Presented by
Lately it feels like Singaporeans don’t think twice before splurging. With tech entrepreneurs, local tycoons and wealthy people from all over Southeast Asia converging on this Little Red Dot, luxury is everywhere you look.
Exclusivity is in high demand here. We get it. But what if something commonplace could be turned into a luxury? Something that every person in Singapore has access to? Something like water.
Introducing O (Eau), the water that’s worth over one thousand Singapore dollars per bottle.
Singaporeans got their first taste of the luxurious liquid at a recent pop-up event at Ocean Financial Centre. Velvet ropes led visitors down a red carpet, behind draped black curtains to a sleek bar, where gloved bartenders served up “Asia’s Most Luxurious Water”.
The drink on offer at this pop-up? Pure, delicious, refreshing…water.
But how on earth could a bottle of H2O command such a hefty price tag, you ask? Nope, it’s not from the fountain of youth. (We wish!)
Here’s a hint: have you ever wondered what makes luxury, such a luxury? Something extremely expensive is usually scarce or difficult to produce. But in Singapore, clean water is as accessible as walking to the kitchen and turning on the tap.
That’s not the case in other countries.
Each drop of water holds more than meets the eye.
There is no bottle of O (Eau) worth SGD1,260. The astonishing price point is a representation of the cost disparity of water; for a villager in rural Asia, water is 1,260 times less affordable than for an average Singaporean. This is a reflection of the income gap and infrastructure cost that many people face when it comes to clean water.
For people sipping O (Eau), it was a sudden paradigm shift. Yes, here in Singapore luxury is everywhere, just not in the places you would think. The most luxurious thing in Singapore is also the most commonplace.
Lien AID, an international non-profit organization that helps the rural poor in Asia gain access to clean water staged the spoof O (Eau) Water event.
Lien AID was founded in 2006 and takes a community-based approach to sustainable water programs. Lien AID partners with local governments, civil society organizations and private businesses to promote better water governance. Lien AID’s dream is simple: a future where clean water access is available to everyone.
So how can you help make this dream a reality? Visit http://www.waterisluxury.sg and read more about how you and your company can get involved
Clean water is something we take for granted here in Singapore, but this essential resource is key to living a life of dignity, improving health and providing hope for a better future.
