BarberEVO UK & Ireland Issue 26 - (May / June 2021) by Evo Enterprises Ltd

BRIDEY JO KY WILSON PHIL JARMAN KERI BLUE DON QUINN ASHTON JOSEPH

A ROd &

Ja y NOURi

| M A Y / J U N E 2 0 2 1 // I S S U E # T W E N T Y S I X

UK & IREL AND u

£5

POWERFUL. PROFESSIONAL. PERFORMANCE. Powered by advanced lithium technology for ultimate cordless cutting performance. Our heavy-duty Super Motor range of professional grooming tools feature ultra-sharp Japanese Steel blades and a high-torque brushless motor for smooth precision cutting, outlining and detailing. And the Titanium Foil Shaver gives exceptional fading and blending. #PoweredByBaByliss #StyledByYou

THE FINAL CUT.

JODY TAYLOR. LEFTSIDE CREATIVE COLLECTION

Hair// Charlie Gray, Tariq Howes, Jody Taylor. Make-up// Lesley Vye. Using// BaByliss PRO.

THE FINAL CUT.

GEMA MORENO. MALAK COLLECTION

THE FINAL CUT.

Hair// Gema Moreno. Assistant// Fran Sobrino. Styling// Álvaro De Olmedo. Make-up Artist// Lulú Pérez. Photography// Edu Gómez.

THE FINAL CUT.

JONATHAN ANDREW. COOLING ALL BLONDES COLLECTION

Hair// Jonathan Andrew, for Fudge Professional. Styling// Jen Wheeler. Grooming// Meg Lindow, Caroline Menkes, Yasmin Schwitzer. Products// Fudge Professional. Photography// Nicole Jopek.

THE FINAL CUT.

CHARLIE CULLEN, ALEXANDER BARATOV. MOCKBA COLLECTION

Hair// Alexander Baratov, Charlie Cullen. Photography// Ekaterina Ganchurina.

THE FINAL CUT.

26 COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR David Foster// david@barberevo.com ****

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ART DIRECTOR Andrew Brewster// andrew@barberevo.com ****

DESIGN Shana Young//

DAVID F OS T ER | COMMERCIAL DIREC T OR

design@barberevo.com ****

FEATURES WRITERS Karen Carruth// karen@barberevo.com Jennifer Paxton// jennifer@salon-evo.com ****

ACCOUNT MANAGER Mairi Cotter// mairi@barberevo.com ****

OFFICE MANAGER Elspeth Foster// elspeth@barberevo.com ****

COVER L3vel3

AT LONG LAST BARBERSHOPS ACROSS THE UK ARE BACK OPEN AND BARBERS ARE BACK TO DOING WHAT THEY DO BEST, PROVIDING SUPERB HAIRCUTS AS THEY BOOST THE SELF ESTEEM OF THEIR CLIENTS! As the ‘home nations’ are back behind the chair, all that remains now is to keep the fingers crossed for our friends in Ireland, who are still waiting (at the time of going to print) for their date of return. Hopefully it’s as soon as possible. We are already hearing great stories about barbers going above and beyond the call of duty, with extended opening hours and seven day working weeks. We salute each and every one of you in your efforts to get the nations hair back into order and the effort needed to fix those ridiculous home haircuts… when will they learn? Here’s hoping we can consign them to the history books now! In no time at all it will feel like you’ve never been away, and it’s worth considering that throughout what has been a tough third lockdown, many barbers have either found a new way to generate income or have retrained completely to pay the bills. The ability to adapt to new challenges is admirable, and we have so much respect for those

that did what they had to, in order to survive. With this in mind, you’ll want to read the feature on pages 34 - 39 where we speak to a few people who did exactly that, retrained, survived and overcame! Now it would be entirely remiss of me not to mention our little news segment on the worldrenowned Barbers Arms every Friday night. We were honoured to be invited to deliver a lighthearted five minute long update on the latest global barbering news as part of the superb lockdown-birthed online show. It’s been great fun so far to open a beer every Friday and share some of the latest news from around the globe, and we are proud to be part of the success story that is The Barbers Arms. Tune in every Friday night at 8pm on The British Barbers Association Facebook page and be sure to participate, comment and play your part in the fun and games! See you on there!

B E S H A R P. B E C O N N E C T E D .

WWW.BARBEREVO.COM

COPYRIGHT All work in this publication is copyright BarberEVO Magazine and Evo Enterprises Ltd. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. © Information and product prices are correct at time of printing. Some products may not be available in all stores. Evo Enterprises Ltd, Suite 1.7, 1 Redwood Crescent, East Kilbride, G74 5PA, United Kingdom

VIRTUAL TRADESHOW JUNE 6TH - 19TH

EXCLUSIVE MEDIA PARTNER www.thebarbersarms.co.uk

ANDREW BREWSTER | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF THE DOORS HAVE NOW OPENED AND WHEN YOU GET A MINUTE TO SIT DOWN, CATCH YOUR BREATH AND READ THIS LATEST ISSUE OF BARBEREVO, YOU WILL FIND A GREAT MIXTURE OF CONTENT. Taking pride of place on our front cover are Jay Nouri and A-Rod from L3VEL3 grooming and beauty products. We spoke with Jay about the brand’s journey and how it has taken off in the last year. While we are talking grooming brands, finding the right products to suit your style of working can be tricky. We spoke to some of the industry’s most successful barbers to find out what tools and products make the cut. Getting to know what works well and what you can cocktail together makes life a lot easier. There are so many new tools on the market it might just help to get a recommendation about the ones that are doing the job for the UK’s busiest barbers. Implementing a more sustainable ethos to your barbershop is made a whole lot easier by listening to the people who have taken on the challenge already. From

37 36

switching up your energy supplier to investing in a company to uplift your waste, every small step makes a difference, and we talk to barbershop owners who are taking it seriously and are seeing the benefits both financially and ethically. Lockdown locks will be presenting themselves over the next few weeks, and if they don’t want the clippers revved up and short-order restored, then it could be time to have a conversation about adding some colour to liven up the style. It’s a great way to increase revenue and with footballers influencing today’s styles it’s only a matter of time between Sergio Aguero dying his hair silver and you being asked to produce it. Finally, we discuss the ‘Hair Has No Gender’ campaign with Keri Blue and how a little kindness and education can go a long way to make everyone welcome.

KEITH CONNIFORD

DAN DAVIES

CEO/Registrar, The Hair and Barber Council

Gould Barbers

VIKKI HARRISON-SMITH

ROBERT RIX

Owner/Lead Educator, SB Barbering Academy

SHR SRSB MCH MCB, Company of Master Barbers

EXCLUSIVE MEDIA PARTNER www.barberconnect.co.uk

SHORT CUTS. BARBERS AND BEERS - THE PERFECT COMBO! One brand-new barbershop brand is taking the pressure off decision making, by offering fresh pints while clients get their post-lockdown cuts. Head Quarters Barbers & Beverages are opening three brand-new shops in Bishop Auckland, Darlington and Middlesbrough. Wanting to create a traditional barbershop with a modern twist, owner Mike Racz said: “Our mission is to bring one of the oldest professions into the 21st Century. “We’re introducing new technology across the board from booking systems to the shop floor.” The stunning shop interior features traditional personalised barber chairs from REM as well as a complete self-serve bar. Booking is available via their app, with live waiting times – so customers know when the next barber is free.

So far, some of the first customers of HQ today have been Ben Houchen, Mayor of Tees Valley, Glenn McCrory, former IBF World Cruiserweight Champion, and Leo Percovich Middlesbrough FC Coach. Richard Bland, HQ managing director, a former director and shareholder of the wellknown SAKS Franchise chain, said: “When I heard about this new business idea, I knew I had to be part of it. We’ve had a lot of fun – mixed with a lot of hard work – to perfect what we want to be an exciting change to the way barbers are run. “Hairdressing has been hit really hard by Covid. We are thrilled to be able to offer 30 jobs across our first three salons. We will also be offering conversion courses for hairdressers wishing to work for HQ - working for us will be a career, not just a job.”

NEW FACES AT THE BARBERS ARMS For the past year at 8pm on a Friday night, The Barbers Arms has opened its doors (albeit virtually) to the great and the good of the barbering world for news, chat and generally catching up with barbering friends over a beer or two. Started back in March last year in response to the lockdown, Gary Machin, Director at the British Barbers Association and Simon Shaw, Global Artistic Director of Wahl, get together every Friday night and shoot the breeze while bringing the barbering industry together in an informal and laid-back way.

Recently, the co-owners of BarberEVO magazine have been invited on to offer a weekly news update, Andrew Brewster and David Foster are enjoying having an excuse to crack open a beer and call it work! David said: “We are absolutely honoured to be asked to take part in this iconic show and give an update every week of what is happening globally in the barbering world. The Barbers Arms is going from strength to strength, and we encourage everyone to tune in at 8pm on Friday nights.”

COMBINED PASSIONS LEADS TO ‘TENEMENT’ A Glasgow couple have combined their passions and opened a barbershop and plant shop in Glasgow after the pandemic, which left them without financial support. Becky Rawlinson and Chris Mooney decided to take the leap and create their dream business. With Chris taking over childcare for their now one-year-old daughter, Becky dedicated herself to her plant delivery business Little Wilderness. Now, they are set to open a combined shop, Tenement, inspired by the idea of tenements serving as ‘multiple dwellings for lots of different people’.

“The Tenement is a shop which is home to more than one project - it is home to a plant shop, a barber shop and we wanted for people in the community to be able to use it as well. “We didn’t want too much of a barbershop name or too much of a plant shop name.” Not wanting to prioritise one of their businesses over the other, they thought up a concept that works for both of them. The store on Battlefield Avenue will be home to Chris’ barbershop on weekdays and will completely transform to accommodate a plant shop on Sundays.

UPPERCUT DELUXE LAYS DOWN A CLAY CHALLENGE Grooming brand Uppercut Deluxe has laid down a challenge asking barbers to show them what you can do with clay. A new social campaign has been launched by the brand asking for barbers to post photos of finished cuts that have been styled with clay. You simply tag @uppercutdeluxe and use the hashtag #uppercutclay. The brand has teamed up with top brands to pull together three fantastic prize packs. One for the founder’s choice, the ambassadors pick and winners of the people’s choice. Each winner will win a prize pack with gear from Vans, Brixton, Andis, Matakki Scissors, Cape Gang, Irving Barber Company, Sailor Jerry and Uppercut Deluxe. Entries close May 20th, so get your images sent over quick.

Restore the Rhythm Your business may soon be back up and running but, understandably, it may not be quite back to normal just yet. Playing music is one way in which you could help get your business back to its best. Even small changes could make a big difference, and music could help enhance the atmosphere, lift the mood and create a more positive environment. If you are going to introduce music, or if you are already using music in your business, you’ll usually need a music licence. TheMusicLicence covers virtually all commercially released music available – millions of songs & recordings, including the most popular & well-loved music, not just from the UK, but globally. So while you are making all of the arrangements to get your business back to its best, now is the perfect time to turn the music back on and ensure you that you are appropriately licensed, and set up TheMusicLicence for your business.

Music could help your business get back to its best.

0800 0868 801 pplprs.co.uk/restore-the-rhythm

A CUT ABOVE DART PRO SIGNATURE CORDLESS CLIPPER A new ergonomic design makes this clipper lightweight with a powerful torque motor, with precision Japanese adjustable fade blades. Will run for 300 minutes non-stop. With six metal guard combs.

£79.99 // dartprofessional.com

TAKARA BELMONT GT SPORTSMAN With classic racing car overtones, the GT Sportsman grooming chair is a firm barbershop favourite that’s become as famous for durability and high-performance as it has for great looks! Lighter and slimmer than its peers, it is perfectly suited for a demanding barbershop.

