How Gen Z has ditched plastic to make pastel flasks a status symbol - as Stanley releases new £75 drinks bottle

By Alanah Khosla For Mailonline 08:09 04 Nov 2024, updated 08:53 04 Nov 2024

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They were once a purely functional purchase, used solely to carry water while on the go.

However, the humble water bottle has now become Gen Z's latest status symbol, with young adults splashing out staggering amounts to look cool while hydrating themselves.

Last winter, the surge in popularity of Stanley Cups - an insulated beverage container - created such a craze in the US that children revealed that they were being bullied at school for having knock-off versions.

The UK was similarly hit with a storm of trendy bottles, with people shunning basic bottles for those with higher price tags, with content creator Phoebe, 22, from Manchester, saying she adopted a new attitude after buying three Stanley cups.

Now, the brand, established in the US in 1913, has launched a new, wearable bottle in the UK. Dubbed the Stanley Cross Bottle, it is likely to extend the trend further. Complete with adjustable strap, the bottle costs a staggering £75 - some £30 more than its standard version.

The rise in people opting for expensive water bottles, including Lululemon's version and Chilly's bottles, has been linked by some to the success of Stanley cups in America, with videos last year surfacing on TikTok of people fighting over specific colour shades.

'Everybody else had one, so I just feel like I needed to have one to fit in' one student told The Cut.

Madalyn, a nine-year-old pupil in Kentucky, who owns five Stanley Cups, insisted that owning a Stanley is now a prerequisite for social acceptance at her school.

'I'm, like, a little bit more popular now, and I've been getting more friends because of it,' she told the publication.

Dhalia, a 13-year-old from Dallas said her classmates will 'only talk to me in the morning when I'm holding my Stanley.'

Jamie Sherman said her 11-year-old niece was bullied by her classmates for bringing an off-brand version of the cup to her New Hampshire middle school.

'When girls pass her in the hallway, they laugh and point, and they say, 'That's not real','' Sherman said.

Elsewhere, in The Wall Street Journal, a teenage girl detailed how her parents have spent upwards of £2,320 ($3,000) on her Stanley cup fixation.

She revealed her family has so far footed the bill for 37 of the cult Quenchers, which each cost around £45.

Calling the collection an 'obsession', the Alabama teen went on to explain how she, like so many others, first became enthralled after seeing the containers online.

A year later, she started her own influencer account - where she proudly flaunts the fruits of her parents' efforts to her followers.

Claiming she uses every cup she gets, she told the paper how she decides on which outfit to wear depending on the bottle she plans to use that day.

Fast forward to this week and the brand has released its new wearable bottle - priced at a staggering £75 - in the UK for British fans.

After successfully launching in the States, the brand decided to launch the 0.68L bottle in the UK, claiming it's the brand's most stylish and innovative creation yet.

The bottle, which comes in three shades and keeps water cold for 12 hours, is said to be an improved version of the original cups, due to it being leakproof.

Ben James, Vice President, Global Commercial and General Manager, EMEA, at Stanley 1913 said: 'We have a lot to carry - phone, keys, wallet, laptop, gym bag, shopping bags - and the Stanley Cross Bottle is the embodiment of how Stanley 1913 makes people's lives easier through smart design.

'Even the size has been carefully considered to be the sweet spot in terms of providing enough water for our consumers to take with them on the go while maintaining the integrity of their look.'

Elsewhere, on TikTok Gen Z have dubbed the accessories 'emotional support water bottles'.

Talking of her bottles, content creator Georgia Pemberton from New Zealand said: 'I love them with my whole heart (only sippy lids) #emotionalsupportwaterbottle'.

The video started with the question: 'Are you an addict?' To which she indicated yes by holding up her 'expensive' water bottle collection.

UK content creator Lily Bayliss told her followers: 'Buy a Stanley just trust me' and added in the clip: 'Yes, I need a water bottle three times the size of my head and I love her'.

Content creator Phoebe, 22, from Manchester, said she adopted a new attitude after buying three Stanley cups, saying: 'My attitude now I have three Stanley tumblers in the UK' - a collection that would have cost her approximately £135.

Acknowledging the hype around water bottles, Francesca Hornak of You Magazine revealed what a water bottle says about its owner.

She said of Gen Z: 'Your water bottle functions as social media prop, IRL accessory and as a kind of adult mascot. The bigger the better, preferably a 2.2-litre canister with motivational reminders to 'drink up' on the side.'

Meanwhile, for millennials, she said: 'You are content with a moderate-sized bottle, though, because you have so much else to carry around (sanitiser, YoYo Bears, Water Wipes, your kids' untouched water bottles).'

And for the Gen X: 'Your Gen Z child's water bottle, and attendant anxiety, is as baffling to you as everything else about them.'

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