Qin Xiao has spent the past 10 years documenting the eclectic and offbeat styles of Shanghai’s retirees.
These days, social media is awash with influencers and ads showing off the latest fashion trends. But one photographer in Shanghai has trained his lens on the most unlikely models: the city’s stylish seniors.
Qin Xiao has spent the past decade documenting Shanghai’s accidental hipsters. To date, he has photographed over 1,000 seniors dressed in eclectic clothing and styles.
A lover of vintage, Qin started the project from casual walks on the street. He noticed older people in Shanghai would dress in loud colors, without seeming regard for whether pieces matched or looked out of date.
“Younger people are influenced by the internet and social media,” Qin says. “But older people dress how they feel.”
He was particularly drawn to bold color contrasts. Qin observed that seniors in Shanghai had a liking for big coats, knitted sweaters, and multiple layers bundled together. He calls it “wildlife fashion,” for the way outfits seem to come together organically.
The results are often surprising and delightful. “To put it simply, they’re fashionable and derivative,” the photographer says.
Qin says the aim of his project is to get people to notice the details in their everyday life that they may not have been aware of before.
“I’ve always loved to observe from a young age,” he says. “It might have to do with the fact that I kept changing schools when I was a kid. Whenever I entered a new environment, I didn’t like to talk much, and I think that’s how I developed a habit of observing others.”
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Qin now purposefully extends the duration of his walks to capture as many seniors in the wild as possible. He uploads his images to an Instagram account cheekily titled @SeniorFashionHub. Lately, he’s also extended his repertoire to younger people who dress in vintage styles.
“I’m not saying that just because I’m photographing older people that I want everyone to be considerate of older people,” Qin says. “I hope that people can pay more attention to their friends. There’s actually a lot of beauty around us.”
