You don't need to be rich to be a famous personality – the homeless, despite the many difficulties they face, can become welcome or even celebrated personalities in their neighborhoods and cities. Slavik, a 55-year-old fashion-conscious homeless man in Lviv, Ukraine, is one such character.
Slavik was noticed by Yurkov Dyachyshyn, a Ukrainian photographer who began photographing Slavik after a chance encounter and created a 100-photo series called “Slavik's Fashion.” Read on between the photos for more information!
“Slavik is 55 years old. He is a homeless gypsy but not an ordinary one. His way of life is different from that of other homeless. He does not carry lots of bags, nor does he rummage in the trash cans,” writes photographer Yurko Dyachyshyn, who befriended Slavik.
“Slavik almost never wears the same clothing which is very strange for a homeless man. Besides everyday’s outfit change (sometimes twice a day) he changes his hairdo and his beard regularly and shaves his armpits.”
“How is this possible for a homeless? He has a hiding place and nobody knows about it. He keeps the secret of his home.”
“Slavik roams the streets and asks for change but he is not annoying. He regularly drinks alcohol, mostly beer, but he is not an alcoholic. Slavik is the most fashionable homeless in world.”
“All photos (over 100 different portraits) were taken during occasional meetings over two years,” Dyachyshyn told mymodernmet. “I could meet Slavik every day or every few weeks or months. Later he got used to me, then he sought me out knowing where I am, or if I had free time I went to places where we probably could come across each other. Otherwise, it was impossible to reach an agreement with him.”
“The main thing is not to lose health, and it is essential that nobody ruins or interferes with a man’s internal peace,” Dyachyshyn writes, quoting Slavik.
Unfortunately, Dyachyshyn has not known of Slavik's whereabouts since January of 2013.
