It’s not every day that you see an outfit fashioned out of keyboards, packaging material, garbage bags or mosquito netting. But anyone who follows 18-year-old Apichet “Madaew” Atilattana on social media must be used to the idea by now.
The transgender teenager from Khon Kaen in Thailand’s rural Isaan region has fashioned himself, literally, as a unique stylist with his array of chic outfits made from unlikely material, examples of which you can see in the videos above and below.
The one-of-a-kind “fashion show” in the videos has raked up millions of views on Facebook, and it’s no wonder why – garbage bags never looked this good.
It’s nothing new for Madaew, whose pictures and videos on Instagram and Facebook have won global acclaim and an invitation as a guest designer on Asia’s Next Top Model in 2016. “He inspires others to challenge the norm, to break the mould, and to explore new and exciting possibilities,” Thai-American supermodel Cindy Bishop, the show’s host, told Time magazine.
Madaew wants to show people that ugly things can be made beautiful, and looking good doesn’t depend on money. At the same time, he wants to let people know that “a transvestite Khon Kaen boy can be as creative as anybody else.”
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