Chop Chopps

WITH REX A.C. SILVER

I first saw Celine Kaponias on stage in Sydney at the last ever Hair Expo in 2019 demoing fades and clipper skills. I was blown away then… not just at her skills but the way she presented herself, a full head of long plaits all faded out soft pastel whites with pink and blue hues and futuristic cyber-punk camo clothes. She looked straight off the set of the Mad Max movies. Celine was a little quietly spoken back then but that’s changed.

I’m blown away now…I recently saw Celine again at the Barber Temple in Brisbane for Wahl, and what a difference a little time makes… same mad skills but loud, animated, confident, and truly entertaining and captivating as a stage artist.

Owner of Chop Chopps Barbershop Adelaide Member of Wahl Education Team Australia

LET’S GET TO KNOW CELINE KAPONIAS

Please tell us about young Celine, her world… and her interests...

I grew up in Adelaide, South Australia. Young Celine? Well she was very cheeky to say the least and maybe still is hahaha! I was a huge tomboy, playing with action man and tonka trucks and of course I was obsessed with playing soccer. I always wanted cool and different hair, causing mum grief, but luckily, she used to be a hairdresser.

I grew up very loved and adored by my amazing mother who brought myself and my elder sister up. We didn’t miss out on anything although mum was a single mum. She worked so hard to give us everything we needed and still does. Mama Vicky taught me strength and how to believe in my dreams.

Dad and mum separated when I was very young, but dad is very much a part of my life and I look up to him extremely. His work ethic is one of a kind and I value that I have that in my upbringing, it truly has led me to where I am today.

We built my barber shop business Chop Chopp’s together with our bare hands. He teaches me values and the importance of life and how - no matter what… being calm is the answer As a kid, all I wanted to do was be outdoors, I built myself my first bicycle and got up and taught myself how to ride a two-wheeler all before mum woke up that day, you could say I was older than my years, I am definitely an old soul and have been here many times.

My sister used to con me into playing brats dolls once a month but that’s about as girly as I got. I played club soccer for many years and enjoyed dabbling in many different sporting activities.

On the weekends I would hang out with my Uncle Peter Xenos who was massive to me in my upbringing, we would go to Japanese car shows and he was also a male hairdresser, so I used to watch him cut his mates hair and family members etc. when he wasn’t in the shop and starting his journey with The Greek on Halifax (Award winning Greek restaurant in Adelaide)

Tell us about the early hair days, the training and influences that helped shape Celine Kaponias’ style of Barbering.

Basically, I experienced a very sad time in my life. I suffer with depression and anxiety. The beginning of being diagnosed with all of that, was really hard for me... I was lost, and felt I had no identity, but, the one thing I LOVED doing, was cutting my little cousins’ hair! It may have been with some cheap KMart clippers, but I was obsessed, and I would do it almost weekly.

My poor cousin suffered some horrible haircuts! Then one day, my mum Vicky said to me, “why don’t you become a barber?” I laughed and I said I would never do hair … The following week she took me to see a longtime family friend Don DeSanctis, and he got me into his certificate 3 in barbering at Barbery The Craft Of A Barber… Master Lou Fimmano taught me all I know and made me realize I loved cutting hair, and my OCD enjoyed it also! ha-ha.

When did you open your shop? Walk us through that period and how the business has grown for you.

In 2020 I bought and registered the name ‘Chop Chopps’ a nickname I was given by some people who believed I cut just like my Uncle Peter Xenos as that was his nickname. Seeing as he had passed, it was a thought by my family and then suggested to me that I open a barber shop in his legacy knowing how close Uncle Peter and I were. That pushed me to open my own Pop-up barber shop in Plant 4, an industrial-chic venue and trendy marketplace in Adelaide.

I worked there solo for many months until it was time to venture to somewhere suitable and then rented a chair at my friend’s salon that was up the road from a shop that I’d had my eyes on for a while.

I built up more of my clientele in the area around Welland Adelaide, and then that’s when I found my current space. My mum and I went there at the first time we could and I knew then and there looking at it, it was mine. So, Dad and I put our hands together and we renovated it into Chop Chopp’s Barbershop. I now have a barbershop with four chairs, currently myself and one team member Barber Nik

Tell us about educating and that journey:

Hair Expo was a great opportunity for me, it opened many doors and dreams for me. Since barbering was very new to me, I had no idea what impact It had all around the world. I was working with a company who were very closely working with many brands, and it was an opportunity for me to test my skills on stage and that made me realise a whole love for education.