£1,170.00-£1,535.00 // takarahairdressing.co.uk

DENMAN’S ANTI-BACTERIAL HAIRBRUSH SANITISER Safe to use on all your combs and brushes, differing from other products, contains a ‘Quat’ based disinfectant and ingredient that kills 99.99% of germs and viruses.

from £5.50 + VAT // denmanbrush.com

L3VEL3™ HAIR STYLING POWDER Delivers a matte finish without any oily or greasy residue. Enhance texture by applying it on dry hair or add hold by using it on damp hair.

RRP £7.51 // chrisandsons.co.uk

SCURL FREE FLOW LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER Offering maximum moisture, FreeFlow conditioner is infused with Coconut Oil, Olive Oil and Shea Butter to aid in healthy hair, defining curls, and helps hair become more manageable.

RRP £6.29 // chrisandsons.co.uk

DARK STAG KAMISORI RAZOR This razor uses regular doubleedge blades, meaning barbers can choose their favourite brand. With only one edge used per customer, this acclaimed razor provides an economic shaving solution. Inspired by a millennia of Japanese shaving history, the Kamisori’s a grooming icon for a reason!

£43.50 // darkstag.com

REM EMPORER SELECT

EASYDRY TOWEL The Easydry Hair Towel (80x43cm) is the original Easydry towel and is still their most popular product. It comes in black or white and is a great solution for barbers as a hygienic, absorbent and sustainable option. Easydry is The Better Way to Dry!

£256.00 // €320.00 // easydry.com

MORGAN’S SEA SALT SPRAY Achieve a beach tousled look with loose natural textured waves, as this spray provides volume and body with a medium, light hold. Perfect for thin hair as a pre-styler to add grip and texture. Smells divine!

£9.50 // morganspomade.co.uk

If you are looking for more than a box standard Barbers Chair, the REM Emperor Select is the one for you! Made to order in the UK with high quality materials – a long lifetime is guaranteed. Choose one 20 of colours and customize the chair by adding your business logo as a detailed embroidery.

BLACK LABEL DARK MATTER This is the ultimate styling powder. With its stong hold and matte finish, Dark Matter is light weight and easy to use.

£1,390.00+vat // rem.co.uk

£15.00 // blacklabelgrooming.com

Warszawska Izba Lordów – Barbershop in Warsaw, Poland

Translating as ‘The Warsaw House of Lords’ this new Polish Barbershop run by Master Barber Adrian Madejski offers amazing décor and design amid a secluded and relaxing location. The REM Emperor Select in British Racing Green and the stylish Kiko Basin Units bring superior comfort and retro styling into his outstanding establishment.

t: 01282 619 977 e: sales@rem.co.uk w: www.rem.co.uk

10% OFF EVERYTHING ON THE WEBSITE

USE CODE EVO10. MIN ORDER ONLY £20.00.

All prices include VAT and free next day UK delivery. We are following strict guidelines to protect our workers and still ensure your orders are with you in a timely fashion.

WWW.BARBERBLADES.CO.UK

SCURL WAVECONTROL POMADE This easy to apply formula lightly brings out natural waves in short hair, leaving hair shiny and healthy looking. Specially formulated with PVP Wave Polymer to produce a firm hold without the greasy build up.

£2.70 RRP: £4.10

HAIR BLASTER MAGNETIC BARBER MAT Made to last and keep your tools from sliding off your station, the Magnetic Mat features a magnetic strip that can hold up to four clippers & trimmers, allowing more room for your barber accessories.

£42.00

GAMMA+ STYLECRAFT ERGO MAGNETIC CLIPPER The holy grail of clipper motors, the magnetic motor, is finally available in a cordless clipper. Always considered the most heavy-duty and professional motor, the ERGO features the latest in magnetic motor technology with the improved and revolutionary linear magnetic motor. This turbocharged longlife magnetic motor runs at 10,000 strokes per a minute, not only offering the ultimate in speed, power, and longevity but the quietest performance of any professional clipper.

£150.00

REUZEL PIGS CAN FLY DOPP BAG - BLUE Reuzel Pigs Can Fly Dopp bag includes everything needed to maintain hair and stay fresh on the go or at home. This carefully created set is perfect for the holidays and includes a retail and travel size Pomade in Blue, along with a travel size shampoo and solid cologne balm. Other pomades available.

£14.00 RRP: £35.99

SALON SIRIUS ULTRAVIOLET SANITIZER Dry UVC bactericidal cabinets do not require chemicals. Disinfection is by short-wave ultra-violet radiation from nine watt lamp. Holds up to 20 brushes. Also suitable for combs and scissors. Dimensions: H 22cm W - 35.5cm D - 27cm Available in Black, Silver or White.

£150.00

THE UK’S LARGEST RANGE OF BARBER PRODUCTS FREE NEXT DAY DELIVERY ON ALL UK ORDERS ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT • TRADE ONLY

WE ARE ONLY AVAILABLE ONLINE CURRENTLY If you have any questions about future or current orders, you can contact us via: Live chat

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HOW TO MAKE MORE

MONEY PER CUSTOMER WHY RETAIL COULD MAKE THE DIFFERENCE Returning from lockdown, you’re in an excellent position to boost your profits with every client that comes through the door. Not only are there limited shops for customers to browse, but one-stop-shopping is bigger than ever! Not to mention the trend towards shopping locally. Offering retail products in your shop provides you with opportunity to generate additional revenue - you could be making over £15 more per customer! Our range of premium grooming tools are only sold through barber shops and salons, which gives you the benefit of exclusivity and the means to build customer loyalty. A client who makes a retail purchase from you is more likely to become a returning customer.

“THIS STYLISH AND UNIQUE RANGE IS A REAL WINNER, NOT ONLY IN LOOKS AND PERFORMANCE, BUT IT’S ALSO A MASSIVE RETAIL OPPORTUNITY.” SIMON SHAW, WAHL GLOBAL ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL WITH RETAIL Make it look desirable The Wahl Grooming Tools range comes retail-ready so that you can create an attractive, professional display with ease. Place this in an area where the customer will spend a lot of time, to give them a chance to browse the products.

Use your influence Don’t underestimate the power of your recommendation! Encourage your clients to maintain that ‘just groomed feeling’ at home and make your recommendation personal to them. Talk to them about why it’s a product that will suit their style.

Give them a taste of the result One of the easiest ways to make a sale is to demonstrate the product on the client. Once you’ve wowed them with the result, they’ll have no choice but to get one for themselves.

Draw attention to the range To help you draw attention to the range, there are posters and mirror stickers available to use on your stations as well as the front of your store. This is a great way to get the products noticed and lead into a conversation.

TIP: SELL MORE AT PEAK TIMES Make sure you capitalise on big gifting periods such as Christmas and Father’s Day. These are prime times to promote retail products. You could even consider offering a price promotion to generate additional sales.

WAHLPROUK

WAHLPROFESSIONALUK

WAHL.CO.UK

CONNECTIVITY AS A COUNCIL AND AS AN INDUSTRY

WE CAUGHT UP WITH KEITH CONNIFORD, CEO/REGISTRAR OF THE HAIR AND BARBER COUNCIL, TO FIND OUT WHAT THE ORGANISATION HAD BEEN WORKING ON, WITH ITS PRIME CONCERN BEING THAT THEIR MEMBERS HAD BEEN GIVEN UP TO DATE AND ABOVE ALL, ACCURATE, INFORMATION THAT HELPED EVERYONE IN THE INDUSTRY TO OPEN THEIR DOORS AGAIN WITH FULL UNDERSTANDING OF THE LATEST GOVERNMENT ADVICE.

THE BRITISH HAIR AND BEAUTY COLLECTIVE “Providing fact-checked and accurate information is paramount for The Hair and Barber Council as it is vitally important to me to know we are giving accurate information out,” said Keith. Apart from quelling the nerves of the hair and barber world, behind the scenes at The Hair and Barber Council there has been an incredible amount of work being carried out to modernise and update the Council’s entire IT and online system/platform. Keith continued: “We have been working on our IT system and a new website these past six months, including the technology behind the new website, our membership database and our email listings. The systems we have been working with were archaic, so this overhaul is well overdue, and it will be a huge step forward for The Hair and Barber Council and for our members. “The new website will continue to be developed over time but now that it is up and running, we will continue to work on our member’s database which is the core of what we do, and it will be integrated within the website for an easier joining procedure, for renewals and for member’s updates etc. “The new website will be a great portal for our members with more news available, new galleries, lots of information about what is happening in the industry, exclusive offers for members including master classes, testimonials, and much more.” The new website will be going ‘live’ by the end of April. To access it go to;

www.haircouncil.org.uk

PROVIDING FACT-CHECKED AND ACCURATE INFORMATION IS PARAMOUNT FOR THE HAIR AND BARBER COUNCIL AS IT IS VITALLY IMPORTANT TO ME TO KNOW WE ARE GIVING ACCURATE INFORMATION OUT.”

Alongside all the IT work the Council has been working on, The Hair and Barber Council has been working closely with Salon Owners United (SOU) to facilitate a united body ,that will have a leadership team consisting of members from all the sectors of the hair and beauty world. Keith said: “It’s a work in progress, some people are saying it is just another group, but it’s not. Our aim is to pull everyone together into one collective, providing one voice to speak for the industry. There are so many voices at the moment, it is very confusing, particularly for government when decisions have to be made. “The plan is to have one organisation, which will give total representation. The Hair and Barber Council will not be running this group, and neither will Salon Owners United, it will be a completely representative group from all parts of the sector; hairdressers, barbers, manufacturers, wholesalers, FE colleges, private training providers, awarding bodies, in fact everyone who has a stake in the hair and beauty industry should have a representative in the Collective where everyone will have an equal voice. Any success with making industry decisions moving forward will then come from the Collective of industry leaders. “We are stronger together, and this Collective will give us a stronger platform to

spearhead any changes through Parliament,” Keith said. Since the new Personal Care sector was established in January of this year, there has been a huge benefit to the industry, and a collective body will seek to further strengthen that success. “We are continuing to work closely with the new dedicated Personal Care Sector at BEIS, however, there are issues that make things more difficult. For example, when an announcement is made for England, it isn’t always the same message or rules for the devolved nations; it can get quite complicated to keep on top of advice and guidance for the four countries. “The Personal Care Sector, with our help, allowed England to open on April 12th rather than on May 17th which was originally muted. We were then put into the hospitality category to allow us to get access to the Restart Grants Scheme, which was up to a maximum of £18k rather than the £6k figure that was available had we been kept in retail. Small wins some might think, but significant nonetheless.” Keith said: “What the Collective is interested in is to better the industry and its representation, and I feel that pulling together a representative body that gives an equal voice to everyone is a huge step forward in bettering the industry for everyone now and for generations to come.”

BARBERS ARE OUR FUTURE GOULD BARBERS HAS BUILT ITS CHAIN OF BARBERSHOPS ON TRADITIONAL WELCOMING VALUES AS WELL AS PROVIDING A NURTURING AND PROGRESSIVE CAREER PATH FOR THEIR BARBERS. Brothers Darran and Leigh Gould have been barbers all their lives, working in their father’s shop since the age of 10, it’s in their blood. Back in August 2016, they decided to open their first location and have never looked back. The business model was always to create a barbershop where everyone feels welcome. “We want to be the barbershop where all of the family are welcome and feel comfortable. There are some amazing barbershops within the UK, however, we believe there is a huge lack of barbershops which cater for all demographics in a professional manner. Our focus is on the customer. You can have the most amazing barbershop in the world, however, if the customer does not feel welcome and comfortable the business will not succeed. This model is incredibly difficult to achieve. The other focus of our business is extremely professional. We want to create a positive career path for all of the barbers in our industry.” Gould Barbers currently has 34 locations with around 150 self-employed barbers, which makes them the largest chain in the UK, with plans to open between 10 and 25 further locations within the next 12 months. Darran continues: “Our business model is not based on a franchise model, we have 100% ownership and control of all of our locations, which we feel is very important.” The good news is that there is a new location in Kensington which will be opening this summer. “We have an amazing opportunity to open our very first shop in Central London. We are truly privileged to have the opportunity of opening in such a prestigious postcode. The shop is going to be amazing and will be our flagship store.

