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Kudos to Hypebeast for telling the world about JayR Mallari. He is the awesomely inspiring Fil-Am who, at 6th grade, started cutting hair to make a few extra bucks; he wanted an extra pair of shoes, you see. But what do you know, he kept at his craft and soon, he became the personal barber of several NBA greats including Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry.
We reached out to JayR who turned out to be so humble and accommodating. He took some time off from hairstylin’ and answered a few of our questions via email. See them below:
JayR! Can you tell us more about yourself and your family? Were you born in the PH and then moved to California or were you born and bred there?
My full name is Angelito Mallari, Jr. I’m 28 and I’m the youngest in the family. I have three bothers, Amiel Dennis and Steven. I was born in Vallejo, California. My father is from Bagac, Bataan while by mother, Teresita is from Calumpit, Bulacan.
We know you wanted to make a few more bucks to buy shoes. But why cut hair?
My older bother Dennis, who is an excellent artist, was the first to cut hair for extra money. He believed I could cut hair because I also loved to draw. I had other jobs too, like working at the local theater and small retail shops at the mall, but nothing sparked my interest more than cutting someone’s hair and the confidence it brought them.
What did your parents think when you made a barbershop outta their garage?
My mother was very supportive and thought it was an awesome idea that I never left home. She would check in and always make sure I ate my meals.
In the video, you mentioned how you had to learn how to do black hairstyles because that’s what your Filipino clientele wanted. How did you learn?
I practed and learned from my peers — family, friends, referrals. I learned by seeing other great haircuts around me and I would imitate a style to the best of my ability.
Ever practiced on yourself?
There were times when I had to cut my own hair but on rare occasion.
READ: Filipino hair stylist gives haircuts to the needy
So where did you get your hair cut?
When I was younger, I went up the three to my good friend’s house and we would cut each other’s hair every three days or so. As I got older, John and Edward at JnJ Barbershop would cut my hair.
Did you ever get into a fight for ruining somebody’s hair?
No, ha-ha. Early on in my career, anyone who sat on my chair new I was still only practicing my craft.
We can imagine it must’ve been tough for a young Filipino boy to come up to a black barbershop like Legends and introduce yourself.
Walking into Legends was tough because I was entering something completely different and something I wasn’t used to. On top of that, they were already a well-known and established business that’s been running for over 13 years then. It was very tough working there at first, especially not knowing very many people like I did back home. I had very little clientele and didn’t know how a big city barbershop functioned.
Is it difficult to cut African-American hair? Or is that a misconception?
It’s not as difficult as I thought it would be. With the guidance from some experienced barbers at Legends, I learned that it was just like any other profession: it got easier with repetition. I like to provide my clients with the current hairstyles, but most importantly, what fits their personality and facial structure.
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We were very impressed with what you mentioned in the video, that barbering is about building relationships. Is this something you learned along the way, taught to you by a mentor, or instilled by family?
I was guided by my family who I’ve always been close to. Love and trust are things my family stands by very strongly. They pointed me in the direction of God. From there, I learned through Jesus how to treat people and always show them love.
You cut hair to be able to buy shoes. After coming a long way, are shoes still how you reward yourself? How many pairs to do own now?
Yes, I treat myself sometimes. I now have enough shoes for every occasion, ha-ha.
May we ask what’s the most expensive thing you’ve gotten yourself?
I can’t recall, but what I can tell you is that my fiancée wasn’t a cheap date, ha ha.
You weren’t with Stephen Curry when he visited Manila recently, were you?
The last time I came home was in 2005 for a family reunion. I can’t wait to go back!
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