Volunteer hairdresser for the homeless - Londoner #172, Tom Warr

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Tom loves fashion, and the ability to make others feel good about themselves through having a new haircut. When he isn’t cutting hair at the salon, he visits a homeless hostel in Victoria as a volunteer hairdresser.

1000 LONDONERS

This film is part of 1000 Londoners, a five-year digital project which aims to create a digital portrait of a city through 1000 of the people who identify themselves with it. The profile contains a 3 minute film that gives an insight into the life of the Londoner, as well as their personal photos of London and some answers to crucial questions about their views on London life. Over the course of the project we aim to reveal as many facets of the capital as possible, seeing city life from 1000 points of view.

Twitter: @1000_londoners

Transcript:

For me personally, I like to look good because I feel more confident. I just think important. I think every single person should take a bit of an interest, you know having your favourite earring in, or you know, having a fresh haircut. I decided to get into hairdressing 4 years ago. I attempted university and dropped out because I kind of wanted to do something more practical. And I was also kind of into fashion as well. So I kind of wanted to combined them both together. I mean, I love it when I've finished a haircut, and we've had a chat about something completely random, gone off the point. I do like talking about whats going on in the world and stuff because I don't then feel like a stereotypical hairdresser. That stereotypical hairdresser question is, how's your holiday been? I love holidays! That's why I love asking it but then I'm like, lets talk about politics, quick! Politics! After, coming back from university, and growing up in south-east, it was only east for me that was sort of kicking off in terms of really unique styles and street trends as well and it blew my mind when I first saw people wearing like, massive platforms and bleach-blonde hair and things like that, and thats what inspired me to get into hairdressing. You got the mirror there? You know, I don't bring the mirror on purpose mate. I've been thinking about it for a while, I think it was the fact that I was charging in my eyes, quite a lot of money for haircuts, in an area which I had grown up in and we we're kind of surrounded by people with less money outside of the salon. So then I just looked into where I could go and do it and then decided to go to quite a big shelter in Victoria called The Passage. Do you want me to take it shorter? Yeah yeah, as short as you can get it. When I come in, they're all really excited to see me and it makes it more worth it. It's quite nice that I'm doing something for them and it also feels like I'm getting back, I'm getting back something from them as well. I mean everyone enjoys haircuts and I kind of forgot that when I first started when I came here and I was doing the hair, because I was thinking about it so much, I forgot that it is actually an enjoyable thing. I don't think Tom really realises the impact of his work here. They wouldn't think of saying, oh Tom you changed my life, it just changed, and they're happy, so it's not really talked about. But I think it would be nice for him to know. I think it is just as important for these lot to look good as everyone else.