by Roger Pe
Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 24, 2015 issue
He cuts hair in London but has never cut his ties with the
country of his parents and grandparents. He is even proud to tell people that
they were migrant workers.
On 31 Riding House Street, right next to BBC London and Oxford
Circus, is Champs Barbers, a boxing-themed barbershop where many celebrities,
movie stars and sports personalities go for hairgrooming.
Splashed on the walls are boxing memorabilia, including
some autographs of boxing history’s greats. It has gained a loyal following,
not only from people all over London, United Kingdom, but also from other parts of the world. One of the reasons: It employs the most number of Filipino
barbers, including a Pinay haircutter.
The barber who has stayed the longest in the shop is Troy Argones,
a Filipino born in the UK whose parents were also brought to the UK by their
parents.
Young and energetic, Argones belongs to a new generation of
migrant workers, Filipino in looks, culturally British but has not forgotten
his Philippine roots.
“I am the first of the Argones family to be born in the UK
and also the first in a long time to take up a career on this trade,” he
narrates.
He came from a family of barbers. His great grandfather had
a salon with four chairs and his grand uncles helped out whenever they were on
leave from the Philippine army.
Argones’ parents came to the UK as teenagers and met while
they were growing up in London. Originally from Pangasinan, his Lola was a grade
school teacher, who, together with his Lolo, migrated during the 70s. His
mother and uncle spent a few years with their relatives in Bulacan before they
were petitioned in 1983.
His Lolo on the father’s side was a Bicolano architect and worked
as a building inspector in Makati when it was still a municipality. His dad,
two brothers and sisters, also came to the UK in the late 70's.
Argones’ grandmother was once featured in London’s newspaper
Daily Mail while being put under house arrest for failing to disclose that she
had children when she migrated to the UK. She helped the famous journalist John
Pilger in making it possible for families to migrate to the UK by taking part
in protests and petitioning the UK government.
By working the most, Argones has gotten to where he is now,
helping manage the shop’s day-to-day operation, assigning customers to barbers,
and keeping an eye on the shop’s resources. He has become a favorite among children
of Filipino OFWs. It is probably because of the way he connects to them, more
meaningfully rather than routinary.
“When the job is finished, my job does not end there. I
share my skills and teach them how to become independent early,” he says.
It all began as a hobby when he was sixteen years old. With
a pair of clippers bought from Tesco, he experimented with friends and members
of the family. He became good at it until he became a professional barber for
three and half years, the last two spent at Champs.
After opting out of university at age 21, Argones worked in
retail jobs for five years. He became serious about barbering when he found out
he was going to be a father.
Cutting hair is one of the longest living crafts in history,
Argones says. “It has allowed me to meet people with beautiful minds, be myself
and meet cool people. It gave me a chance to help build people’s confidence. Here,
I am allowed to express myself creatively with different haircuts. Every day is
different, so you’ll never know what kind of experience will walk through the
door,” he intimates.
In his current job at Champs, Argones and his fellow Pinoy
barbers always do their best to please customers. The shop has a big Filipino
following, mostly young Fil-Brits.
“I would love for all Filipinos to come to our shop. I have
customers from all over the globe who’ve become great friends and haven't let
anyone cut their hair since I started at Champs,” he says with pride.
Champs Barbers was opened by Colombian Ian “Champ” Hoyos, a
professional barber and boxing enthusiast, in early 2012. When he started,
Hoyos made sure that Champs would be the best so he hired the best barbers
around London. To date, its popularity continues to soar due to positive
word-of-mouth and good reviews it has been getting on social media.
Pinoy culture at home
When he was growing up, Argones’ parents worked full time.
He and his sister were mostly looked-after by his grandmother, an experience
that taught him to know more about the country of his parents. The values that
he learned were something he also wanted to pass on to his children.
“For dinner, we always had a choice of two dishes our Lola
prepared for us, “Sinigang” or “Tinola”, both of which I love, but Lola's “Pork
Sinigang”, with a splash of “patis”, is my favorite,” he reminisces.
There are many chefs on both sides of the Argones family.
His Lolo Abel worked in many hotels in London. His Tito Dun worked as a
Teppenyaki chef in prestigious “Matsuri” in Greenland, London, and “Yumenoki”
is his Ninang Ami’s successful restaurant in Chelsea.
“I was surrounded by good food of all cuisines from early
age. But for dinner at both grandparents house, great Filipino classics like my
Lolo's “Adobo” and my Tita Paz's “Menudo” would always be served.
Because Argones was not born in the Philippines, his every
trip to the country feels like a new experience. He has seen Makati’s vibrant
and colorful nightlife and loved it. He got to know members of his clan and felt
very much at home right away. He makes it a point to spend quality time with them
whenever he is home.
He hopes to have a successful business of his own in ten
years, not just a barbershop, but also a globally recognized brand, promoting a
lifestyle for young gentlemen around the world.
Before Champs, Argones was a DJ for his uncle's
"Signature Sounds", a UK-based Filipino-owned company. He started by following
him around, helping set up the audio systems till they wrapped up and finished
the day’s work.
Living in London
Argones grew up in Queens Crescent, Kentish town, “a rough
area to grow up in,” he says. Here, he would often hear altercations but his
family adapted well with the multi-ethnic community, and he, lucky enough to
have friends who’ve kept him out of trouble.
Apart from that, UK is a place where culture is celebrated
Argones says. “It makes my being a Filipino even more special,” he adds.
Since becoming a barber, Argones has focused on providing
for his family, avoiding reckless spending, able to live comfortably, even
spoiling his family from time to time.
His opinion on Filipinos living in the UK is shared by
many, like a gap between Filipinos his age, born and raised in the UK and those
born back home. “I think lack of common social interests and the fact that most
UK-born Filipinos are shy or unable to speak Tagalog creates a slight cultural
barrier,” he says.
He observes that it does not necessarily create any
negative tension or segregation. “Most Filipinos who meet in the UK always find
some things in common like family traditions and food preferences,” he says.
Growing up in the UK and seeing the Philippines only
ocassionally has taught Argones many things. “I know of some people who are not
as fortunate but still they find ways to be happy. That’s what I find so
admirable with Filipinos and that teaches me not to take things for granted,”
he says.
Words of advice he would give to Filipinos who would like
to work in the UK: “It is a place full of many opportunities, where good
character and work ethics are appreciated. Be honest,
always strive to achieve the best of whatever you can do and you’ll succeed.”
