You might think you’re cool in your hyped sneakers or your fresh-off-the-runway look, but unfortunately we have news for you: you’ll never be as cool as these Taiwanese senior citizens who have been turning out a whole bunch of lewks on Instagram.
Chang Wan-ji and his wife Hsu Sho-er rose to Insta-fame through a series of portraits captured by their grandson Reef Chang. As the proprietors of a small laundry service in Taichung, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown, business was slow.
To keep them busy, Chang encouraged them to try on the abandoned clothing that had amassed over the years, before snapping photographs of them and posting them to @wantshowasyoung. The result is something we could totally imagine Balenciaga putting out as a campaign (paging Demna, come in Demna).
“Modelling these clothes makes me feel 30 years younger,” Chang told The Guardian. “Many people are telling me, ‘You are famous now and you look younger’.” “I am old in age but my heart is not ageing,” added Hsu, and tbh, je suis sobbing.
Seen on their IG in extremely chic oversized tailoring, matching bucket hats and berets, and checked overalls, the account has now amassed over 600,000 followers, with fan mail pouring in from around the world. “Many people are saying that @wantshowasyoung is the first happy news they’ve seen in this dark year marred by the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re very moved by the messages,” added Chang.
With around 400 uncollected garments currently languishing in the store, many are set to go to charity, but the two will continue to showcase looks on social media in the meantime. “Instead of following fast fashion and buying new clothes, we hope people can see that old and second-hand clothes can be fashionable if you arrange and combine them in new ways,” concluded Reef. “This would cause less damage to the earth and the environment.”
Hit follow to stay inspired, and click through the gallery above for more looks.