“Dressed like that, I feel 30 years younger”
– Wan-ji, Want Show Was Young
For decades married couple Hsu Sho-Er, 84, and Chang Wan-Ji, 83, ran the Wansho Laundry in Taichung, Taiwan. Over the years many people left clothes behind. Hundreds of items were left unclaimed for a year or longer. In 2020, their grandson, Reef Chang, went through some of these clothes. He used them to dress the couple and take their pictures.
“They didn’t understand at first,” says Reef. “They also don’t understand fashion trends, but when they were young they were very fashionable. They thought why would people of this generation like clothes from their generation?”
Reef dressed them in a mix of vintage pieces and youthful trends, often layering fun accessories like hats, sunglasses, scarves and bold prints. What began as a family pastime evolved into a project about ageing, love and sustainability, transforming forgotten laundry into living portraits of style and spirit.
“Their business is not always busy,” says Reef. “They would doze off in the shop and their spirits weren’t high. So I thought since our family has these clothes, I can remind my grandparents their life can still be great even in old age.”
“My grandpa and grandma were staring blankly at the streets because business wasn’t good. I wanted to find something new they could enjoy doing….
“They had nothing to do. I saw how bored they were and wanted to brighten up their lives.”
– Reef Chang, Want Show Was Young
“Grandpa said yes without any hesitation, but he didn’t think it would go big. Grandma was not a fan at the beginning — not because of the idea, she just wasn’t confident about her look and thought she would need to do her hair in order to be photogenic.”
– Reef Chang
“Grandpa loves suits; he always has them washed and ironed. To him, being an owner of a laundry shop, he should be clean and neat when meeting people, which shows his professionalism. That’s why he insists on wearing ironed suits whenever he heads out. And to make things easier for work, he loves a pair of shorts with a white plain vest.
“Grandma used to be very stylish; she still has two huge wardrobes of clothes from her younger days; the styles were the same as the ones of celebrities [back then]. But now she’s more after comfort. She likes wearing T-shirts of western brands or just polo shirts with a pair of trousers and trainers, which makes it easy for her to shop.”
– Reef Chang
“I am old in age but my heart is not ageing. I like to put on pretty clothes and go out to have some fun.”
– Hsu
“In the past, clothes were very expensive. When I got married, it cost an ox-cart loaded with 20 bags of rice to pay for my suit. And back then clothes were so valuable that you could take them to the pawn shop if you needed money.”
– Wan-ji
Hsu Sho-Er passed away in May 2023.
Via: Vogue, @wantshowasyoung
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