Pin Antonio: Taking care of business

MANILA, Philippines - Hairstylist Pin Antonio admits that she is a perfectionist. Family-owned Salon de Manila (SDM), where Pin is creative director, is known for its excellent and personal service, making it the top choice of celebrities and famous personalities and earning Pin the title “Stylist of the Stars.” Pin makes sure that everything she does in her profession meets her exquisite standard and takes SDM to the cutting edge of the craft.

The mistress of style recalls that she was just a freshman Fine Arts student at the University of Santo Tomas when her sister Ruby Tubig and brother-in-law opened a tiny salon in their small apartment. Salon de Manila was born in February 1983, then became a family corporation in September 1993. It was granted a patent for its trademark in April 1997 from the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and now has six branches around Metro Manila.

It was all gut feel for Pin. Observing the salon staff every day, she felt that she can also do what they were doing. A born artist, Pin found it easy to learn the craft. But, aside from the inborn talent, she also went through much training and joined many contests. With her late sister Ruby as her trainer, Pin once joined an international competition where she garnered six awards, among which is the highly-coveted Most Stylish Hairstyle award. In 1998, she went with Ruby to Vidal Sassoon Academy in Los Angeles, California to further her skills. From then on, Pin’s passion for excellence has never stopped growing.

When Ruby died in 1995, Pin almost gave up her career in hairdressing. She was already planning on migrating to the US, but was offered by her brother-in-law to handle the creative aspect of the business while he takes care of the logistics. As a gesture of gratitude and love for her sister, Pin accepted the offer and has since taken care of SDM the best way she can.

The famous hair trendsetter is always on her feet, perfecting her craft everyday. She keeps on attending various trainings in London and the US with Vidal Sassoon and Toni and Guy to get the latest hairstyles. Back home, she shares her knowledge by conducting trainings for interested parties.

Her passion for perfection also translates to her role as a mother to Adlai, Andrai, Scion and Isaiah. But Pin prefers to call it “excellence guided by the Lord.”

“I do not impose perfection on them, but I try to live it out as an example so that my children can follow. Basically, I just remind them to make their lives a blessing to people around them,” she shares.

She says, “Being in the business and being a mother is not easy, but I just know that being a good example to my children means being the same person at home and at work. I just have one face.”

Pin is known for her very modern and chic hairdos, and she says she is also like that as a mom — modern and chic. “I am a cool mom, at the same time a disciplinarian. But I’m not stiff, ha! I’m not very strict either. I don’t want my children to be scared of me. I want my home to be a happy one,” Pin reveals.

And happy is her home, with the children growing up to be good young gentlemen and a fine lady. “When they were smaller, I enjoyed playing with them in what we called our ‘kilitian’ time. We laughed and jumped on the bed!” Pin recalls. Now that they are all grown up, Pin treasures the times when they are home for dinner. “I love eating at home together while we tell each other stories about almost anything,” the stylist says.

Pin admits that the most difficult part of being a mother is when she sees her children hurting. “Particularly if their problem concerns the heart, I know that I cannot handle it for them. The only help I could extend is my prayers,” Pin states.

The four children are all hardworking and artistic like their mom. “They’re all cute, too! Hahaha!” Pin laughs. “Actually, they are totally different from one another but I could say all of them are special in their own ways and I thank God that they turned out to be great persons,” Pin proudly says.

Pin’s dream is for her children to become successful in whatever field they choose, and this dream is already starting to come true for Adlai. Only in his early 20s, Adlai is already a master of precision cutting and creative coloring, of course, at Salon de Manila. He represented SDM in an international hair styling competition and was named one of the best hairstylists in Asia last year. Pin is very happy for her first-born, especially because he is following in his mother’s footsteps, as is Scion who now handles SDM’s makeup department.

“When Adlai and Scion decided to work in our salon, I got excited and overwhelmed! I personally trained them, not only in haircutting, but in every aspect of the business. I give them pointers, teach them my secrets and pass on my knowledge to them so that someday, they can also call SDM their own,” she says.

But Pin says it does not really matter which field her children choose, as long as they do what they love and love what they do. “I am just very happy that my children know their worth as a person. The most important thing for me is to see them grow with the Lord,” Pin says.

Wherever the children go and however high they reach, Pin can only wish that the top three values she taught them — to have a personal relationship with God, to love and respect others, and to work hard with discipline — will guide them every step of their way. “The happiest day for a mother is when she sees her children loving and helping each other, and knowing that they are living everything she has taught them,” Pin shares.

Behind all the glory of being the trendsetter in hairstyle, after all the praises from big people, the master of hairdressing stresses what she thinks is important to pass on to her children, “My love, my forgiving and understanding heart, my passion for work. The way I handle people — with concern, love and affection, and how I handle the business — with righteousness, ethics, love and fear of God. I know that someday, when I pass these on to them, they will be successful as well.”

Pin might be a perfectionist but she knows too well that she is not perfect. “Nobody is. I am not a perfect person, neither a perfect mother. I had mistakes while raising my children up, but I believe God is my partner in taking care of them. And even now that they are grown up, I still depend every day on God to help me,” Pin ends.