“AT GOULD BARBERS WE ARE CREATING CAREER PATHS FOR ANY OF OUR BARBERS THAT WISH TO PROGRESS FURTHER.” “Logistically, we believe this will really assist us in our growth. This will become our central meeting hub. London is one of the greatest cities in the world and we anticipate London to thrive this year and fight back, so to be part of this fightback is something we are hugely enthusiastic about.” Being a barber as part of a hugely successful brand is a comfort in these uncertain times and Gould Barbers prides itself on understanding the ambition of its barbers.

“Historically, in barbering the only opportunities was either to become a barber, work in that shop and then one day get your own shop (maybe). At Gould Barbers we are creating career paths for any of our barbers that wish to progress further. We really want to listen to the barber’s ambition, work with them and put them on the right career path. “It is incredibly important for barbers to develop, learn, evolve. We love football – the best footballers in the world (Messi, Ronaldo) still train every day. With that in mind, our barbers, no matter what age they are can always learn and progress. This might be in terms of cutting standards, or it might be some management training, whatever it is, we want all of our barbers to become amazing and for that we will be there for them. We have monthly educational days with some incredible barbers assisting with this. We also have monthly management meetings and invite our barbers to attend. “The road they take might be management, it might be education, it might be recruitment, or it might simply be to become an even more amazing barber; understanding this from our barbers is key. We then work with them to help them flourish. Our barbers are not just barbers, they are the future. In every barber we look to see if we have the next directors. We want our barbers to grow with our company and with us.” With such effort to improve the career of their barbers, the values that must always be at the forefront of any Gould Barbers barber is the satisfaction of all their customers. “We want all of our customers to leave our shop having a great experience and wanting to come back. Family, family, family - that is 100% key!”

JOI N THE U K’ S L A RG E ST BARB E R B R A N D We’re on the look out for new barbers at a store location near you. If you are fun, honest, reliable and enthusiastic, you will fit in nicely with our team of over 175 barbers nationwide.

www.gouldbarbers.co.uk/careers

BEHIND THE CHAIR TO BEHIND THE LENS WHILE MANY OF US CAUGHT UP ON THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF NETFLIX DURING LOCKDOWN, OTHERS USED THEIR TIME OFF TO BUILD THEIR PERSONAL SKILLSET. FOR BARBER AND SHOP OWNER, LUKA CHITTY, THAT WAS EXACTLY THE CASE. In his twentieth year in the industry, owner of Luka’s Barbers in Exeter and Plymouth, Luka Chitty found himself stuck at home as of March 2020. But instead of letting it get him down, Luka decided he would teach himself a new skill: photography. “I have always had an interest in photography. I have many close friends who are really skilled photographers of all kinds. Through my work, I have also had a lot of experience being part of shoots and on set. I was getting to a point where I would have a vision of how I wanted the images to look, but sometimes it can be difficult working with other creatives, because you aren’t always on the same wavelength. So, I thought if I can just get a basic understanding of photography, then I can create the images I have in mind.”

“During the first lockdown, I just thought, right I am just going to sit down and learn everything I can about editing, Lightroom, Photoshop, and really invest my time. I am dyslexic, so when it comes to learning, I have to do it in my own way. Luckily, because I have so many talented friends, like Danny Mee, Paul Foster, Justin Krause and Harris Nukem, I was able to get some pointers and inspiration. But a lot of it I was able to find online and on YouTube. With enough perseverance and effort, you can really teach yourself anything these days. Then after the second lockdown, I decided I would invest in better equipment. Then I just started taking photos and editing from there.”

“I THINK I COULD HAVE QUITE EASILY SAT THERE THROUGHOUT THE LOCKDOWNS AND WATCHED HOURS AND HOURS ON NETFLIX, BUT THAT’S NOT HELPING MY LIFE OR MY FUTURE. SO, I THOUGHT ‘WHY DON’T I INVEST THIS TIME INTO MY FUTURE AND MY SKILLS, AND THE STUFF THAT I ENJOY DOING.’” Luka’s Studio before.

“I showed my work to my good friend Paul Foster, who is a photographer and videographer, and he gave me really positive feedback. So that spurred me on. Paul and I got talking and thought, what if we got our hands on a space that we could use as a studio. We thought, we could get a barber chair in there, a makeup station, a changing room, and just have a nice creative space that we can use and do work in. So, within 12 hours I found a unit, it was fate. I dipped into our savings, which my wife kindly agreed to, and luckily from there, things have really taken off!” Again, like fate, Luka found his first client: “One of the first clients I was able to work with was called Skinny Lager. Along with working on myself and my skills, I also got really into my

fitness over lockdown and lost nearly two and a half stone. I had to for my mental state more than anything. So, in my efforts to find a lower calorie substitute to beer, I just stumbled across Skinny Lager. I thought they had a cool look to them, so I bought some and set up my lights and took a couple shots of the bottles. I sent them over to them to use for their socials. Next thing I knew they were asking me to create more content for them and send them an invoice! I have been working with them since and they are one of my biggest clients. From there, I was able to build up my content and portfolio. Right now, I am working on a bunch of fashion and product shoots. We have also just finished the studio, and we are in the process

of creating all the content that we want for our website and our advertisers. I think it just shows, if you work hard, put yourself out there, and just believe in yourself, it really does pay off in the long run.” Not only did Luka’s new skill give him purpose and income throughout the lockdown, but it has also opened up his opportunities within the barbering industry, such as branching further into editorial. Luka said: “I love the editorial side of the industry. Having my experience with BarberEVO has allowed me to discover a lot more of that side of things. Now I can combine my passions for photography, hair, and fashion, it just opens up so many new doors that I never would have thought of before.” u

Luka’s Studio after.

Shot by Luka in the new studio.

“I LOVE THE EDITORIAL SIDE OF THE INDUSTRY. HAVING MY EXPERIENCE WITH BARBEREVO HAS ALLOWED ME TO DISCOVER A LOT MORE OF THAT SIDE OF THINGS.”

Luka shooting at the Pink Moon Cafe.

Luka shooting for Opus Cartel Tattoo Studio.

We caught up with Luka just a week after shops were allowed to reopen in England, I asked him how he has been able to balance both barbering and photography, now everything is on the go. He said: “As it was the first week back doing both, I have been going about a million miles an hour. I got the barbershop ready and just finished the studio, so there has been a lot going on! I haven’t really had time to touch the ground yet, so I will let you know once things calm down,” he laughed. “But at the end of the day,” he said, “you make time for whatever is important to you. I have made a few adjustments to my working hours at the barbershop, purely because I very quickly run myself into the ground. It is so easy to just commit to working 14-hour days, seven days a week, but I know that that is not sustainable. So, I am working on finding that balance between the barbershop, the studio, and down time as well.

“I have so many fashion bloggers and influencers asking me about location shoots or wanting to come to the studio, but I just need to focus on the shop for a bit, and then I can get my creative head on again in the studio. One step at a time!” I asked Luka what his biggest take-away from this year has been, and what he would tell other barbers looking to build their skill sets. Luka explained: “I think I could have quite easily sat there throughout the lockdowns and watched hours and hours on Netflix, but that’s not helping my life or my future. So, I thought why don’t I invest this time into my future and my skills, and the stuff that I enjoy doing. “It’s so important to not give up on yourself. If you have a goal, have faith that it is not unreachable. It’s all about believing and investing in yourself. So many people invest in other people, when really it’s important to sit back and think about yourself, and invest that time and energy thinking about how you can better yourself.” •

BARBER TO NHS SECURITY GUARD

PHIL JARMAN WE CAUGHT UP WITH PHIL JARMAN, MHFED AMBASSADOR, CITY AND GUILDS ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER, GAMMA+ AMBASSADOR, AND GRAND MASTER BARBER, WHO TOOK THE LEAP TO RETRAIN AS AN NHS SECURITY GUARD DURING LOCKDOWN.

Phil Jarman is a seasoned professional in the barbering industry, with 34 years under his belt. However, this last year has taken its unavoidable toll on everyone in the industry, no matter your experience level or skill. For Phil, the year included several challenges along with contracting Covid-19, dealing with the passing of close friends, and being left without a reliable income. However, not being one to sit still, Phil retrained, found himself a job as a security guard with the NHS, and continued to pass along the same infectious cheer and positivity, he has been known for behind the chair. At the young age of 15, Phil was already determined to master his craft as learn as much about both service and skill as he could starting as an apprentice. By 18, he started to travel the world cutting hair and learning more about the customer experience side of things as well as the technical requirements to keep customers coming back to you: “One important skill I learned early on was ‘customer delight,” said Phil. “As customer service is standard and not a unique selling point. I very quickly realised that it wasn’t just being a great barber that would take you places and to reach your goals it needed a fine balance of technical ability, as well as mastering the person or situation in the chair, which for me would make a REAL master barber, not just a certification.” After owning two locations of his shop, Jarman’s, for nearly 10 years, Phil moved to Cambridge to be closer to family. Since, he

has been the lead barber and partner at Carlo and Co.: “Becoming partners with Carlo was great timing for both of us as Carlo wanted to concentrate on other business ideas outside of barbering and I wanted to get behind the chair and concentrate on running barbershops again with scope to train new staff into the ethos and culture that we strongly believed in. Nine years later we have successfully turned into two of the busiest barbershops in the country with 14 part time staff in all. I am so proud to be a part of a great team with extremely high standards in men’s hairdressing.” For Phil, ‘pre-Covid’ and his day-to-day routine of being behind the chair in both shops and being on the road training barbers seems like a long time ago: “Certainly the last year was unprecedented as it didn’t matter how long you had been in the industry, we were all on the same boat. I think that in any situation that is out of our hands, it’s a question on how we react or respond.” Exactly one year ago, Phil came down with Covid-19: “I was pretty rough for two weeks losing my sense of taste and smell which was awful. As well, within that year in these difficult times, a few personal friends and popular influential barbers passed away through personal problems. This made me dig deeper with the determination to come out of this a stronger person, as it was simply a mentally excruciating time for us all.” Thankfully, Phil was able to adapt to the changes of Lockdown quite quickly: “First of all we completely refurbished both shops in Royston and Letchworth Garden City and they now look amazing. After that, I felt I had to stay busy, so I went out and grabbed myself a job. Firstly, for my state of mind, but also to keep the money rolling in. “I passed my SIA training to become a security guard and picked up a full-time job at a mass vaccination centre. It was refreshing to have public interaction again and helping and looking after people resonated with what I had been accustomed to behind the barber’s chair. A high percentage of the public turning up for vaccines were nervous, anxious, and apprehensive, so my role was to calm and reassure them, while looking after the safety of everyone, which I really relished in.”

IT WAS REFRESHING TO HAVE PUBLIC INTERACTION AGAIN AND HELPING AND LOOKING AFTER PEOPLE RESONATED WITH WHAT I HAD BEEN ACCUSTOMED TO BEHIND THE BARBER’S CHAIR.” “Looking back on the last year, I am quite relieved I came out of it in one piece mentally and physically. There were some dark times, but helping other people was definitely the way forward. ‘There’s more happiness in giving than in receiving’ is a true sentiment that I can really implement, and something I’ll take forward and appreciate.” For Phil, Lockdown was an opportunity to really work on personal development and focusing on developing a more positive outlook on life: “This personally was and is a gamechanger as coming back to barbering has given me the mindset on really smashing what’s left of 2021 and getting myself out there and passing on the amazing things that I have learnt over the 34 years in this incredible industry. There has never been a better time for all of us to press the reset button and go again stronger and with renewed vigour.” Phil is not only looking forward to being back behind the chair, but also to continue to educate and motivate other barbers: “I am planning a whole bunch of dates across the UK and Ireland for barber educational classes, and simply passing on the barber gems that I applied and perfected over the years. Watch this space as we will be coming to a town near you from the summer ‘til the end of November 2021.”

