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Most of them are in their 20’s, all of they’re not trained barbers, but in the year that the guys have been together as Slick Barbers Co, they’ve done more than cut hair. They’ve practically jumpstarted a movement.
On Saturday Slick Barbers Co will be celebrating its first anniversary with a huge street party on Yague Street in Makati. There will be DJs, there will be food, and there will be grooming.
This is how it started.
In late 2013, Makati resident Indio Bendaña wanted to learn how to cut hair, and tuck in more barbering experience under his belt. So he asked his buddy Mak Azores — a dude who learned how to cut his own hair because of too many bad haircuts — if he could maybe teach him. A few months into it, in May 2014, Indio told Mak his plan of putting up a pop-up barbershop.
“Nag-post lang si Indio sa Facebook. ‘Uy papagupit ako, sama kayo,” narrates Calvin. Because June was around the corner, they thought it was a good reference to the back-to-school tradition of getting a haircut in June.
On the first Saturday of June 2014, around 10 friends came to get a haircut from Mak. They wanted the haircut he was sporting: The Pompadour.
A few post-gupit photos were posted — complete with tags and all — and a July session was quickly organized. This time, they called on Ez Abinal to join the duo. More people came. “Nung una, tropa lang muna namin tapos ita-tag nila mga kaibigan nila, hanggang sa nagulat na lang kami, ‘o sino itong mga ito. Hindi na namin kakilala yung mga nagpapagupit. Lahat sila bago na, padami na nang padami.”
A year later, the duo has grown into six, and Yague, where they first started cutting hair, has become ground zero of an unlikely scene of modern good grooming for men. The barbers like to call what they’re doing “lifestyling” and the dudes who avail of their PHP200 haircuts like to call them “The Slick Barbers”, after the local pomade, Slicktight, they like to use and one that along with Grasa Pomada, came early as sponsors. The name stuck.
The original Slick Barbers include Mak Azores, 26 and Indio Bendaña, 26. On the second event, Ez Abinal, 25 joined them. Soon after, Calvin Miralles, 25, came into the fold, and then later Dennis Arevalo, 34, and Peter Pago, 19, learned the Slick way of cutting hair, and joined the band of barbers.
From 10, it became 20, and then 30, and then 40, and then enough for a Slick Saturday session to last until 12 midnight and beyond. First Saturdays of the month are reserved for Yague, while third Saturdays of the month are reserved for Red Trend, a local clothing shop on Mendiola who invited them use their shop as space.
Tribal Gear has renamed its Robinsons Place Manila location into Tribal Cuts because the brand has given Slick Barbers space in its store, too. Here, people can find at least three Slick Barbers on any given day. “Binibigyan kami ng puwesto kasi maraming nagpapagupit, so in a way, dumadami na rin ang tao sa shop nila,” explains Calvin.
There are also occasional barbershop pop-ups at THE Clothing in Cubao X, and a pop-up at B-Side in Collective in Makati. “Parang naging traveling barbers na rin kami,” smiles Ez.
But none of those gigs replicate the swinging street party vibe of the Yague sessions.
“Ang maganda sa Yague,” begins Calvin, “parang Sunday afternoon scene siya. May beer, may barbecue, may burgers. Hindi lang siya gupitan. Nagiging tambayan na rin.” Besides, at Yague, unlike all the other locations, all six barbers are always present, and there is no cut-off.
The sessions usually start at 1pm, but a line forms earlier. When the barbers arrive — except for Indio, all of them are from South of Manila — they start a customer list. And then the waiting party commences.
Neighbors were quick on the party. Somebody set up a barbecue stall, and then another put up a burger stand. Still another, a beer stand. “May DJ din, tapos pwede ka umikot sa labas, mag-yosi, until it’s your time for a cut.”
Slick Barbers Co is known for its signature sharp classic cuts: Pompadour, Classic Fade, Slick Back, Razor Fade, Scumbag Boogie, and even Mohawks. Those are strictly the only kinds of haircut the group offers, a business strategy that (1) sets Slick Barbers Co apart and (2) enables them to continue what they like to call “lifestyling.”
“Yung mga nagpapagupit sa amin, before hindi nila alam what they want. Sasabihin lang nila, ‘yung parang gupit mo’ o ‘ikaw bahala.’ Tapos pagbalik nila, alam na nila anong gusto nila kasi nag-re-research na rin sila. Tapos makikita mo, after nila magpagupit, iba na rin sila pumorma,” shares Calvin.
They’re all self-taught barbers who teach and practice what little new thing they learn on each other. “A lot galing na lang rin sa YouTube, yung mga tutorial videos duon, pero meron din bumibisita kami at magpapagupit sa ibang barberiya,” says Calvin, continuing to share that often, they’d choose old veterans to see the old school methods, and see how they can apply them to the Slick school of cool.
They’ve attracted a ton load of audiences from across the country, one even hailing from as far away as Cebu. “Kasama na kami sa itinerary nila, sa pagbisita sa Maynila, magpagupit sa Slick.
But the interest isn’t just from interested clients or even sponsors and partners. Slick have also received inquiries from interested barbers. The unfortunate reality is that Slick is not accepting applications. “As much as possible, gusto kasi namin homegrown barbers. Para sa amin matutuo, para yung style niya bilang barber, sa amin manggagaling,” shares Ez.
Strict, yes, but it’s the only way they can assure their customers that it is the Slick standard they’re getting. The barbers take pride in the uniformity of their work. “Kung paano gumupit si Mak dapat ganun din ang gupit ni Ez, ganun din ang gupit ko,” says Calvin. “Para kung sakaling may absent, kunwari wala si Mak, ano yung, hindi ka na magugupitan? Para kung wala ang isa, kaya pa rin ng iba.”
Because at the end of the day, Slick Barbers is promoting proper grooming for the modern day dude. “Hindi kami pormal pero hindi rin kami hindi pormal. Ina-uphold lang naming yung proper grooming. Kumbaga, ang dami na ngang mga tattoo, madungis na nga e. Ayusin naman natin ang porma at galaw natin. Kailangan decent pa rin.”
Thankfully, more and more men coming into their fold, seeing the truth to a good old gupit, and getting in on the Pompadour. It’s about time.
Slick Barbers Co, Facebook. Yague Street, Makati. 2/F Tribal Cuts, Robinsons Place, Ermita, Manila. +639063331016.
Photos: Courtesy of Mak Azores/Calvin Millares/Slick Barbers Co
