Star cut: Raja Mohammad Taqwa (left) attending to customer, Saffuan Mazlan, at his shop in Dataran Larkin. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
JOHOR BARU: A barbershop where certain Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) football club players get their haircuts are expecting students requesting similar hairstyles ahead of the new school year next month.
Raja Mohammad Taqwa Raja Idris, who operates a 60’s theme barbershop in Dataran Larkin here, said his young customers wanted to feel good by looking like their favourite local football players.
“Students want their hair to look like JDT footballers such as Ariff Aiman and Matthew Davies, thankfully their hairstyles follow the (school) guidelines,” he said in an interview at his barbershop here.
Besides the students, he said, they also cut the hair of many of the teachers who provide feedback on what is allowed in schools.
“Luckily they gave my barbers and me valuable pointers so we could also advise our young customers.
“There were students who asked for haircuts that were unsuitable for school.
“The length at the back cannot be too long until it reaches the shirt collar,” he said.
Raja Mohammad Taqwa said the barber shop also had a cafe where customers could have a drink while they waited for their turn.
This included Singaporeans or locals studying across the causeway who started their new school term in January.
“This means that barbers like us in Johor are getting a lot of students either studying in Malaysia and Singapore schools wanting to get their hair done before the first day of school,” he said.
Besides walk-in customers, Raja Mohammad Taqwa said many book their appointments online.
“We actually encourage our customers to make online appointments with us by visiting our Instagram page, which has a link to book their appointments.
“They can choose the dates and time they prefer as we understand that many, especially parents, are busy with work,” he added.
Raja Mohammad Taqwa said they charge between RM25 and RM30 for students.
The 2024/2025 school session nationwide will start on March 10 and 11, depending on whether states have Friday-Saturday or Saturday-Sunday as weekends.