Gen Z Taking the Lead

23-YEAR-OLD MR. BARBERS FRANCHISE OWNER, ASHTON JOSEPH PROVES THAT AGE IS MORE THAN JUST A NUMBER.

“BEING IN THE YOUNGER GENERATION A LOT OF THE BLAME HAS BEEN PUT ON US JUST BECAUSE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE KNOWN TO PARTY AND NOT TAKE THINGS SERIOUSLY BUT KNOWING ABOUT COVID AND HOW SERIOUS IT IS, MY BARBERS IN THE SHOP HAVE RESPECTED WHAT THE MR. BRAND AND I HAVE SAID AND HAVE STUCK TO THE RESTRICTIONS.”

We spoke to Ashton Joseph, the 23-year-old barber about to open his second MR. Barbers location, proving that the younger generation truly deserves credit for their hard work, talent and commercial courage. For Ashton, the passion for hair came early but that does not mean it was an easy road ahead: “I started cutting hair at the age of 12. My auntie is a hairdresser, and I have always been close to her. I rarely went to school and I never got to finish school but during that time she would let me work in her shop based in Kelvedon where I would sweep up, make drinks, and wash hair. I used to spend a lot of my time watching videos on haircuts and then practising on my mates’ hair in my kitchen. Starting at a young age I had a lot of time to progress and learn many skills along the way. I went to a college where they would pass off my haircuts but never taught me any barbering because the course primarily focused on women’s hair. My auntie saw a lot of potential in me and said it would be unfair to keep me in a small-town salon where I wouldn’t be able to fulfil my full potential. Even though my auntie and a few other colleagues helped me with a bit of basic knowledge, I still wasn’t quite ready for the barbering world.” Ashton went on to work in a barbershop for a year but when the owners decided they needed a more experienced barber, a new opportunity was waiting for him around the corner: “Two weeks later I met Karl from MR. Barbers through social media and that’s when my life changed massively! I saw a lot of potential in the Braintree location and things escalated quickly. In 2016, by the time I was 18, I was running the MR. Barbers Braintree Shop with 50% ownership. A few years later, we managed to get the store directly next door to us, which was five times bigger than the shop we had before. With six barber chairs in a very busy shop, I couldn’t be happier, especially for the boys who work alongside me. In this current moment we are waiting for the paperwork to come back on my second shop that I have invested in. Needless to say, I am very excited about it all. In the space of five years, I’ve managed to turn this small MR Barbers shop into a much bigger, better and busier barbershop with another shop on the way, at only

“I FEEL AS IF I DON’T GET THAT UPSET ABOUT MANY THINGS BECAUSE I KNOW I HAVE THE MR. BRAND TO HELP ME THROUGH WHEN THINGS GET TOUGH.” 23-years-old. There is no way I would have been able to do this without MR. Barbers.” For barbers all throughout the industry, no matter the age and experience level, the pandemic has caused unprecedented challenges and levels of uncertainty. We asked Ashton how his experience has been throughout the last year: “Through this pandemic I’ve managed better than I thought I would. I don’t let myself become too consumed by negativity and try to stay strong. Karl and Paul are always there for me with help and support no matter what. I feel as if I don’t get that upset about many things because I know I have the MR. brand to help me through when things get tough.”

As someone who began his barbering career at a young age, thanks to the support of people who encouraged and believed in him, Ashton makes an effort to do the same for others: “I’ve had quite a few employees in the past five years as you normally would but I now have my solid four barbers alongside me, three of whom are between the ages of 18 and 22 and the other in there 30s. I’ve had people in my shop work for me who have kids my age but they wouldn’t look at me any different. “Hiring barbers under the age of 25, is just as good as hiring someone over 25! Young barbers often have more drive in my opinion; they are often hungrier for it and they really do want to learn barbering. It also helps us keep up with the latest trends and stay creative.” Ashton has found that having young staff had no impact in the way safety and precautions were handled: “Being in the younger generation a lot of the blame has been put on us just because young people are known to party and not take things seriously but knowing about Covid and how serious it is, my barbers in the shop have respected what the MR. brand and I have said and stuck to the restrictions. So, as long as we continue to do our part then that’s all we can do.” With restrictions in the UK lifted, Ashton and his team are ecstatic to be back at it: “Going back to work after having all this time off I couldn’t be happier. Me, the boys and MR. had done nothing but prepare for the day! Before we were shut down, we were fully booked for four months straight and now we’re back we are going to be even busier. We run an appointment system so we can see how many bookings we have and we can already tell it is going to be a very busy year and I can’t wait for it. “What I had been looking forward to the most to being back behind the chair was just seeing my boys, seeing my clients and having that normal barber banter we had every day before Covid. It really does feel like home, and it has to be because we all spend around thirteen to fourteen hours a day in that shop. I love getting to see the smile on people’s faces after showing them the back of their hair in the mirror and seeing the smiles on the boy’s faces when they have had a good week! Their success is my success.”

BARBERSHOPS ARE SEEN AS A PLACE OF FRIENDSHIP, OF WARM WELCOMES AND GENUINE SENTIMENTS, AND IN THE MAIN THEY ARE. BUT IF YOU DON’T FIT THE OUTLINE OF THE ‘USUAL’ CUSTOMER, THEN ATTITUDES CAN CHANGE TOWARD YOU AND FEAR CAN OFTEN OFFEND.

We are speaking to Keri Blue who is a barber based in West London. Keri has taken on the task of educating barbers and barbershop owners about how to deal with clients that don’t fit their usual clientele profile, by launching a campaign and consultancy called ‘Hair Has No Gender’ that aims to bring awareness to businesses and their employees in order to verify yourself as a welcoming space for everyone. Keri tells us why they feel there is a need for this type of education. “In my early 20s before I became a barber, I moved to Brighton and had a really short haircut, shaved on one side and longer on the other which I did myself. Having a style that some people could identify as ‘masculine’ hair was a way of expressing my gender identity, and I worried about going into hairdressers, as they wouldn’t shave it. I decided to go to a barbers, and they refused to give me a fade. They said: “Oh, we can’t, our boss won’t let us do women’s hair,” it was really embarrassing, and I had to walk out. I didn’t want to feel that anticipation of rejection every time I needed my haircut. “I did find somewhere that would cut it eventually, but I really wanted to do it myself and also prevent someone else experiencing what I went through. That gave me the strength to push myself to learn, and I headed back to London to do my training as a professional barber. I have now worked in several different barbershops. As a client I felt misplaced, and now as a barber, I can sometimes feel misplaced, especially when it comes to pronouns, as I am non-binary with the pronouns they/them. “Trying to explain what that means to your colleagues can be a tricky conversation. However, the world is changing, there are now genderneutral toilets which wouldn’t have been thought about a decade ago. A lot of the time when people of the LGBTQ+ community come into the barbershop they feel so anxious. Often, they have already fought a battle just to go anywhere, especially when their gender dictates where they should go such as the thought that traditionally women go to a hair salon, and men to a barbers.” This experience gave Keri the inspiration to do an online survey. “I went to a few of the LGBTQ+ communities and straight women, and asked where they got their hair cut, a salon or a barbershop, and whether they had had a bad experience or had been refused. It’s a big topic and I think it is important to spread the word and help eradicate that issue.”

“I THINK THAT BARBERS ARE SCARED IF SOMEONE COMES IN WHO LOOKS A LITTLE DIFFERENT. THEY MIGHT NOT BE SURE OF A PERSON’S GENDER, BUT THAT SHOULDN’T MATTER.” Keri is not trying to bash barbers, being well aware that it is a welcoming industry. “Barbers do an amazing job of making people feel great, but by having that mindfulness, and to be educated on these issues makes such a huge difference to clients. A haircut doesn’t have to be assigned to a person’s gender. “I think that barbers are scared if someone comes in who looks like someone they can’t identify with. They might not be sure of a person’s gender, but that shouldn’t matter. And the fear stems from them not being sure how to cut their hair. What I think is the logical thing to do is to just ask them what they want and do that without judgement.” Keri continues: “Hair has no gender. I want barbers to treat whoever walks in through their door as a human first. Our business is to cut their hair however they want it done, and to make them feel good. People go through enough in life as it is, without having that build-up of anxiety before even stepping foot in a barbers or being presented with misgendering and even refusal. “There is an awareness that is missing. Barbershops are places where people can come in and relax and talk to us. I think sometimes we are scared of something that we can’t relate to. If I google non-binary barbershops, there are only a few that come up in England. Even though there are many, many, more that make all clients feel comfortable, they are not promoting that.”

Keri has built a ‘Hair has no gender’ website. They welcome barbers and hairstylists contacting them and is happy to come and speak about how to approach this type of client base. “I envision a world where every salon and barbershop has full acceptance of all people and identities including those from the LGBTQ+ community and everyone else. And I want to provide education and events for everyone and create a safer space for more diversity.” The plan is to offer barbershops a half day or a day, whatever is needed, where Keri will arrive and do a workshop to educate and raise awareness, and by the end of the day not only will everyone be more comfortable on the use of pronouns and on what to say to people, but how to direct your business to the people that may be scared to walk through your door, for whatever reason, and the steps that are needed to do this. Keri is also creating a verification log, so that whenever someone taps into a search engine looking for a gender-neutral barbershop, there will be a list of places that have gone through the training, and there will be a confidence about walking into that shop. Keri said: “It’s not about making money for me. I’ve already spoken to a few well-known barbershops, and they have all been so kind. These places have already started making changes such as adjusting their price list to be gender neutral. It would be nice to see a wider range of people featured on their socials which will help spread their appeal to a wider customer base. Part of the customer journey when searching for a new barbershop is that you see a representation of someone who looks like you on there. “There are people out there already doing it all, but don’t think about its importance to their business and don’t promote it, so when someone like me is looking for a haircut, I don’t know where to go.” Keri wants to stress that the plan isn’t to make every barbershop gender neutral, however they want to raise awareness to barbers, who are an awesome community and one that they have learned so much from, of the loss of revenue that they are missing out on and with training and adopting a conscious attitude, barbers and barbershops can widen their clientele to one that didn’t exist previously.

For more information on Keri’s campaign and the educational workshops go to www.hairhasnogender.co.uk. You can also find a link to their survey on the website that they have created that everyone can fill out, whether you are a barber or a client. The more information collected, the more relevant the training will be.

VIRTUAL TRADESHOW JUNE 6TH - 19TH

EXCLUSIVE MEDIA PARTNERS

“LOOKING AT HOW THIS FIRST EXPO IS LINING UP I’M REALLY EXCITED. I LOVE DOING LIVE SHOWS BUT THIS IS GOING TO BE VIRTUALLY THE SAME GREAT BRANDS, GREAT EDUCATION, AND THEN FINISHING WITH A BEER IN BARBERS ARMS, WHAT MORE COULD YOU NEED?”

LIVE SESSIONS The psssht of the beer being opened, the gurgle as the amber liquid hits the glass, ahhh that’s it… it’s time to sit down and enjoy The Barbers Arms, but this time it is going big! Join the Barbers Arms team as they launch their first virtual tradeshow, which will come to life on June 6th right through to June 19th this year. Whether you are a barber, a brand, or a buyer there is a place for you at the tradeshow of the year. Join The Barbers Arms Virtual Tradeshow and see your favourite educators, and brands all in one place. You can even join after for a drink live in the Barbers Arms. Watch amazing UK and international educators live in interactive rooms and speak face to face with the brands representatives during the show.

TOP BRANDS Join your hosts Gary Machin & Simon Shaw as they host the Live Sundays Main Stage. The Barbers Arms’ Simon Shaw said: “Looking at how this first expo is lining up I’m really excited. I love doing live shows but this is going to be virtually the same great brands, great education, and then finishing with a beer in Barbers Arms, what more could you need?” The Barbers Arms Expo is not only a virtual tradeshow that connects visitors directly to the brand, educators and service providers, it will also continue 365 days of the year as an online community connecting our industry. Already in the mix are major international brands, Wahl, Hommage and the British Barbers Association, as well as many more.

