An elderly couple running a laundromat give new life to old clothes

Wan-ji Chang and Sho-er Hsu have gone viral on Instagram modelling clothes left behind at their laundromat, encouraged by their grandson Reef Chang.

Wan-ji Chang and Sho-er Hsu’s grandson couldn’t bear to see them bored, so he had them “reinterpret fashion”.

Wan-ji Chang and Sho-er Hsu’s grandson couldn’t bear to see them bored, so he had them “reinterpret fashion”.

 Two Taiwanese octogenarians, grandpa Wan-ji Chang and grandma Sho-er Hsu have become internet celebrities at 83 and 84 respectively, thanks to their grandson Reef Chang, 31.

Wan-ji and Sho-Er are the owners of a laundromat, and have been married for 61 years. The laundromat they operate, Wan-Sho Laundry in Taichung City, Taiwan, will celebrate its 70th anniversary next year.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Reef came up with the idea to dress his grandparents up in clothes left behind by customers over the years and share them on an instagram account called Want Show as Young, with each post ending with “Don’t forget to pick up your laundry!”  

Little did they know they would become so popular, with 607,000 followers within five weeks of starting. The grandson, Reef Chang, says he began the project because he was aware that clothes left behind at the laundromat were serving no purpose and he wants to remind people to pick them up or help them find a new owner. 

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如果今天還是秀娥氣勢贏,那我就會告訴萬吉,說應觀眾要求,必須出一篇秀娥特輯! 前幾天VOGUE的文章說到:「有一種愛叫萬吉和秀娥的愛❤️」,這是什麼愛?其實孫子也不知道,但當有人把整套好看的西裝送洗未取,拿來給兩人穿上,就算這次沒有相視而笑,就算衣服來自不同主人,也還是會覺得是情侶裝,這應該就是愛吧? 👴🏼萬吉(身長160) 成套西裝:至少20年以上未取成套雙排扣白西裝 內搭:8年以上未取布達佩斯紀念T(已找到新主人) 腰帶:萬吉的領帶 👵🏼秀娥(身長155) 成套西裝:至少15年以上未取全套卡其西裝 內搭:3年未取白t恤 💡溫馨提醒|洗衣服請記得拿、認同請分享❤️ These old clothes have been abandoned by customers at the laundry for years. Owners of the laundry store, Wanji and Sho-Er who are over 80 years old. Grandson just can't bear to see them overwhelmed with bore everyday. So, ask them to reinterpret fashion, hoping to let everyone know that age is not a barrier to have fun in fashion and even old clothings can transformed into trendy outfits! 💡A friendly reminder|Don’t forget to pick up your laundry. #有一種愛叫萬吉和秀娥的愛 #萬秀洗衣店 #Wantshow #wantshowasyoung #grandparents - - - #mixandmatch #clothes #ootd #wiw #instafashion #style #fashion #couple #夫婦 #80代 #grandma #grandpa #dappei @dappei_tw #juksyootd @mixfitmag_snap #cool_ootd #plainme_snap #plainme_life #femmefuture @nataliadornellas @irdailystyle @styleshare_kr #classyvision #vintage #古着 #コーディネート #love

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Reef adds that his grandparents’ life was “very boring” and he couldn’t “bear to see them sitting in a daze every day.” So he started styling them in leftover clothes in “a hope to give them some change and fun in their later life!”

Reef’s grandparents didn’t need much persuading to play dress up with clothes left behind, but they certainly didn’t anticipate this level of attention. “They thought no one would like it. Hahahaha,” Reef writes TRT World.

There are around 300 pieces of clothing left behind by customers over the years, Reef Chang says. These 300 items were “collected [over] sixty years” and were left behind in a totally random pattern, “not regularly by week or month,” he adds.

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6/27-7/27,讓萬吉和秀娥多麼驚奇一個月! 秀娥:「不要覺得自己老就想每天休息,因為這樣,只會讓你越來越老!」 一個月前的今天,姑且一試的發了照片,沒想到讓萬吉秀娥從不知道Instagram 的老人,變成了會看留言的年紀大的人! 👴🏼萬吉(身長160) 針織衫:至少5-10年未取針織衫 上衣:萬吉私服T-SHIRT 短褲:萬吉私服工作褲 👵🏼秀娥(身長155) 上衣:至少3-5年長版落肩T-shirt 裙子:秀娥30年以上私服 💡溫馨提醒|洗衣服請記得拿❤️ From 6/27 to 7/27, what a surprising month for Wan-Ji and Sho-Er! Sho-Er said, “Don’t just keep resting every day because you think you’re old. This will only make you older!” One month ago, I’d posted some photos and unexpectedly turned Wan-Ji and Sho-Er from old peoples that didn’t even know Instagram to someone that read through comments! 👴🏼Wan-Ji(160 cm) Sweater: unclaimed for 5-10 years Top: Wan-Ji’s own T-shirt Bottom: Wan-Ji’s own working pants 👵🏼Sho-Er(155 cm) Top: Long, oversize T-shirt, unclaimed for 3-5 years Dress: Sho-Er’s own dress, worn for at least 30 years 💡Remember to pick up your clothes ❤️ #萬秀洗衣店 #萬秀的洗衣店 #wantshowasyoung #grandparents - - _ #mixandmatch #clothes #ootd #instafashion #style #fashion #couple #夫婦 #80代 #grandma #grandpa #femmefuture #classyvision #vintage #古着 #コーディネート #love #laundry #outfits

