Not many people become a social media sensation just by walking down the street.

But thanks to one Teynham resident’s out-of-the-ordinary style, that is exactly what has happened.

Haydn Marchant came to Facebook fame as ‘The ‘70s Guy’ over the last year, thanks to his choice of funky outfits and dyed blond hair.

Despite his signature looks – some of which make it seem like he has stepped straight out of a Bee Gees’ music video – little was known about the 29-year-old.

Locals usually see him strutting along the A2 on his regular two-and-a-half-mile walks between his home in London Road, where he lives with his parents, and Sittingbourne town centre.

The former Canterbury College art student told KentOnline his long walks to browse the town’s charity shops for inspiration for his next outfits are a way to avoid crowded public transport.

When he met KentOnline reporter Joe Crossley near the Flame Grill takeaway in Canterbury Road, he was wearing orange flared trousers held up with a turquoise embroidered brooch belt, a flowery silk shirt, and a necklace in the shape of a peace symbol.

He said: “I wear these clothes because I want to step out of the norm and be more myself.

“Around six years ago, I used to wear regular clothes that you'd probably see nowadays.

“But I wanted to step out of that more and be more expressive — more colourful, more vibrant.

“The inspiration comes from a mix of places. It’s from TV shows, movies, video games, social media, and even people I come across who have crazy and awesome-looking outfits.

“With ’70s outfits, I'd say I like the Scooby-Doo aesthetic and how The Beatles dress up.

“Sometimes I wish I were living back in the ’70s or ’80s, just because the world had more character, I’d say, with the different styles, the vehicles, the amount of colour you would see, and the architecture.

“Nowadays, it just seems pretty bland and boring. So that’s why I look back like, well, how did we end up like this?”

But he has more styles than his nickname would suggest.

“I also have ’80s and ’40s outfits,” Haydn, who is one of six siblings, explained. “I like the Back to the Future movie and Terminator.

“I also like a game called L.A. Noire, which is a detective game set in the 1940s, and Newt Scamander from the Fantastic Beasts films.

“I like the suits and fedoras and seeing the classic cars, as well as the music from that period.”

Thanks to his style, he has become a phenomenon on Facebook, with hundreds commenting on posts about him.

A post put out on a gossip board in May had more than 120 responses.

One person said: “I see him when I walk to work. We stop and have a quick chat [and] I always say to him how dapper he looks.

“I wish more lads had his dress sense.”

Another commented: “I love that I keep seeing posts about this guy. We love seeing his outfits.

“My partner and I always look out for him and his fabulous dress sense whenever we drive through.

“The first time I saw him he looked like Fred from Scooby Doo so that’s what I call him,” said another commenter.

At first, Haydn says he was taken aback by the attention he was receiving online, but he quickly welcomed the positive comments.

He added: “I found it pretty surprising because when someone showed the post to me, I was like, ‘Are they talking about me?’

“That’s not expected at all because I’m just simply being myself.

“But ever since then, I’ve been getting more and more attention.

“Everyone mostly says, ‘Oh, I know exactly who you’re talking about — it’s that guy who walks from Teynham to Sittingbourne with his quirky and vibrant outfits’.

“There are a few people who say I remind them of Ken from Barbie.

“When I saw that post, I was like, ‘You know what, I’m going to one day dress up as Ken,’ because I want to embrace the positivity.

“I love the feedback so much. It means so much to me that people enjoy the quirkiness of me, so that makes my day.

“Sure, there are very rare cases where I get negative comments, but I don't really pay much attention to them.”

While Haydn is currently unemployed, he says his dream job is to work with animals in some capacity.

At home, he has a German Shepherd named Brynley and an American bulldog named Brodey.

He explained: “I have autism, so I prefer to be around animals rather than with people, so something like a vet or working at a zoo would be perfect.

“Another idea I have is to become a costume designer.”