LIVE PRODUCT LAUNCHES Sign up for the digital expo, where live sessions will be streaming, with the world’s top brands present to showcase the latest products and techniques to elevate your professional knowledge. If you are a brand that would like to be involved, you will reach an instant community of buyers, with a database of 75,000 plus of reach, where instant engagement, enquiries and video meetings can be facilitated. You can receive enquiries from your live stream as you pitch your products to a live audience. If you have a new product to launch, where better to do that than to an engaged audience of industry professionals? You can demonstrate your products live to a live audience. The virtual event will match your products and place them in front of relevant buyers.

IS YOUR NAME ON THE DOOR!?

VIRTUAL TRADESHOW

JUNE 6TH - 19TH See all of your favourite brands and top educators at the industry’s first virtual trade show

www.thebarbersarms.co.uk 43

BARBERSRIDE HAS GROWN FROM A COUPLE OF FRIENDS WITH A NOTION OF RIDING THEIR MOTORBIKES TO RAISE MONEY FOR CHARITY AND HAS SINCE GROWN INTO AN ANNUAL, EPIC, FIVE-DAY EVENT RAISING THOUSANDS FOR GOOD CAUSES. Colin Petrie, owner of Hard Grind, in Aberdeen and Dundee, was shooting the breeze with his pal Luka Chitty about going for a ride on their bikes, stopping in at a few favourite shops, and doing a few demos and along the way try to raise some money for charity. One of Luka’s younger brothers had sadly passed away many years ago after spending time in Great Ormond Street Children’s hospital and the thought was, that anything they raised would go direct to the hospital. Co-incidentally Richie Finney of Captain Fawcett fame was having very similar thoughts in another part of the country. An arranged introduction brought them together over a few whiskys in a swanky Glasgow hotel and Richie, Colin and Xavier Berrell of Reuzel, came up with the idea for BarbersRide together. Colin tells us: “It was very difficult to pull together, originally the plan was for just me and Luka and a few pals, but it grew arms and legs. I feel like it was one of those things that were meant to be, us getting together and making it happen. “Year one we had Harley-Davidson as our major sponsor, which was great. But I can’t tell you how many hours we spent on planning the event. It was a monstrous, overwhelming process, but completely worthwhile. By year three, there was less need for me to be as involved, I was happy to hand over the reins and take more of a back seat. I am still a sponsor but in terms of planning, the event has grown far bigger than I could ever have taken it.” The first year the ride started from Colin’s shop in Dundee, and they biked down to London, via a few shops and arrived at Great Ormond Street Hospital to hand over the cheque. This year Scotland is back on the map with Colin’s shop being one of the stops. “When everyone gets to Dundee there will be live demonstrations, which is great for the local people, as we pick a handful of barbers who are high up in the industry which allows us to

sell tickets. There are drinks, food, live music, raffles for all the things we have been donated. It’s all about raising money while having a knees-up.” Part of the joy of the whole event for Colin is the actual ride. “It’s my favourite part. There are a lot of people who are first time riders, and they maybe don’t realise how long the days can be riding. But there is an incredible sense of camaraderie and trust with your fellow riders, and when you get to the location safely and all together, there is an overwhelming sense of pride. “As well as that, it is a holiday away from work – it’s a hard holiday mind you, but if the weather is good, you cannot beat the breathtaking scenery we take in. Sometimes it is hard to believe you are in the UK. It never fails to amaze me how beautiful the routes are.” The numbers for this year are already looking good. The early bird discount was extended due to the lockdown situation, and in August the event is scheduled to kick off from Pete Cranfield’s Cutthroatpete’s shop in Liverpool and everyone is excited to get going. Many of these riders are family men and women and BarbersRide has settled on Make-A-Wish as their chosen charity. The charity helps grant special wishes for sick children when they are most in need and bring positivity and happiness in times of distress. Last year BarbersRide raised more than £27,000 for the charity, one of the biggest single donations the charity received last year, yet they still have more than 2,000 children waiting for their wishes to come true. Colin is immensely proud of the event, which has grown from that conversation about the shared love of motorbikes, beers and barbering. He adds: “It can be hard to get out of your shop and meet like-minded people and this is the perfect opportunity to spend the day riding together, hang out at night and do some haircuts along the way… and it’s all for charity. I’m very proud and excited to be part of it.”

T S U G U A 2 7-1

Bag a pair of tickets. Check out the ofﬁcial BarbersRide website for full details and grab a place on this epic ride. Start your engines. Win a ticket for yourself and a friend to ride with BarbersRide as well as luxury goody bags by following BarberEVO’s Instagram and keeping an eye out for competition details. www.barbersride.com

The Key Sponsors of BarbersRide 2021

fort william dundee

glasgow

yarm

Ofﬁcial media partners for BarbersRide 2021

leeds LIVERPOOL

the route

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS

‘This event is a highlight of the barbering calendar, not only for the incredible camaraderie it encourages, but also for the essential funds that it raises for Make-A-Wish children’s charity. We are extremely proud to be part of such a fantastic event’. BarberEVO

@barberevo @barbersride

TAKING IT TO THE NEXT

L 3VE L

WE CAUGHT UP WITH JAY NOURI, CO-FOUNDER, AND CEO OF THE MEN’S GROOMING COMPANY L3VEL3, A BRAND BUILT BY AND FOR BARBERS, BUILT ON RESPECT, TRUST, AND LOYALTY. Jay Nouri started in the men’s cosmetic industry back in 2011 in the United States, when the market for good-quality retail grooming products for men was slim to none. Finding a brand they could work with, Jay and his brothers took on the Americas, with aims to elevate the barbering industry, and help barbers and barbershops grow and increase their revenue by adding retail products to their shelves. “We went to barbershops door to door across America in the beginning, it was really tough. In the states, most barbers back then had no retail presence at all, and a lot lacked that level of professionalism. It was a lot of booth-rented chairs, with no owner to be seen. We thought, ‘Oh God, what have we done to ourselves?’ We

had sold our cars, our homes, we were all in. So, we quickly had to transition our strategy, and it was around that time that social media was starting,” explained Jay. He continued: “Soon enough, we met Yahia Jaber, better known as Mr. Official and Carlos Estrella, AKA, Los Cut It, two barbers who were huge at the time, and still huge today. Mr. Official’s shop was one of the first shops we started working with, and he introduced us to Los. I got talking to Los about the barbering industry, and he expressed the frustration he had had in the past with brands, explaining that none of them cared about the actual barbers. But for me, it has never been about the brand and being a corporate hot shot. I wanted to work with barbers as my equal, building mutual respect between us both. “So, we started working with Los, and because of his huge social media following at the time, he was able to introduce us to this whole community of barbers through social media. In no time, we were gaining followers, and we were introduced to amazing barbers like A-Rod. We built this amazing team of barbers, who I now see as my family, including A-Rod, Los, Official, Bengie Candelario, and Sky Salon. “We were able to build this great strategy based on mutual respect, and lifting each other up, which is rare for a brand the size we were. I believe, at the end of the day, people will follow people over a product. You have to respect the professional, or else how can you expect them to endorse that product. Unfortunately, the brand we were working with at that time did not see eye-to-eye with us about this.” u

“WE BUILT THIS AMAZING TEAM OF BARBERS, WHO I NOW SEE AS MY FAMILY, INCLUDING A-ROD, LOS, OFFICIAL, BENGIE CANDELARIO, AND SKY SALON.”

When 2020 and the pandemic hit and all of their events for the year were cancelled, everything came to a halt. For Jay and his team, if there was ever a time to start fresh and start their own brand, it was now. So, in representing their final level, and a fresh start, they named the new brand L3VEL3. Jay explained: “With A-Rod and me as founders, L3VEL3 was about taking all the barbers who had stuck with us through all the madness and creating a brand that we could all share as our own. “Together, A-Rod, Bengie, Sky, Mr. Official, Los and Anthony Reyes, are all equity owners in L3VEL3. So, behind our brand, we have a team of industry-leading professionals, who care about the products, and care about the barbering industry as a whole. Over the pandemic, while keeping everything under wraps, we formulated more than 100 products. We were able to use our experience, and our collective consumer feedback to great a diverse range of products ideal for both the barber station, but also for retail. “We launched the range on Black Friday 2020. It was a lot of pressure, because I had a lot of people invest their trust, time, and money into me. In the end, I am happy to say that we have already exceeded our sales expectations and are being sold in 30 countries worldwide.” Jay and his team’s newfound freedom of owning their own brand, has led to many opportunities which they had not had before, including branching into the UK and Irish market. With the help of Mark Gaye, Irish barber and L3VEL3 co-owner and VP, they were able to build a network in the UK and are already available through Chris and Sons. So, what can a barber and barbershop gain from bringing in L3VEL3 products? Jay explained:

“OUR WHOLE ETHOS BEHIND OUR BRAND IS TO LIFT UP THE WHOLE BARBERSHOP. WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE HIGH QUALITY SERVICE IN BARBERSHOPS, FROM THE TREATMENT IN THE CHAIR AND THE PRODUCTS USED, TO THE PRODUCTS THEY LEAVE THE SHOP WITH.” “Our whole ethos behind our brand is to lift up the whole barbershop. We want to encourage high quality service in barbershops, from the treatment in the chair and the products used, to the products they leave the shop with. The first thing that L3VEL3 brings to the barbershop is a full range, A to Z of products specially designed for barbers’ stations and for retail. Secondly, L3VEL3 offers a diverse and inclusive range of products for every client, hair type and service. Finally, L3VEL3 offers you a protected brand that barbers can make money from. These are professionally driven products that are made especially for barbers to use and sell in their shops and won’t be turning up on supermarkets shelves. “We work directly with barbers and offer competitive prices for larger quantities, giving them the opportunity to retail products and actually turn a profit. We want to show them how offering a retail range can really impact the barbershop for the better. We will even build the shelves for the barber shops, so they have no reason not to better their shop.” For Jay, and L3VEL3 as a company, their ethos is built on trust, loyalty, and respect. “If you think about it,” says Jay, “many barber-client relationships last longer than most marriages. This industry is built upon loyalty, and that loyalty is based on trust. Clients should trust their barbers to advise them on the best products for their hair

type and style, and in turn, barbers need to trust their brand to offer that. So, that is why we have created L3VEL3 as a brand that is created and owned by barbers, for barbers.” I asked Jay about some of L3VEL3’s hero products: “Right now, I would say that our Styling Powder is our number one best seller. It is super easy to apply and offers a matte finish without any residue. “Another game-changer is our clear shaving gel. When barbers are wanting to do details or clean, sharp beard lines, you need to see what you are doing! For a long time, barbers have either been dry shaving in these instances, or using hair gel— both of which will irritate the skin. So, we developed a dedicated shaving cream that is clear, so you can really see what you are doing, and focus on precision.” So, what’s next for Jay and his L3VEL3 team? Jay explained: “Ultimately, we just plan on continuing to build our brand upwards. The thing about our position is that we have done it all before! This is an opportunity for us to redo things in our way, and learn from the past, and be better than ever. We have already scheduled ourselves for a few shows, including the CT Expo in August.” For Jay, life is not just about the brand, it’s about the connection: “Our main goal is just showing barbers that they can keep elevating themselves and building their business, and just be there for them as they grow.” •

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FINISHING TOOLS AND PRODUCTS KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST AND GREATEST FINISHING TOOLS AND PRODUCTS, SO YOU CAN KEEP UP WITH THE NEWEST TRENDS AND STYLES. THE BEST IN THE BIZ TELL US THEIR GO-TOS AND MUST-HAVES FOR EVERY STYLE. 50

CHRIS O’RIORDAN Award winning barber with ST4men barbershop, Gamma+ UK ambassador and American Crew Team Crew member.

