We’re bored in the house and in the house bored, but that doesn’t mean we can’t dress up. Take it from Wan-Ji Chang, 83, and Sho-Er Hsu, 84, owners of the Wansho Laundry in Taiwan.
The octogenarian couple went viral on Instagram for their quarantine ‘fits and expert modeling, bringing a much-needed bright spot to our timelines. In just over a month, the pair have gained 622K followers and counting on their page Want Show As Young, where you can find them posing in bucket hats, oversized suits, and sunglasses.
Over the decades, Wan-Ji and Sho-Er have collected hundreds of pieces of clothing that have been forgotten by customers. The couple’s 31-year-old grandson Reef Chang noticed his grandparents becoming aimless and sad during self-isolation, so one day, he decided to recycle the clothes for their amusement.
“I hope that through the [Instagram account] I can let everyone know that they must remember to pick up the clothes,” Chang told ELLE.com. “Besides, seeing the life of my grandparents [in quarantine] is very boring. I hope to give them some change and fun.”
Chang, who has been working at Wansho since he was a child, is responsible for styling, directing, and shooting his grandparents. After 61 years of marriage, Wan-Ji and Sho-Er are embracing their newfound fame together.
“They are very happy [with the success],” Chang adds. “[Followers] encourage them and praise them as if [they have] many more grandchildren in the world. They also feel that they have done a good thing, [to remind] elderly people not to limit themselves.”
As for the business, Chang and his grandparents hope to find new homes for the clothes to promote “sustainable fashion” and “environmental protection of the earth.” But not all the clothes will be given away… “At present, two guests remembered the clothes they forgot to take because they saw the news,” Chang reveals. With the growing popularity of Want Show As Young, there’s sure to be more customers remembering their laundry.
