Wansho Laundry
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Laundry |
| Founded | 1951 in Houli District, Taiwan |
| Founder | Chang Wan-ji |
| Headquarters | , |
| Owner |
|
Wansho Laundry (Chinese: 萬秀的洗衣店; pinyin: Wànxiù de xǐyīdiàn),[1] also known as Want Show As Young,[2] is a Taiwanese laundry shop founded in 1950 and owned by Chang Wan-ji (born 1937) and Hsu Sho-er (born 1936). The shop, in the district of Houli,[3] has been the subject of widespread media coverage after pictures of its owners wearing abandoned clothing pieces as fashion outfits went viral on Instagram.[3] Wan-ji and Sho-er's grandson, Reef Chang, manages marketing and styles the outfits, and originally came up with the idea following the COVID-19 lockdowns in China.[4] As of February 2023, the shop's Instagram account has 730,000 followers.[5]
History
[edit]Wan-ji founded the shop in 1951 at the age of 14, having done dry cleaning and laundry for neighbors.[6] He did not attend high school due to financial restrictions.[4]
Wan-ji and Sho-er, both born in Taiwan, met each other in the late 1950s, when Sho-er's sister and aunt approached Wan-ji in the Houli District of Taichung City with the purpose of matchmaking.[3] The two wed in 1959 and had two sons and two daughters, who have five grandsons and one granddaughter collectively.[3][4] The couple worked together at the Wansho Laundry, renaming the shop to combine their names.[3]
In the 1980s, following the martial law in Taiwan, the couple began traveling and visited Australia, the United States, Japan, and various countries in Europe.
In July 2020, Wan-ji and Sho-er's grandson Reef Chang began posting images of the couple wearing unclaimed clothes on Instagram under the handle @wantshowasyoung.[7] On July 21, with 18 posts at the time, the page attained 50,000 Instagram followers,[8] beginning to receive media attention, and reached 100,000 three days later.[9] On July 27, the page had accumulated nearly 500,000 followers.[8]
Reception
[edit]
Wan-ji and Sho-er model vintage clothing, including blazers, skirts, and Chuck Taylor All-Stars,[8] and have been described as "eclectic, funky and fun" by the New York Times.[3] Vogue writes that Wansho Laundry's popularity "highlights the importance of sustainability in fashion and buying secondhand clothes,"[10] instead of "following 'fast fashion'" as Reef Chang describes.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Leu, Tiffany (2020-08-14). "走進「萬秀洗衣店」一窺「資深」國際網紅阿公、阿嬤生活以及幕後「帥孫」". Vogue Taiwan (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ Yaptangco, Ariana (2020-08-06). "Elderly Style Stars Dunking on Your Quarantine 'Fits Embrace Their Newfound Fame". ELLE. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ a b c d e f Horton, Chris (2020-07-24). "He's 83, She's 84, and They Model Other People's Forgotten Laundry". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ a b c Ashok, Sowmiya (2022-02-06). "Meet the Taiwanese grandparents who have become Instagram fashion sensations". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ "@wantshowasyoung on Instagram". Instagram. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ Sui, Cindy (2020-07-24). "Taiwanese laundry-modelling grandparents are surprise Instagram hit". BBC Online. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ France-Presse, Agence (2020-08-01). "Taiwan grandparents go viral on Instagram modelling abandoned clothes". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ a b c Davis, Johnny (2020-07-27). "These Laundry-Modelling Grandparents Are An Instagram Sensation". Esquire. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ Hardiman, Jess (2020-07-24). "Elderly Couple With Laundry Business Go Viral After Dressing Up In Clothes Left By Customers". LADbible. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ Leu, Tiffany (2020-07-29). "These Octogenarian Laundry Shop-Owners Are An Instagram It Couple". British Vogue. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ Wang, Amber (2020-08-01). "Taiwan grandparents become Instagram stars modelling abandoned clothes". CTV News. Retrieved 2024-02-17.