Satellite Voices

Moscow

Chop-Chop Hair & Tattoo Salon

December 2

A head-2-head with the three hustling guys who introduced classic barbershop traditions to Moscow

• Text by Satellite Voices

Guest Feature by Daniel Antonovskiy

You wouldn't believe it, but there is no such service as "a simple cut" at hairdressing salons in Moscow. Can I please have my sides a bit shorter, the back seems to be okay so just leave it as it is, and I also want something creative on the top. That's how a common introduction at a styling chair sounded like until Chop-Chop hit the Moscow scene. This is a traditional barbershop with a relaxed attitude, a place where all you need to say is 'a simple (or classic) cut please' or say nothing at all. It is operated by former Conde Nast Digital Editor-in-Chief Daniel Antonovskiy, GQ Russia web site editor Alexey Ermilov and illustrator Evgeniy Murushkin.

Daniel Antonovskiy: Okay, so how did it all start?
Alexey Ermilov: We used to run a tattoo parlour with a home feeling, as it was actually our home – we lived there and worked there. People would come to our place, get a tattoo, have a beer or two and talk about stuff. So we kept thinking about going further and deeper. A barbershop seemed the thing. At some point we met you at Strelka bar and made you an offer. You took a large sip of your white Russian and agreed: we're gonna name it Chop-Chop. What did you meant by that by the way?

Daniel Antonovskiy: Well, I just thought it would be fun. And it fits barbershop perfectly. Chop-Chop is obviously a sound produced by scissors. Chopping also means "cutting something off". Besides, it's sticky, right? Once you hear it, there's no chance Chop-Chop will fall out of your head.
Alexey Ermilov: Curiously, there's another meaning. In Russian, "chop" reads as "snor", and it turned out that "snorre" means "moustache" in Flemish. It's a dialect spoken in some Belgium areas. So, it's like "moustache-moustache".

Daniel Antonovskiy: Really?
Alexey Ermilov: Yeah, an Al Jazeera cameraman told me that.

Daniel Antonovskiy: I'll just pretend I knew that. What is so special about our barbershop?
Alexey Ermilov: We don't serve women, no matter how persistent they get or how pretty they are. I mean it. Every once in a while a girl would approach you or call the office phone and ask if we serve women. Some even pretend they're lesbians. Sorry girls, that's not how things work.

Evgeniy Murushkin: If you're a girl and you want to be a part of the story, the only option for you is to get a tattoo. You even can get one for free, in exchange for posing topless for the camera.

Daniel Antonovskiy: Tell me about the barbers. Who are they?
Alexey Ermilov: Finding the right ones took a couple of months. They're all nice guys who happened to understand exactly what we meant. Ask a Moscow hair stylist for a poluboks, a fade cut in Russian, and receive an I-don't-get-it stare. Our boys do get it. Allow 30 - 35 minutes and become a better man like Bratt Bitt in "The Tree of Life" or Michael Pitt in "Boardwalk Empire". Chop-Chop – and you're ready. It's that simple.