NEW SKILLS FOR A NEW NORMAL

A COLLECTION OF MILITARY CUTS, USING OLD-SCHOOL BARBERING TECHNIQUES, COMING SOON.

W/ KELVIN WONG

Barbers are resilient folk, ready to tackle and learn from any obstacle they encounter. The 2018 American Crew All-Star Challenge winner Kelvin Wong isn’t only an exemplary stylist, he’s also a pro at unearthing those valuable lessons and skills you find in adversity. Here’s a few ways he bettered himself and his business to take him beyond 2020.

Negotiating: I’ve had to get much better at having tough conversations with my clients. Most of them want to get their regular cut, but, because I don’t know how long it will be before I can see them again, I have to steer them towards styles that maintain their shape much longer. It’s given me a lot of confidence in being directive and building trust with my clients, which for future appointments allows me to have more creative freedom.

Less clip, more snip: Cuts that use clippers tend to grow out quickly and look pretty mangy, so I’ve really evolved my point-cut techniques over the last 6 months. Point-cuts take the weight and the bluntness out of, say, a short-backand-sides, making it way softer and more stylish during growth. I’ve also eased up on the thinning scissors - the frizz doesn’t take kindly to long stints between chops.

Texture techniques: As American Crew keep on progressing their brand and diversifying their look, I found that I took the quieter periods to learn a lot more texturing rather than tapering. I’ve delved deep into my hairdressing skills and combined them with barbering to create looks that feel more at home in editorial. The clients are loving it, and we’re confident this focus on integrating the two will attract new customers going forward.

Respecting our space: We’re in such close contact with our clients, which means our hygiene and cleaning processes have to be the most stringent. In keeping the space COVID safe, we’ve gained this newfound respect for our digs and learnt that giving our shop all the love makes it a beautiful and creative environment to work in.

Clockwork: Keeping the shop COVID-safe has made us run like clockwork. We can’t have more than X people waiting, and have to thoroughly clean after every client, so there’s a lot of rigour around our processes and timing. Our workflow management is as smooth as it’s ever been, and I think it’s a really positive shift that the entire industry will feel going forward; diligence on the admin side is good for any business’ future! • Fiber Cream

• Daily Moisturizing Shampoo • iPhone

• Watch

• Hand sanitiser