Vagrant Chic

A Chinese homeless man from the city of Ningbo has caused a sensation for the rag-tag but well co-ordinated clothes he wears, drawing legions of internet fans. The handsome man, dubbed “Brother Sharp”, has a web following on internet sites as a trend setter, after a Ningbo resident posted a picture of him, and many are now calling him “the coolest man in China”. “He is 5ft 8in, around 35 years old, and always has a cigarette between his fingers. He also appears to have a fondness for women’s clothes, which has only served to fuel his status as a fashion icon. His good looks are reminiscent of popular Asian actors like Takeshi Kaneshiro or the Oscar- nominated Ken Watanabe. One particularly striking picture juxtaposes Brother Sharp’s with a model showing the latest Dolce & Gabbana collection. ‘Look at him wrinkle his brow… nothing needs to be said… sexy…’, ran one comment on the Tianyu site. Another wrote: ‘He doesn’t really look like a beggar, more like a vagabond. The quality of this person’s tops are all not bad, a down jacket, cotton jacket, even a leather jacket inside, and though they’re a bit dirty, they’re all in good condition, not the kind that beggars find from the trash.’”