From moving onto opening my own business and moving forward with my barbering journey, I built up a social media following to show the world my craft. It grew to a mind-blowing number of followers, creating attention that I never expected to receive. Along this journey, many other barbers questioned me about what tools I used to create my craft, and what tips did I have for them etc. That’s when I realized wow… I can really help people, and people deserve to know what it is that makes my work as it is… It’s always been Wahl.

My mum got me my first kit from Wahl, and I still have those clippers today! I bothered Wahl 24/7… like, I was on their case!! I in-boxed them nearly every month, but they just didn’t have much happening in Australia at the time. This didn’t stop me, I kept in-boxing and the very instant they got back to me about applying to be an ambassador/ educator, I did it within a second.

My heart was in my throat, this was a massive dream, could I potentially be a part of Wahl? I waited and waited and then I got this email from an incredible lady, Mandy, who helped me achieve my dreams with working with Wahl! That’s what got me to Queensland to the show you saw Rex, it was 10 intense days with 1 on 1’s with some of Wahl’s best in the world, such as Simon Shaw and Stephanie Polansky. We were taught a hell of a lot… we cried, we laughed… and then we made an education team family!

A team full of some of the most talented barbers I have ever met. Not only that, but they are all so very humble and welcoming. Sarah Wall, Mark Rabone, Yuki Kano, Jaymes Lunn, Rob Szincsak, Anthony Nafatali, Ben Kane and Heath Paton. WOW! I love them all so much. The bond we created and the respect we have for each other is something else. Working side by side with some of the most talented people really makes you appreciate where you are in your own career. The ten days was a lot for us, but we had to be ready for the Wahl Cordless Legend launch where I saw you Rex, and many more amazing people.

Let’s talk about hair in more technical sense and talk about the tools you love to use and why.

Scissors: Osaka Scissors…their range is versatile and professional, and I find there are all types of scissors for all the different types of barbering styles. Osaka MIKAZUKI is my alltime scissor

Machines: Hands down my Wahl Cordless Legends. The versatility with this tool is incredible whether you want to do a blunt hair cut or a fade its seamless. The crunch blade technology really helps for a smoother cut. It’s a 60-minute charge time for a 100 min run time, this is amazing considering my appointments are every 30 minutes.

Second love will have to be Wahl Beret, I tend to do a lot of hair art and this baby is perfect for the fine line and pencil work, I then use the Detailer Li for the T-Wide blade as it gets in all small places and carves it sharp enough, so you don’t have to use your cutthroat if you don’t want to.

The Wahl Beret is also amazing for elderly or youthful skin; anything that’s tender or soft as it’s a gentle tool and comes in handy especially with kids cuts BUT… my secret is to use the beret as an overcomb blending tool, don’t knock it until you try it! Wahl Cordless Senior for incredible bulk removal and amazing for on scalp fading.

I also like to use this tool on flat tops. Wahl Finale Shaver the hypoallergenic foils make it super easy when going down to skin, as most foil shavers remove small layers of skin like exfoliating, this causes redness, rashes, or scarring. When people get this service almost weekly, it’s so important that their scalp health is immaculate and I find it is most safe in the hands of the Finale.

What care and styling products to you choose to use and why…

I strictly use Evo and products The Barbiere Co. recommend as I am an ambassador for them, and just love the products they stock. My all-time favourite is my Evo Haze Powder; it just makes a natural look; seamless without even trying, which makes it super easy for my clients to do for themselves at home. Also, can’t forget Cassius Clay, offering a texture matte look and extremely natural look, a small amount goes a long way with this one.

With Olympic Gold Medalist Kyle Chalmers

What’s on the cards for 2023?

WELL!... I have just been made part of the Education Team for Wahl Australia. There’s a dream come true!! I plan to do a lot of education and I would like to travel around Australia doing so.You may see me enter some competitions, just maybe .. it’s been a couple years, so I’m working on a serious portfolio!

A lot more content on social media, it’s time to show the people who I am and what I can do! I would love to grow my team at the shop and if I can, help anyone willing to grow their dreams in the barbering industry, so please reach out and say Hi! Footnote…With everything and all I do…I wouldn’t be able to do any of it without the support of my beautiful fiancé Georgie X

“People deserve to know what it is that makes my work as it is… and it’s always been Wahl.”

Celine and "uncle" Peter Xenos