Brother Sharp

So let me get this straight. There's this Asian Adonis who walks around the Ningbo hood in Zhejiang province all day smoking cigarettes and dressed in shabby chic. He has an edgy Johnny Depp kind of style with scruff, unkempt hair and great bone structure. Deemed a style icon, he is one of the most talked about personalities in Chinese cyberspace despite one little catch...

He's a homeless beggar. He walks the streets all day because he has no home. The cigarettes he smokes are actually picked up from cracks in the sidewalk, the clothes he wears are found by rummaging through trash cans and his messy hair is attributed to the fact he doesn't bath regularly. Because he cannot always be located and no one knows his given name, fans and media have nicknamed him "Brother Sharp" due to his piercing sharp eyes and stylish flare.

Brother Sharp literally became an overnight sex symbol and celebrity in China. People have become so fascinated by his handsome looks and bohemian dress code that he's been written about in magazines, newspapers and blogs all over the world. With no money in his pockets and no food in his stomach, he still radiates confidence strutting down the streets. He's often seen wearing women's clothes which he has supposedly admitted is because he yearns for a home and woman to feel close to again.

Only until recently has his birth name and life story unraveled. Brother Sharp is really Cheng Guorong. He's 34 and traveled to Ningbo several years ago to find work and provide for his wife and two children. He was very successful until he was robbed of all his savings which began an downward spiral of bad luck. Embarrassed by himself and his misfortune, he never contacted home again and his family believed he was dead until recent pictures of him surfaced in the media and on the Internet.

His fans have donated thousands of dollars to help Mr. Guorong get back on his feet. He currently has overwhelming offers to appear in magazines, interviews and advertisements. He's even done a catwalk appearance and a Chinese producer is now shooting a film based on Brother Sharp's life. This is what I call a true rags to riches story.

Below - Brother Sharp vs. male model for latest Dolce & Gabbana collection. Similarities? I think so.