Kurdish beardsman wins top Swedish hairdressing prize
By Shikar Ahmad
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Chia was born in the Zagros Mountains. Following years of hardship, luck finally came his way when a Swedish girl came into his life. He married her and moved to Sweden where he went on to become an award winning barber.
Chia Hassan Rahim is from eastern Kurdistan (Iran). He fled to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq because his father was a Peshmerga of the Kurdistan Democratic Party-Iran (KDP-I).
“My father was a KDP-I leader. We left eastern Kurdistan and came to southern Kurdistan in 1981 due to the political situation. I was born in 1981 on mountains between east and south Kurdistan. That is why the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party-Iran Abdulrahman Qasemlo named me Chia,” he said.
Chia in the Kurdish language means mountain.
“I loved my work. It was my hobby. I was therefore working passionately. Many ordinary people were coming to my shop. People who would come to my shop would come again bringing 10 more people with them,” he added.
“Government and security officials including ministers and many foreigners were coming to my shop. In 2003, I signed a contract with Harry Shoot Division which was representing US forces in the Kurdistan Region, who were coming to my shop. The brigadier wrote me a support letter enabling me to work in any US office in the Kurdistan Region,” he said.
Chia worked in Kurdistan for three years and then moved to Sweden.
“I went to Sweden in 2013 to marry my wife. I wanted to return to Erbil after marriage, but the situation changed. I stayed in Europe for six months and then returned to Kurdistan. We came back to Sweden in 2014 after the emergence of ISIS,” he said.
“I decided to open a barbershop of my own on October 15, 2015. Many people turned to my shop. The Swedes were very impressed by my work. That is why I have brought in six Kurdish and Arab hairdressers to work with me in the shop,” he said.
What is the secret to Chia’s business success?
“I am friendly with my customers and I pay attention to them. My customers say they feel a big change in their appearance and style after I cut their hair. They like what I do, which is why they bring me new customers.”
“Most of my customers are Swedish. Not many Kurds come to my shop because I mainly pay attention to beard and moustache and not many Kurds keep beard or moustache. The Swedes come to me asking for a nice design for their beard and moustache. I like working on beards. I match hairstyle with beard design. I am friendly with my customers. There 1,100 Swedes and Kurds who have registered with me,” he said.
He works nearly 10 hours a day.
“Besides men, women with short hair come to us. We have nearly 150 female customers,” he added.
On September 1, 2018, Chia won a major hairdressing competition in Sweden.
“The competition was called World Beard Day which is the biggest beard and moustache competition in Sweden. We designed the moustache and beard of a Swedish man called Christopher Olson who has beautiful beard and moustache. He is a member of a big group of men with beards in Sweden. The group has over 100,000 fans. We designed Olson’s beard and moustache for the race. He came first out of the 15 contenders.”
What next for Chia’s hairdressing journey?
“I want to return to Kurdistan and open the biggest barbershop there. I want to sign a contact with big cream and beauty companies and bring them to Kurdistan under my name,” he said.
“I urge the youth to give up on discrediting each other and try to achieve their goals instead. In 1996, I was very poor. Now I am a businessman in Sweden because of my work. I will establish a big business in Kurdistan in the future. Many youth will benefit from my business,” he said.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Chia was born in the Zagros Mountains. Following years of hardship, luck finally came his way when a Swedish girl came into his life. He married her and moved to Sweden where he went on to become an award winning barber.
Chia Hassan Rahim is from eastern Kurdistan (Iran). He fled to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq because his father was a Peshmerga of the Kurdistan Democratic Party-Iran (KDP-I).
“My father was a KDP-I leader. We left eastern Kurdistan and came to southern Kurdistan in 1981 due to the political situation. I was born in 1981 on mountains between east and south Kurdistan. That is why the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party-Iran Abdulrahman Qasemlo named me Chia,” he said.
Chia in the Kurdish language means mountain.
From humble beginnings as a refugee from Kurdish Iran, Chia Hassan Rahim has become a successful businessman in Sweden. Photo: social media
“I lived in Sulaimani in the beginning. Then I moved to Koya, and then to Erbil since 1996. My family was very poor. My father was just a Peshmerga, doing nothing else. I studied until middle school. I was very interested in hairdressing. That is why I joined a hairdressing course in 2000 and finally learned it. A year later, I opened a barbershop in Ainkawa,” Chia said.
“I loved my work. It was my hobby. I was therefore working passionately. Many ordinary people were coming to my shop. People who would come to my shop would come again bringing 10 more people with them,” he added.
“Government and security officials including ministers and many foreigners were coming to my shop. In 2003, I signed a contract with Harry Shoot Division which was representing US forces in the Kurdistan Region, who were coming to my shop. The brigadier wrote me a support letter enabling me to work in any US office in the Kurdistan Region,” he said.
Chia worked in Kurdistan for three years and then moved to Sweden.
“I went to Sweden in 2013 to marry my wife. I wanted to return to Erbil after marriage, but the situation changed. I stayed in Europe for six months and then returned to Kurdistan. We came back to Sweden in 2014 after the emergence of ISIS,” he said.
“I decided to open a barbershop of my own on October 15, 2015. Many people turned to my shop. The Swedes were very impressed by my work. That is why I have brought in six Kurdish and Arab hairdressers to work with me in the shop,” he said.
What is the secret to Chia’s business success?
“I am friendly with my customers and I pay attention to them. My customers say they feel a big change in their appearance and style after I cut their hair. They like what I do, which is why they bring me new customers.”
“Most of my customers are Swedish. Not many Kurds come to my shop because I mainly pay attention to beard and moustache and not many Kurds keep beard or moustache. The Swedes come to me asking for a nice design for their beard and moustache. I like working on beards. I match hairstyle with beard design. I am friendly with my customers. There 1,100 Swedes and Kurds who have registered with me,” he said.
He works nearly 10 hours a day.
“Besides men, women with short hair come to us. We have nearly 150 female customers,” he added.
On September 1, 2018, Chia won a major hairdressing competition in Sweden.
“The competition was called World Beard Day which is the biggest beard and moustache competition in Sweden. We designed the moustache and beard of a Swedish man called Christopher Olson who has beautiful beard and moustache. He is a member of a big group of men with beards in Sweden. The group has over 100,000 fans. We designed Olson’s beard and moustache for the race. He came first out of the 15 contenders.”
What next for Chia’s hairdressing journey?
“I want to return to Kurdistan and open the biggest barbershop there. I want to sign a contact with big cream and beauty companies and bring them to Kurdistan under my name,” he said.
“I urge the youth to give up on discrediting each other and try to achieve their goals instead. In 1996, I was very poor. Now I am a businessman in Sweden because of my work. I will establish a big business in Kurdistan in the future. Many youth will benefit from my business,” he said.