Chris manages and is the head barber at ST4men, in Killarney, Co. Kerry. His work has been featured in many magazines, and he has successfully competed on the national and international stage. He is in the process of becoming an American Crew All Star. “In ST4men, we carry a substantial range of American Crew products which cover everything from pre-cut shampoo and conditioner, base products(pre-style) gel and foam, finishing products clay, cream, paste and pomade, as well as all our shaving and beard care products. “The two main shampoos I use are American Crew Daily Shampoo and Daily Moisturising Shampoo. These cover both oily and dry scalp. One of the main differences is Daily Shampoo has an ingredient called rosemary leaf to help regulate the sebaceous gland and Daily Moisturizing Shampoo has Rosemary oil to hydrate the scalp. Both have amazing scents of cedarwood and sandalwood, which is something I always look for in any product. “For my base products, I would say that one of my favourites would be American Crew Firm Hold Styling Gel, this is amazing for adding thickness to hair as it is designed to swell the hair shaft, creating more surface area for your finishing product to hold onto. “My other go to product for pre styling would be American Crew Fiber Grooming Foam. This is an unbelievable product for adding volume and hold. For finishing products, I use American Crew Matte Clay, I just love this product, it is such a versatile product that works on short to long hair. Providing a textured matte finish with a medium hold. Perfect for that textured crop. Also, American Crew Forming Cream, this works on any hair type. I mainly use this on pomps, for its hold a shine and curly hair to add depth to the look. It provides a natural shine to the hair. “For beard products, the American Crew 2 in 1 Skin Moisturizer & Beard Conditioner. The two main issues that a lot of people face when growing out their beard, are the skin drying out and the beard being too coarse. This product helps both by conditioning the beard and moisturising the skin.”

That’s the products taken care of, and your selection of tools? “I have been using Gamma+ tools for the past year now and I must say the quality of everything I have used is top notch. I particularly could not do without the Gamma+ Ergo Clipper and Gamma+ Absolute Hitter Trimmer. This is my go to clipper and trimmer combo. The Ergo is the best clipper I have ever used. The magnetic motor in this clipper is unbelievable for its power and quietness. “For scissors it would definitely have to be my Mizutani’s. I was lucky enough to receive a pair from my work with American Crew. I always use a 6.5 inch scissor so I was delighted these are the same. They are brilliant for all aspects of hair cutting from flat to point cutting and all scissor over comb work. “For brushes and styling combs, I use a Denman Flat Brush, Vent Brush and Classic Styling Brush these cover 90% of the hairstyles that I create the other 5% I use my hands. My go-to styling comb would be my King Louis IX Styling Rake for adding definition and picking the hair up without using my hands. “The one product I could not live without would be American Crew Boost Powder. This is a product I also use quite a lot. Boost Powder adds grit for gravity-defying texture, it also adds volume thickness and leaves the hair with a matte finish. You can also layer this with any American Crew styling product.” When it comes to properties that a product has, what is your priority?

“I look for a lot of qualities in a product but the main ones would be the fragrance as you don’t want to put something that doesn’t smell great into your own hair, let alone a client’s. The quality of ingredients is important, as consumers we don’t even think of this, but generally the retail price of any product is dictated by the quality of ingredients. If the ingredients are high quality, you will use less to create your hairstyle. The longevity of the product matters, is it reworkable throughout the day? We all have busy lives, and your hair can get tossed or blown out of position during the day. Is it easy to rework that product by flicking your hand through your hair?”

HAYDEN CASSIDY Andis Global Educator, owner of Unit 8 by Hayden studio.

The Key to Making Retail Magic PAUL DAVENPORT, DIRECTOR, MR. BARBERS

OFFERING A CLIENT THE OPPORTUNITY TO OPTIMISE THE HEALTH AND STYLE OF THEIR HAIR BETWEEN VISITS TO THE SHOP IS MORE THAN JUST ‘SELLING’. Retailing to clients is a natural extension of the expert service that every barber can offer. In a pre-Covid survey we did with clients, we found that they actively want and need advice on the best products for their hair and scalp. Many people are put off at the thought of the hard sell. You have to remember, clients are buying anyway, so why not encourage them to buy from you instead of retail shops where they won’t get advice. Talk to them about their hair challenges and give them advice on what’s right for their hair and why. Show them the products you are using and how to use them. Let them touch, smell and try the product. The barber is responsible for providing an expert service, if the client says no, it doesn’t mean never and it still means that the barber has delivered their best service. To optimise your chance of a sale it’s essential that your customers can see and touch the product. Although your product displays don’t need to be large, they do need to be spotless with the product prices clearly marked. Have posters, mirror clings and showcards on workstations to highlight hero products. Use social media and your website to market products, but never forget that the expert barber’s participation is the key to making retail magic happen.

OK, what on the table before you kick-off with any haircut?

“I couldn’t dream of styling hair without my Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer, a vent brush, a round brush and a streaker comb!” What are your go-to products that you really value?

“I recently developed my own products which would complement the styles I like to create and would be super versatile for every hair type and finish I want to create. The products all focus on enhancing the natural movement and texture of the hair. “In my range I have a Sea Salt Spray, Texture Paste and a Volumizing Dust. Each product can be used together in a cocktail to create a more finished look, or on their own for a more natural look. Along with my products, I always carry Electric London Matte Hairspray, Keune Brillantine Gel, and R + Co Balloon Dry Volume Spray and R + Co Badlands Dry Shampoo Paste. For working with beards, I have always used a brand called Oak. They are based in Berlin, and their products are incredible! Organically made and the best quality beard products I have ever used.” And the tools that you rely on?

“The whole Andis range is always in my tool kit. The tools I use most would be the Andis Master Cordless, the Andis T-Outliner Trimmer and my Andis ProFoil Shaver. These tools are powerhouses and will always give me the security of great performance whatever I am trying to create. I absolutely love Quartered Steels when it comes to scissors. The blade quality and range they have is amazing - I tend to work with a 5-inch offset for precision work, and a 6-inch for free hand work or scissor over comb. Again, the Dyson hairdryer, or the GA.MA Professional iQ Hairdryer are my go-to drying tools - both the diffusers on these tools are amazing and I use them in a lot of styles I like to create.” When it comes to product credentials, what is ticking the boxes?

“I think sustainability definitely has to be up there, that’s one of the reasons I love R + Co and Oak Beard Care. Everything down to their packaging is sustainable. And probably one of the most important is smell! It’s so important to have a product that smells good in your shop - clients feel so good when the haircut is finished with a nice smelling, quality product.”

“

GETTING THE RETAIL SIDE OF BUSINESS RIGHT CAN HAVE A MASSIVE IMPACT ON YOUR BARBERSHOP’S REVENUE” Shops should offer their staff training, commission and incentives that are structured to clearly demonstrate the positive impact it can make on their takehome pay. Just a few retail units of product per barber, per day soon adds up for both barber and barbershop. Have clear goals, start small and before you know it, you could add 12% to the bottom line! When it comes to backing a brand, the barber needs to know their products well and believe in them. Choose a brand that harmonises with the look and feel of your shop and choose a brand that has a good margin in it. Our franchise group now has 33 MR. Barbers shops (and growing) and part of the comprehensive support we offer includes retail training skills. Any barber seeking a franchise or barbershop owner interested in joining the MR. family drop Karl Foster an email karl@mrbarbers.co.uk.

FOR MORE DETAILS ON BECOMING PART OF THE MR. FAMILY

EMAIL KARL@MRBARBERS.CO.UK. 53

OLLIE FOSTER

Co-director of Number 47 Barbers.

THE VALUE OF EDUCATION IS NOT LOST ON OLLIE FOSTER. A FORMER SCHOOL-TEACHER, NOW SUCCESSFUL BARBER AND LEAD EDUCATOR WITH THE GREAT BRITISH BARBER BASH, WE TALK PRODUCTS, TOOLS AND THE BUZZ OF LEARNING.

Ollie is co-director of Number 47 Barbers, which has two branches in Chester, and with ambitions of further growth, he is on an upward trajectory. Ollie tells us how he moved through the barbering ranks. “I began my career by attending courses with the Great British Barber Bash (GBBB) in Liverpool. I went on courses with Alan and Reece Beak, Sid Sottung, Neil Toner and Micky Graham, I was surrounding myself with people who influenced me. Garry Spencer, the founder of the GBBB phoned me out of the blue, and I found myself doing a few shows for them, and from there I’ve gone on to become the lead educator.” Ollie is a committed OSMO fan, and he tells us what his essential line up is for most cuts. “My essentials are the OSMO Power Powder, Matte Clay Extreme, Matt Salt Spray, and the OSMO Extreme Extra Firm Hairspray. “The ones I use every day are the Matte Clay Extreme: it has a fabulous watermelon smell and gives great hold and can be worked into wet or dry hair. Pre blow day, I use OSMO Matt Salt Spray, which gives a really nice, gritty, textured finish to the hair and gives the impression that the haircut is already styled without using any finishing product. “The OSMO Extra Firm Hairspray is great for finishing off the dry looks and has a firm hold, and I use the OSMO Beard Complex, which is great for beard upkeep and smells amazing, it is perfect for dry, damaged beards and dry skin areas.” And when it comes to tools, what is Ollie reaching for? “The Wahl Magic Clip, I love it, it is incredibly light but powerful, and great for fading. It’s my

“I USE OSMO POWER POWDER ALL DAY EVERY DAY. IT GIVES A REALLY DRY NATURAL FINISH WITH A STRONG HOLD. CLIENTS LOVE IT BECAUSE IT’S AN UNUSUAL STYLING PRODUCT WHICH IS A GREAT SELLING POINT.” workhorse clipper. When working on softer finishes or thicker hair, I change up and use the Andis Cordless USPro, it has a slightly less powerful motor which makes it great for thick hair and creating smooth results. “For trimmers I adore the Babyliss Pro FX skeleton. That for me is the number one trimmer that every barber needs in their collection. It’s great for removing bulk when doing fades, and for designs, patterns and shaping up. The foil shaver I swear by is the Andis ProFoil Shaver. I hope to upgrade to the brand new Andis Copper ProFoil Shaver, I think it is going to be even better than the previous one. “I use the Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer, I love that the weight is in the handle of the hairdryer, it’s easy to manoeuvre and give a heat protected finish. As a busy stylist, I am always taking the nozzle on and off and it helps it doesn’t heat up and I don’t get burned fingers. “I love the YS Park 332 comb, and I use the Barber Bash tools - we have combs, clipper combs, fade brushes and neck brushes, all of them are great quality.” Everyone likes to mix it up a little, and Ollie likes to cocktail the OSMO Matte Clay Extreme

combined with the OSMO Elite Pomade. “It gives you a high hold with a slight sheen, great for slick looks. I’m not known for creating slick looks, I am more known for creating short, sharp, stand-out images.” Working with OSMO Ollie knows that there is an expansive product range to work with to suit all of his needs. That includes colour, Ollie says that the demand for colour has definitely grown over the last couple of years. Mainly silvers. “It is more of a full head of silver that is asked for. Using bleach and toner we are aiming for the dark roots and silver ends. I think colour is something a lot of barbers are going to get a shock with. The classic hairdressers who can cut men’s hair are in a better position as they feel needed again, they thrive in colour and longer hair, it’s about combining a modern barber’s skills with contemporary hairdressing. “The Great British Barber Bash do courses all around the UK to help expand the knowledge of not just the newly qualified, but also the barbers who want to gain motivation, to fall back in love with their job and share some like-minded love with people who admire the industry as much as we do.”

