spoon itself. Prada’s customer service department defended the pricing as a reflection of brand history, design language, and quality control, emphasizing the geometric handle inspired by the label’s triangular logo and limited availability. The Jing Take This is not Prada’s first brush with backlash-driven virality. Its sister brand Miu Miu previously ignited controversy with a six-figure apron-style dress that critics mocked as “farmers’ market chic.” The ridicule proved commercially useful: Asia pre-orders reportedly rose sharply despite (or because of) the backlash. Nor is Prada alone. Balenciaga has built a decade-long playbook around provocation, from trash-bag totes to everyday objects elevated, or distorted, into luxury signifiers. The strategy is consistent: strip an object of expected luxury cues, reinsert it via branding, and let the internet do the amplification. Luxury: Absurdity is the point What makes the Prada spoon moment revealing is not that consumers “don’t understand luxury.” Many understand it all too well. As one Weibo user, Yun Youyu (@云佑渝), observed, the controversy reflects a “violent collision between symbolic value and practical value,” exposing three misalignments: pricing logic, usage scenario, and communication logic. In Prada’s universe, 1,200 RMB ($170) is entry-level. In the kitchen, it is absurd. Yet, absurdity is the point. Limited inventory, installment payment options, and platform-native virality lower the psychological barrier to entry while preserving scarcity. A small group of buyers can purchase not utility, but affiliation — the right to say they own Prada, even if it sits in a cutlery drawer. For the broader audience, outrage becomes participation. Mockery turns into free reach. In a slowing luxury cycle where growth is increasingly concentrated — and where Miu Miu’s 40%-plus revenue surge contrasts with Prada’s flatter core line — the spoon does not need to sell. It only needs to circulate. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

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Why Prada’s $170 spoon broke China’s luxury internet