84yo Japanese Grandpa Becomes IG Influencer After Grandson Dresses Him

Pick a random person in a crowd and chances are, that person might be “Insta-famous”. It’s no longer a big deal to have tonnes of followers online because it seems to be getting more and more common these days.

However, it’s not every day you come across a social media celebrity that’s 84 years old!

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おみくじなど引かない⛩ #引いても細かくて読めない #どうせ大吉 … Hat: #curione Top: #junyawatanabe Pants: #hommeplisse Shoes: #louisvuitton Necklace: #ボーロ Accessory: #jwanderson

A post shared by SLVR.TETSUYA | シルバーテツヤ (@slvr.tty) on May 27, 2019 at 5:00pm PDT

This is what makes Tatsuya, a Japanese retired chemistry teacher so special. In just a month, he has gained over 96,000 followers and fans who wait anxiously to see him flex on his next post.

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本を心から愛する者にしか見えない妖精 #あんたワシが見えるのかい？ #座敷ワラシルバー … Top: #loewe Pants: #droledemonsieur Accessory: #jwanderson #ボーロ

A post shared by SLVR.TETSUYA | シルバーテツヤ (@slvr.tty) on Jun 2, 2019 at 5:31pm PDT

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この歳になると魂の出し入れ自由自在? Soul breathing #iQOSoul #喫魂 #死ーシャ … Glasses: #poppylissiman Outer: #poggytheman Top: #vetements Accessory: #alyx Wallet: #louboutin たぬき: テツヤ姉の私物

A post shared by SLVR.TETSUYA | シルバーテツヤ (@slvr.tty) on Jun 7, 2019 at 4:56pm PDT

The twist is that the clothes don’t even belong to him; they’re his grandsons!

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今は廃校になった我が校にて? #元教師 #元校長 #元教育長 #現シルバー #元気 Outer: #isseymiyake Top: #heronpreston Pants: #doublet Shoes: #vetements Accessory: #alyx Glasses: #mykita

A post shared by SLVR.TETSUYA | シルバーテツヤ (@slvr.tty) on Jun 8, 2019 at 11:35pm PDT

Naoya Kudo travelled back to Akita Prefecture for a week-long holiday and felt quite bored. That’s when he had the idea of dressing his grandad up for a photo shoot. Surprisingly, Tatsuya loved the idea. Kudo told BuzzFeed,

“He was surprisingly enthusiastic about it. He gave a lot of suggestions about where to shoot and other things. The rest of the family went wild when they first saw him dressed up.”

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ボーロは歯がなくても食べれる? . #口で湿らせてやわくして #飲む #ボーロネックレス

A post shared by SLVR.TETSUYA | シルバーテツヤ (@slvr.tty) on May 9, 2019 at 3:15am PDT

They picked shooting locations that the grandad had a personal connection and significance with including around the neighbourhood, the beach, and the middle school where he taught.

“It was quite a transformation to see my rural grandpa, who has no interest in fashion, in outfits he would never consider wearing on his own.”

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人生の階段にエスカレーターなどない。 バリアフリーじゃつまらない。 #家の裏の階段を上るとすぐ海 #ひとり海街diary … Cap: #supreme Outer: #driesvannoten Top: #kudos Pants: #hommeplisse Shoes: #louboutin Accessory: #offwhite #alyx Glasses: #mykita

A post shared by SLVR.TETSUYA | シルバーテツヤ (@slvr.tty) on May 31, 2019 at 9:37pm PDT

“However, things like my grandpa’s long johns and muscle pain patches he forgot to remove added a nice personal touch.”

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ノームコアより、農具クワ。 . #秋田のサプール #家の裏の畑 #slvrtetsuya …. Hat: #artcomesfirst Setup: #cosmicwonder Tie: #トムブラウン Shoes: 長靴(テツヤ私物) Accessory: クワ(テツヤ私物)、#alyx

A post shared by SLVR.TETSUYA | シルバーテツヤ (@slvr.tty) on May 7, 2019 at 5:39pm PDT

Currently, his grandson Kudo is the one managing his Instagram account. He hopes to run a photo exhibition one day and invite his former students to visit because his grandfather doesn’t really use social media and would prefer to see prints of his photo shoots.

Let’s hope they keep it up because I’m personally hoping to see what look this fashionable grandpa hype beast unleashes next!

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HATAKE WORKS. #5時に目覚める #早朝からクライマックス #畑仕事 ….. Setup: #juliendavid Top:#burberry Shoes: #maisonmargiela Accessory:#yoshikocreation #jwanderson Glasses:#yohjiyamamoto 耕運機:#yanmar

A post shared by SLVR.TETSUYA | シルバーテツヤ (@slvr.tty) on May 13, 2019 at 2:28am PDT

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速すぎて、逆にゆっくりに見える早着替え。 #意外と #マッチョ #農作業で培った上腕二頭筋 #キレてる #肩にちっちゃいヤンマー乗せてんのかい … Hat: #artcomesfirst Outer: #givenchy Top: #alexanderwang Accessory: #maisonmargiela

A post shared by SLVR.TETSUYA | シルバーテツヤ (@slvr.tty) on May 22, 2019 at 4:17pm PDT

Also read: Think Being an Influencer is Easy? These Femes M’sians Share What It’s Actually Like