My shop is the first Gypsy Roma run barbershop in the whole of England. It’s located up in BD8, in Manningham. I’ve been cutting hair since the age of 13 and when I turned 18 my uncle opened me this barber shop.

Culture is about what you wear and how you cut your hair. My favourite hair cut to do is the Taper Fade, because it’s so simple, but it always looks the cleanest. A lot of younger ones like to get patterns, such as lines, stars or love hearts – they get the taper fade and then the pattern on the back.

This is a Kurdish barbershop. It’s a bit different, with hot towels and steam face massages. Beard trims, nose waxing, ear flaming, all that we can do here.

As a barber you need to be good with people, have patience, and know how to cut hair!

How people have their hair styled is definitely a cultural thing, particularly afro hairstyles. It’s different to cutting straight hair. A lot of people come here because not all barbers can cut afro hair, so the people who come here rely on our skills. You can cut the same hair style, but there’s different ways of cutting it. You don’t use the scissors so much with afro hair, you tend to use more of the machines. But we cut all kinds of hair in here, all kinds of customers from all kinds of backgrounds. 

Being a barber is one of the better jobs to have. You get to meet a lot of people every day, and it’s fulfilling. Being a barber you help people feel good about themselves, so it’s very rewarding in that way.

It’s a bit of a social centre in here, because people can feel themselves and they feel like they can be who they are – which is great! A lot of people are scared to be who they are, but in our shop we try to make people feel comfortable and welcome as much as we can.

I’m a hair dresser and I started this business in 1985. As well as cutting hair here, I have other activities. In the evening time we play music here and I write poetry myself as well. What I write I sing in my own words, in Punjabi.

As the poet, you write what you feel. So I write what my heart says, and sometimes I write about what I see outside, what’s going on. So a barber shop is a meeting point as well. Sometimes people just come to say hello to me and they don’t come for a hair cut. I’ve been here for a long long time. I have regular customers from three or four generations now, so I have a relationship with people, their lives and their families