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PETE STEPHEN WINTERS Stephen is the owner of the well-known, traditional Tom Winters Barbershop in Cork, Ireland. After serving for more than nine years in the army, Stephen found barbering to be a passion, and turned it into a career. When opening Tom Winters Barbers, he said: “I wanted something I would be in awe of if I walked in the doors: a warm greeting, good music, beer or a whiskey, banter, good conversation high quality cut/beard trim/shave and and a solid knowledge base to walk away with. This is what we strive for with every customer and to carry out the basics at a level of excellence.” What styling products fit best for the traditional style cuts you do? “When it comes to our product range for styling we use the Reuzel Pink (heavy hold) and Green (medium hold) oil-based Grease Pomades, as well as their Spray Grooming Tonic. As well as the Uppercut Deluxe Matte Pomade. “We will make the call on which best suits the customers hair for the acquired look and teach the customer about the application needed to restyle and maintain at home.” “For beard trims I use Full Captain Fawcett range’s Oil, Elixir, Balm, and Mo Wax, which has been our go to and best seller. For full shaves, we use the Proraso range, for pre-shave, shaving creams, aftershave balms, and colognes. We also use the Captain Fawcett shaving cream and moisturiser.

“When it comes to some of our favourite products to use, our go-to for the first phase of styling would be Reuzel Grooming Tonic massaged into the hair, then blow dried to the shape cut and style wanted. Then for that natural look we tend to use the Oil Can Grooming Crafting Clay or the Uppercut Deluxe Matte Pomade, for a healthy-looking shine. For a slick style, we then break out the Oil Can Grooming Iron Horse Grease Pomade. And for the effortless loose look, you just can’t go wrong with the Oil Can Grooming Benchmark Classic Cream. For beards we have a strict protocol on how we cut and trim the beard with a particular way of applying conditioners, oils and balms under the steamers and using hairdryers because with such a high-quality products and ingredients base from Captain Fawcett.” What do you look for in products? “The products themselves must connect with the customers in multiple ways (look, feel, smell, washable, manageable, long lasting, value etc). Our reputation is held by that and there is a requirement for the products to do what is needed for the customer. The range we stock is the best we have used and the feedback from the customers, which has been phenomenal.

RHYS WHITEHOUSE Black Label Men’s Grooming Ambassador and a Senior Barber at Hinces in Shrewsbury. Rhys is a Senior Barber and educator at Hinces and is known to be a master of the fade. What are your everyday essentials for any cut, that you always have on hand? “It's definitely important to be prepared for every eventuality, my spice rack consists of Black Label Dark Matter Styling Powder, Black Mist Pre-Styling Mist, Craft Clay, Shape Paste and Profile Putty. I also keep various pomades, mousses, hairsprays, non-foaming shave gels, beard oils and the full range of Toppik Hair Microfibers, however I try not to overcomplicate or cocktail too many different combinations.” What are the finishing products you couldn’t live without? “Black Label Men's Grooming Black Mist Pre-Styling Spray, will always be my first port of call without a doubt. It suits most of the cuts I do, it's usually applied to damp hair pre-styling and gives a very light and malleable hold.  “My styling preference is weight-heavy with a lot of texture and strong framing around the face, so I really like to utilise products like styling powders and clay for separation, through the top hair fibres to frame.”

What are your most versatile finishing tools? “I think a diffuser is a wildly overlooked tool, it can give volume, enhance texture, movement and separation by using a low heat and a low power. “We craft and modify our clippers to suit our needs and techniques, I mainly use BarberConnect 2019 Limited Edition Wahl Magic Clips with an 3versince PDR ceramic fade blade for this very reason.” What qualities do you look for in the products you choose? “The packaging of the products I use must be professional, unique, visually striking and suit my aesthetic. I want the product to smell and feel expensive. Clients ask me what I'm using as soon as it's applied, without provocation the first thing is always "what's that? Its smells amazing." I also want a malleable but firm hold, with a matte finish that won't wash out in the rain provided by a company with integrity, personality and great customer service.

CRANFIELD Owner of Cutthroatpete’s Barbershops in Liverpool, BaByliss PRO brand ambassador. What is already in your styling arsenal for every cut? “My BaByliss PRO Super Motor Cordless clippers! I carry a set in my bag with me just in case. They’re hardy, they’re powerful, they can help me create the smoothest of fades whilst also being perfect for powering through post lockdown hair growth.” When it comes to go-to products, what’s your favourite? “I stock my own range of Cutthroatpete’s grooming products in my stores and also on my website. We have four products and are working on adding one or two more to the range.” And when it comes to tools, what’s on the favourites list? “As I mentioned earlier, my BaByliss PRO Super Motor Cordless have to be the main one. I love the BaByliss PRO Skeleton Trimmer, it’s a fairly new tool, but it’s incredible. The angle of the blades and the power make it perfect for trimming, sculpting and also for bulk removal when fading. The BaByliss Titanium Foil Shaver, I always keep two in my travelling kit. The metal body makes them feel so solid, the titanium foils last for ages and they are, to me, the perfect foil shaver. I got myself some Hanzo Texture Shears last year, those are so much fun to use, especially on creative, heavily textured haircuts. For styling hair, I use a 12-row round brush a lot and my BaByliss hairdryer.” For versatility what ticks the boxes? “Cutthroatpete’s Klay is my most versatile grooming/styling product, it works well in long hair or for the guys with a buzz-cut wanting to lose the fluffy look, a bit of Klay takes that fuzziness away.”

ALAN BEAK Co-owner of RUGER. Barber and lifestyle brand, affiliated with Booksy, Wahl, American Crew Elite, Mizutani and Denman. lan is from Manchester and has been in the A industry for more than 20 years. With his brother Reece, he started the brand RUGER. and they have two sites and a retail/wholesale company of men’s grooming products. At the start of the day, what’s in your styling arsenal? “Really I try to keep my arsenal to a minimum, without fail I’ll always have my Mizutani Beak’s, Wahl Magic Clips, Cesibon comb, YS park wide tooth comb, Vent brush, RUGER. Sea Salt Spray and RUGER. Essential. For your go-to products, what stands out? “Over the past 12 years we have been developing 14 different products, from shampoos to beard and tattoo oils, and a range of men’s styling products to cover every possible look. From very dry and matte, to shiny and wet looking. If I was to pick a line of products that are my favourite to use on each client it would start with our RUGER. Tea tree oil shampoo (perfect for removing product and oils that make men’s hair difficult to style), then cut, then pre style with the Sea Salt, a little Volume Powder and finished with Essential.”

Along similar lines, what are your must-have styling tools? “The WAHL Magic Clip, it’s great when using it for closer clipper work and for blending in using clipper over comb. My job quite often sees me travelling and there’s no way I can finish a cut without spending some quality time drying and styling somebody’s hair, which means I wouldn’t dream of going without my hairdryer, by Parlux, and our most prized product, RUGER. Essential. And for versatility, what do you value? “Without doubt the most versatile tool has to be our collaboration with the scissor giants Mizutani. The BEAK is a very narrow scissor developed for creativity and precision, I can use it for any technique of cutting, texturising and freehand work, which I can use on any client or model, saving the trouble of having to use multiple pairs. RUGER. Elemental would have to be our most versatile product, with it I can create a look that’s dry and natural, as if no product has been used but with great hold.”

CHRIS NEWTON Owner of Capelli’s Gentlemen’s Barbershop, Dapper Dan ambassador. Chris began barbering 15 years ago, he is based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, with a shop that captures the style of a vintage New York style shop. What’s in your toolkit before every cut? “It has to be the basics, a decent pair of scissors and a selection of combs. I like to always have a great quality separate shampoo and conditioner. I like to use OLAPLEX as it really does improve the hair in just one wash and really demonstrates why the guys should ditch their all-in-one. However, if I’m washing a huge amount of product build-up, I always reach for the Reuzel Scrub Shampoo, the ‘grit’ in the product works wonders. “My go to styling product is Dapper Dan’s Matt Paste, it’s very versatile, and you can almost use it on any hairstyle that you are going to create. More and more I find myself using the Dapper Dan Sea Salt Spray, which is so versatile.

“And, of course, Dapper Dan Beard Oil is always on my counter, as the beard trend is staying. Often, I have clients that come in with a ‘shredded wheat beard’. I find that a decent amount of the beard oil worked into the beard hair and skin makes a massive difference.” And when it comes to your go-to tools? “I like the Andis combs as they feel well made and I like to have a white comb for working with dark hair and a black comb for working with fair hair or grey hair. “Last year I bought a pair of Andis Master Cordless, and I have to say they have become my favourite clippers I have ever had. I love the magnetic clip-on guards, and the rotary motor just sails through hair. For the trimmers I like to use a plug in for tougher beard hair like the Wahl 5 Star Detailer, but I’m also a big fan of the versatility of the Wahl Beret – it’s small, lightweight and it’s gentle on the skin. “Foil finishers are now a must with the amount of skin fades that we do, and they are also really good for crisping up beard lines and neck lines etc, I like the Wahl Finale.” For versatility, what’s your favourite product? “Dapper Dan Grooming Tonic is one of my favourite versatile products, I can use it in wet hair while cutting to increase the grip on fine hair, I can use it as a base to inject volume to hair when drying if I’m doing a cut that requires height, like a pomp, or it can be dried and used to give a nice light hold.”

coming july 2021!

FUSS THE MAGNIFICENT AKA FUSSTHEBARBER Brand Ambassador, Caliber Pro and Brand Influencer, SCurl. Fuss is the owner of Fade Locker Barbershop in Tampa, and is one of the top barbers in the state of Florida. Fuss works with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as their official NFL barber. “Haircuts vary and each client may have unique needs for their respective hair types, I ensure all have a sharp lineup and finished with quality products. My go to products include the following: SCurl Beard Oil and SCurl Free Flow Leave-In Conditioner. “For styling tools, my go-to is the .50 Caliber Pro High Speed Magnetic Motor Cordless Clipper. “When picking out products to use, the key attributes I look

NOMAD BARBER Founder, Nomad Barber & Co-Creator STMNT Grooming Goods. With almost 20 years’ experience in the industry, Miguel Gutierrez is the MD of Nomad Barber London and Nomad Barber Berlin, he also has a private studio, where he lives in Liverpool. “Before any cut or style, I pretty much always use STMNT Grooming Spray, it doubles up really well as a cutting agent and by the end all you have to do is dry it into the style you want and then use a finishing product. “I’d say my two favorite things to use are the STMNT Dry Clay and the STMNT Matte Paste. I love creating natural looking finishes. “I am probably one of the least fussy barbers when it comes to tools and equipment even though I have so much. But if I’m going to London, I’ll just grab any pair of cordless clippers and throw them in my bag – I do love my BaByliss Cordless Trimmers though, I’ll try to remember them if I can. The most important thing I always need are my combs. One for section and

scissor work, a matador clipper comb and a barber comb for natural tapers.” We asked Miguel, what’s your go-to in terms of versatility? “I think all of the STMNT products are super versatile. We made sure they could all be used together and that’s what made it fun to create the range. In terms of tools, I love my feather razor - I think they can be used in so many ways for different techniques and texture. “When it comes to the qualities I look for in products, sustainability, sulfate and cruelty-free are all important qualities to me.”

for in the products are based on the type of client’s hair texture. I want to create moisture, so having products that nourish and soften the hair is key for me. Beard products that help the client’s skin and hair resulting in a healthy beard, and helping the clients’ select great products that they can maintain their looks at home is beneficial to me as well as their overall look!”

HIGH CALIBER TOOLS FOR HIGH CALIBER PROFESSIONALS

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feat .22 Stinger (Black Lid)

.22 STINGER

LINEAR MAGNETIC MOTOR TRIMMER (THE 1ST TO MARKET)

• • • • • •

Powerful 10,000+ SPM Easy to be zero gapped High speed technology Cordless with 120 minutes running time Modified DLC coated blade 3 Customized colored lids

Salon Price: £ 101.00

caliberprocorp.com

JOSEPH GOSS Owner, Rum Barber & Host, Zero Gapped Podcast.

