Hairstylist Jing Monis’ life sounds like a fairytale. He started sweeping floors at the “it” salon of the ‘80s where his hairstylist mother worked. And after he quickly found success, climbing the ladder from floor-sweeper to junior stylist, he soon encountered a career impediment in the form of a boss and fellow stylist who informed him in rather melodramatic language that he still had a lot of rice to eat. (To wit: “Sino ka ba? Marami ka pang bigas na kakainin.”)
These days, the prodigiously talented Monis, who can be found at Propaganda Salon in Greenbelt, haven of the well-coiffed, moneyed denizens of Manila, is working on a self-titled line of hair products that’ll straddle the worlds — cost-wise, at least — of local and international haircare. “I’ve always had trouble finding the perfect product,” says Monis, dressed in a crisp white shirt, Prada tote in tow. “I always had 20 products on hand, with each product designed to do one thing only.”
Starting his own line only became a possibility after his partner encouraged him, claiming it was his time. He’d been in the industry for over 15 years, he adds. Thus, the Jing Monis line was born. He worked with a chemist, combining numerous products to form one ultimate hair tool. The range — soon to be launched — includes leave-on conditioner, volumizer, hairspray, gel and stick. In the future, he’ll add his very own shampoo and conditioner. At the moment, two products are in the works: Clay, meant for thick hair to create spiked, ‘80s-inspired ‘dos, and Paste, designed for thin hair to form sleek, smooth bobs. The line, which debuts sometime next month, can be found at Mint in the soon-to-open Greenbelt 5.
Starting At The Roots
Monis’ career began rather inauspiciously at the tender age of 15. He’d been spending far too much time hitting the clubs when he was well into his third year of high school, so much so that his mother cautioned him about the repercussions of various vices at such a young age. When his father sent him to fetch his mom at work on a regular basis — at the time she worked for Budji Layug during his hairstyling days — he found himself spending more time at the salon than the disco.
He started working part-time for Viva Mutra Veronas, then the “it” salon of the ‘80s, sweeping floors and washing hair. “My mother wanted me to learn how hard it is to earn money,” he says. Monis took the lesson to heart, working weekends till he earned enough head-washing points to garner the title of junior stylist.
His client roster soon included the likes of Martin Nievera, who’d been hosting Penthouse Life at the time, Paolo Luz, Randy Santiago, Gino Padilla and Keano. “I was so nervous,” Monis says of his first encounter with Nievera. “He’s an Amboy so I was worried that my English would run out.” It quickly became apparent that Monis had nothing to worry about. “Martin is so nice and down to earth,” he gushes. “So not showbiz. Now, when I see him, he gives me a hug. Martin always tells me: ‘You’ve been a part of my life since the beginning.’”
Monis even recalls his first commercial: assisting the hair and makeup artist in a Sharon Cuneta-starring Lux TV ad.
He was the first person to set his shears on Regine Velasquez’s mane. The Bulacan native had just won a major singing contest and TV show producer Ronny Henares, who’d just taken her under her wing, brought her to Monis for a major makeover. “At the time,” says Monis, “no one wanted to touch her.” He immediately set to work and gave Velasquez a trendy cut — a shaggy style with pompadour bangs. “That look was big in the ‘80s,” Monis says with a fond laugh.
Tension was brewing in the salon over petty jealousy on the part of one of the salon owners. “We had a falling out,” he says. When he was confronted by the boss, and told, in unsparing words, that he’d been getting too big for his britches, Monis quickly packed up his bags and left.
Beauty School
College wasn’t quite the answer after he quit the salon. “I tried it for a year,” he says. “I hated it.” After a short stint managing a boutique, he met hairstylist Henri Calayag, who told him, “Stick to what you love and you’ll go places.”
Monis worked with Calayag for over a year, turning to the experienced stylist as a mentor. “I owe him a lot,” admits Monis.
“Aside from my mom, Henri took the time to guide me.”
Monis found his work in print on a regular basis, shooting with Mega magazine and doing the first Preview magazine cover with Tweety de Leon. His big break came sometime after 1996. In the middle of his hairdressing studies in Hong Kong, he met a booker from CalCarrie’s who booked him for a makeup gig. Monis’ portfolio soon expanded to include publications like Harper’s Bazaar and Elle Hong Kong. His plate quickly filled up, leaving the stylist no choice but to jet between Manila and Hong Kong on a regular basis.
After two years of calling Hong Kong home, he decided to head back to Manila. While working as in-house stylist for Roger Craig at The Peninsula, he met Christine Duque. “We wanted to set up a makeup group in Manila, like the kind they have in Hong Kong,” he explains. They had big goals: “We wanted to upgrade the fashion industry.”
Monis soon teamed up with makeup artist Juan Sarte, Marlon Rivera and Jay Lozada. Rivera came up with idea of calling the group Propaganda. “Pro sa pagpaganda” was how Rivera put it. They tapped hairstylist Alex Carbonell to join the group, solidifying the team that would head Propaganda Salon.
The Finishing Touch
These days, Monis is luxuriating in his success. With a client roster that reads like a celebrity who’s who, a flourishing business (with another in the works), and two teenage kids in school, he knows he’s living the fairytale dream. “I went through a lot,” he says. “I didn’t come from a rich family, we were more middle class. We didn’t want for anything, but we had to work for everything.
“My parents’ greatest fear was that I’d end up all alone,” Monis says emotionally, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. “Now they know I’ll be okay.”
The way things are going for this hardworking hairstylist, the future is looking more than okay.
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To book Jing Monis for a haircut, contact Propaganda Salon, located at the third level of Greenbelt 1, at cell phone 0917-8306515 or call 893-4098.