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According to Reef, his grandparents are very happy “because many netizens [have] encouraged them and praised them, [and it’s] as if [they have] many more grandchildren in the world.” Reef adds that “They also feel that they have done a good thing. Tell many elderly people not to limit themselves.”

Reef says his grandparents “like each set very much!” But their most favorite is “matching with their own old clothes. Because they will think of many things before, their eyes will seem to glow. It's as if they have returned to the same year.”

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你看看,秀娥的臉真的很會擺! 整理找到2件被遺忘的Adidas,所以今天嘗試兩個人年輕時也沒穿過的運動型態!也是店裡比較意外居然會被遺忘的年輕款式(?)結果萬吉秀娥還是輕鬆駕馭😅從櫃檯把阿公發呆的椅子拉出來讓他們坐著,結果秀娥自己擺了這樣的pose?! 👴🏼萬吉 上衣:主人已領取 褲子:萬吉私服—洗衣服時穿的工作褲 👵🏼秀娥 上衣:5年以上未取女白T 外套:2年以上未取Adidas 棒球外套 褲子:阿嬤私服,年代自己都忘了 💡溫馨提醒|洗衣服請記得拿、認同請分享❤️ These old clothes have been abandoned by customers at the laundry for years. Owners of the laundry store, Wanji and Sho-Er who are over 80 years old. Grandson just can't bear to see them overwhelmed with bore everyday. So, ask them to reinterpret fashion, hoping to let everyone know that age is not a barrier to have fun in fashion and even old clothings can transformed into trendy outfits! 💡A friendly reminder|Don’t forget to pick up your laundry. #萬秀洗衣店 #Wantshow #wantshowasyoung #grandparents #mixandmatch #clothes #craftsman #しょくにん #ootd #wiw #instafashion #style #fashion #couple #夫婦 #80代 #budapest #grandma #grandpa #dappei @dappei_tw #juksyootd @mixfitmag_snap @uniqlo_ootd #converse @converse #cool_ootd #plainme_snap #plainme_life #ynet #femmefuture #culturecartel @nataliadornellas #classyvision #adidas

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Reef says he wants to help his grandparents find new homes for the clothes left behind at their laundromat. He also wants to promote sustainable fashion, and to protect the earth. Reef adds he wants to “encourage everyone to care about the elderly.”

According to Reef, two customers remembered the clothes they forgot about because they saw the laundromat on the news. He says even though in the past he may have been away for work or study in another city, he “will still help when I go home” and that he has been helping at home “since I was a child.”

The best takeaway, Reef Chang writes, was to see his grandparents smile. He also points out that tens of thousands of fans from all over the world say “this is the most heartwarming thing in such a bad year.”

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這不是要說阿公在模仿年輕時看小姐的樣子! 而是一個有點悲傷,關於布達佩斯旅遊紀念T被遺棄的故事...身上的衣服,來自被放了至少8年以上的T恤區,衣服上面寫著布達佩斯,而這位客人一共送洗了五件,分別是黑白灰黃紅,除非他真的很愛這一件T恤的款式,不然一定是一家人出遊時買的吧?但...就是洗了沒有來拿,不知道他們一家的記憶中是否還有布達佩斯。 👴🏼萬吉 上衣:至少8年布達佩斯紀念T 褲子:至少3年以上未取UQ卡其褲 👵🏼秀娥 領巾:兩條被遺棄的手帕綁成 上衣:至少8年布達佩斯紀念T 裙子:阿嬤30年私服 💡溫馨提醒|洗衣服請記得拿、認同請分享❤️ These old clothes have been abandoned by customers at the laundry for years. Owners of the laundry store, Wanji and Sho-Er who are over 80 years old. Grandson just can't bear to see them overwhelmed with bore everyday. So, ask them to reinterpret fashion, hoping to let everyone know that age is not a barrier to have fun in fashion and even old clothings can transformed into trendy outfits! 💡A friendly reminder|Don’t forget to pick up your laundry. #萬秀洗衣店 #Wantshow #wantshowasyoung #grandparents #mixandmatch #clothes #craftsman #しょくにん #ootd #wiw #instafashion #style #fashion #couple #夫婦 #80代 #budapest #grandma #grandpa #dappei @dappei_tw #juksyootd @mixfitmag_snap @uniqlo_ootd #converse @converse #cool_ootd #plainme_snap #plainme_life #ynet #femmefuture #culturecartel @nataliadornellas #classyvision #vintage

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