Brother Sharp, once a vagrant who gained fame for his dressing style, walked the runway in a fashion show in Shunde, Guangdong Province, during the Labor Day holiday.

Wearing a dark hat, striped shirt and black trousers with pink sunglasses perched on his nose, Brother Sharp looked shy and expressionless for most of show.

"He was intimidated during the first show and unwilling to go on stage," said the leader, surnamed You, of the fashion team. "But he practiced hard for three hours in his room afterward and improved his performance. He took the effort to gain confidence himself."

Brother Sharp, whose real name is Cheng Guorong, became famous earlier this year after someone posted pictures of him wandering the street online. He was sent home and diagnosed with autism. You said his fashion team hired Brother Sharp so he could support himself, paying him a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan (US$439.38) after a month-long probation period.

Though he had received much sympathy from netizens, many now criticized the show and his performance. Media reports described them as "ridiculous," "obscene" and "unsuccessful."

"He only smiled once or twice during the show. He smoked continuously and can only communicate with others by sending cigarettes," one online commenter under the name Faint Elegance wrote. "Thus he proved he is still an autistic patient and a vagabond who recently ended his homeless experience."

Brother Sharp's uncle was so infuriated that Brother Sharp's performance lasted only three days and took him home.