JOSEPH HAS BEEN CUTTING HAIR FOR 17 YEARS. “WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL WHERE WE THOROUGHLY REVIEW THE LATEST BARBERING EQUIPMENT, WE ARE FAMILIAR WITH JUST ABOUT EVERY BRAND OUT THERE BUT WE HAVE NO AFFILIATION OR SPONSORSHIP FROM ANY OF THEM.” Before you start any cut, what tools and products do you always have to hand? “I like to dilute a little hair tonic in my water spray that I use on every client. It gives a nice shine while still being light in the hair and can help break-down any product and act as an anti-bacterial agent in the hair. Personally, I use Jack Dean American Bay Rum Hair Tonic as it isn't greasy and smells great.” What’s your go-to products at the moment?

“We’re using 1922 by J.M. Keune in the shop. I love spraying a little of their Tough Texture thickening spray on any clients with finer hair before I start cutting. That way, I can comb the product through the hair, evenly dispersing it. Matte Measure Molding Cream is another great product from them that can be used to style a haircut at the end or diffused into textured hair when wet for defining that movement. Any facial hair is taken care of with the Keune Beard Oil, which isn't greasy and smells great. I might even add a little of their Beard Balm if it's still looking a little unruly.

“As we review a lot of equipment, I'm constantly chopping and changing everything I use. But when I don't have any reviews to do, I find myself coming back to a select few items every time. My scissors are always The Architect from Quartered Steel. Well-balanced and comfortable, these scissors are so versatile that even someone like myself, who always used large scissors has had no trouble adjusting to their 5" size. As for clippers, it's really hard to look past the Cordless Senior from Wahl. Powerful, not too heavy, durable - it does everything you need a clipper to do in a working day. My trimmer and foil shavers are the FX models from BaByliss. In such a short space of time, I really feel they've really established themselves as the benchmark for modern trimmers and foils in our industry.” What do you rely on for versatility?

“Texture Clay from 1922 by J.M. Keune is a fantastic product that you can blow-dry into hair for the strongest matte shape, and also use when dry to add solid hold and texture to your styles.

It's something I'm never without. As for my tools, I'm currently reviewing a lot of hairdryers and I'm starting to come round to the Dyson Supersonic. All the attachments it comes with make it easy to style hair in almost any way I need.” What qualities do you admire in the latest products?

“Nowadays, everyone is conscious of climate change and features like recyclable packaging, and sustainable ingredients can go a long way when swinging a client round to purchasing a product. Packaging is also important. The product should look like it belongs in your shop. But ultimately that product has to be value for money as well, and to me that is key. If the client can use it easily, use it correctly and have it last a long time then that's all I'm looking for. And I'd always use a water-soluble product before any other, as you want your client to be able to get it out of their hair and easily as they got it in.”

JJ SAVANI

EXPERIENCE THE REVOLUTIONARY POWER OF

Session stylist, educator, Dart Pro Clippers and Salons Direct Barbering Ambassador. JJ is based in the Midlands, but primarily works in and around London, working on different projects worldwide such as Fashion Week and educating with different brands and companies. What’s in your bag of tricks before you start a haircut? “My session styling kit is split into three sections. Essential Tools: OHKA Sakura Scissors, Balance MG Razors, GA.MA Professional iQ Dryer, Dart Clippers, trimmers and foils, hair straighteners etc to fix up any last-minute changes or sharpening the finishing of a cut. Hair products: such as my salt sprays, hair sprays, styling creams, waxes and gels and enhancements to finish off the hair. JJ’s go-to products at all times are: “I always have Osmo Matt Salt Spray, Osmo Power Powder, Osmo Shaper, Osmo Extra Firm Hairspray and Balance MG Beard Oil. “For tools, the ones I always have are the OHKA Sakura 5.5 Gloss Black Scissors with Matching Thinners. It’s all about the ergonomics combined with that Japanese steel, an amazing all-round set of scissors that feel good in-hand and also cut very precisely! I also have my Dart Pro Signature Clipper, Dart Pro T Super Trimmer, and Dart Pro Synergy Foils. “Dart are new to the game, but the speed that Dart is growing is phenomenal, the build quality combined with the aesthetic styling, power and reliability of them, this is a combo not to be messed with. Swapping the fade blade on the clipper with a taper blade works in perfect harmony with the 300-minute runtime battery, it’s the perfect set up for me as I fade using a lot of C motions and with that long lasting battery means I am able to trim anyplace and anytime without worrying if there is a power point nearby.”

“Also, my GA.MA iQ Dryer, firstly it weighs less than 300g! It’s perfect for the stylist that needs to blow-dry curls or volume into the whole head due to its light weight and also for the stylist that needs a quick style due to its ultra-powerful 110,000 rpm 2000 motor! The noise level it makes is only 78db so I’m able to communicate with everyone else around me. “Then there’s the GBBB combs and Vent Brush. Elegantly styled, built from durable materials and aesthetically pleasing to the eye! “If I had to choose one product that is really versatile, I would say the Osmo Matt Salt Spray as I am able to get the grittiness for styling like a traditional salt spray, however, I find the product very flexible to use in terms of adding volume to the hair when blowdrying, adding and removing texture and creating movement within the hair. “My most versatile tool is the GA.MA iQ Dryer, putting aside the positives of weight, noise and power, I love how versatile it is when it comes to choosing between the two nozzle concentrators for smoothing frizzy hair or adding volume and curls using the diffuser but that combined with three speeds, four temperature settings and a memory mode, the possibilities of achieving different styles are endless!” And what are the product qualities you value? “Versatility in how I can use them and what I can use them for. Also, how easy I manipulate and layer the products with other ones in a brand’s range to achieve a unique finish, hence why I love Osmo’s range as I can mix and layer pretty much every one of their products. And, how long lasting the hold and finishing is. But one thing I don’t really look at any more is price, as throughout my career I’ve learnt that as long as the finishing and the end result is there to stay, then my clients do not really hesitate or question prices.”

Dart are new to the game, but the speed that Dart is growing is phenomenal, the build quality combined with the aesthetic styling, power and reliability of them, this is a combo not to be messed with!”

- JJ Savani

For more information on clippers and product range, visit www.dartprofessional.com 61

FINISHING TOOLS & PRODUCTS OSMO MATT CLAY EXTREME UPPERCUT DELUXE CLAY A strong hold clay which will tame hair short or long, adding texture and control to a diverse range of styles. Uppercut Deluxe Clay comes packed in a 60-gram tin and is paired with a sophisticated Woods & Leather fragrance.

£17.00 // uppercutdeluxe.com

The ultimate clay based styler for powerful hold and dry, textured control with natural matte expression.

DAPPER DAN MATT PASTE

25ml / 100mls. £1.95/£4.75 // osmo.uk.com

As Dapper Dan’s flagship product – you will not find a more versatile matt styler. Messy styles, partings, quiffs, this product will do it all. Strong yet flexible hold with a smooth and easy application. Washes out easily.

MR.BARBERS SEA SALT PASTE For the ultimate dry hold and texture. A revolutionary new product that contains micro salt crystals within the paste to create the sea salt look whilst the paste holds the look firm. This product allows you to really define dry texture into hair.

£10.00// mrbarbers.co.uk

£11.95// dapperdanbrand.com

CALIBRE .44 MAGNUM FULL METAL JACKET ANDIS® NEW CERAMIC BLADE TECHNOLOGY Andis® Company has established a global reputation for blade innovation with its UltraEdge® and CeramicEdge® detachable blade technologies. Now, Andis introduces this same ceramic technology for blades sets that can be used on the iconic T-Outliner® Trimmer, Cordless T-Outliner Trimmer and the Master® Cordless Clipper. Revolutionise your tools with a ceramic cutter that runs 75% cooler than steel, whilst elevating your performance.

OIL CAN GROOMING GREASE POMADE A styling solution for a range of finishes. Apply liberally for greased out looks on slick back and pomps or sparingly to tame and smooth longer locks. A grease like no other. Formulated to wash straight out.

£15.00 // oilcangrooming.com

// andis.com

DENMAN D3 ORIGINAL STYLER 7 ROW The ultimate versatile hairbrush for detangling, blow-drying, styling and smoothing the hair. Incorporates the famous half-round pad to provide maximum grip and control when blow drying. Trade discount available

£8.50 // denmanbrush.com

These powerful, wear resistant cutting blades are best for removing bulk, detailing and fades. The DLC cutting blades and guard blades stay cool, sharp and last longer, and the metal click lever gives it a precise and adjustable system.

£95.00 // caliberprocorp.com

WAHL GROOMING TOOLS RETAIL RANGE A carefully curated collection of premium tools for barbershops and salon retail, not available to the mass retail market. make more than £15 per customer with this range that features a shaver, beard trimmer and grooming set. Each order includes a free in-shop poster, sticker and comes retail ready.

£9.49 // From UK wholesalers

BABYLISS PRO CORDLESS SUPER MOTOR CLIPPER AND TRIMMER SET Engineered for power, strength, and precision, BaByliss PRO’s heavy duty grooming tools, the Cordless Super Motor Clipper and Trimmer have become the ‘go to’ staple for their high-torque motor and super sharp Japanese steel blades.

£260.00 // babyliss.co.uk

STEP BY STEP MODERN DAY

FREDERICK DOUGLASS Hai r/ St y l i n g KENNY DUNCAN

GLOBAL EDUCATOR - US TEAM LEAD

P hotography L ar r y Wr i ght

Explore Embracing Heritage & the Natural Beauty of Multi-Cultural Textured Hair with this new collection at andis.com.

FLUID ™

volume two

Modern Day Frederick Douglass – Model Hair Pattern Type 3A/2C. Fredrick Douglass was a Black abolitionist in the 1800’s, whose hair can be best described as a free-flowing afro, full of texture through neatly arranged curls. The Modern Day Fredrick Douglass pays homage to the original style, but features contemporary, neatly sculpted curls with faded temples and nape. The shaping of the hairline complements the sculpted curly afro, producing a more artistic look that is highly requested in urban barbershops. Our model Sean’s hair is quite dense and features a 3A curl type with some 2C. Longer hair with this curl pattern can easily be manipulated to curl together in larger sections, making the actual length appear shorter.

tool used Slimline® Pro Li Trimmer - Black (part of the Andis Cordless Fade Combo) Begin the bald temple fade in the middle of sideburn area using short c-stroke motions with the Slimline Pro Li trimmer. Continue the bald fade at the lowest area of the nape.

Freehand trim the sides and back to remove excess length at an angle that allows you to keep hair as long as possible at the parietal ridge.

6 Blend down from the temple area to the beard with the

Cordless Envy Li clipper. Use c-stroke cutting motions as you gradually move down the beard, starting with the blade closed, then halfway open and finally in the fully open position.

2 Blend the temple fade into the desired length of hair

remaining on the sides using the clipper-over-comb technique and continue with this technique around the head.

7 Use the clipper-over-comb technique to blend the

transition into the bulk of the beard.

3 Then, freehand trim the sides to clip any loose hairs -

using a contrasting background color will help you to see.

8 Comb out the beard and freehand trim any loose hairs

with the blade in the closed position, lightly skimming over the beard.

Use the Slimline Pro Li to outline the hairline. When shaping the half circles at the temples, use just the corner of the blade.

tool used Cordless Envy® Li Clipper - Black (part of the Andis Cordless Fade Combo) The Cordless Envy Li clipper is equipped with a fade blade, so start with the blade in the closed position and fade above the previously cut section using small c-stroke motions. Then, repeat that process with the blade halfway open and then fully open moving up 1/3" higher each time to complete the fade.

9 To finish, lift the hair and cut any long stragglers.

Then, finger shape the curls for a stylized look. You can also use a sponge to aid in creating curls.

REALLY, WHAT THE IDEA BEHIND ‘MEN’S HAIRDRESSING’ IS, IS TO REALLY SLOW DOWN, TAKE MORE TIME, AND BE MORE METICULOUS WITH THE CUTTING ASPECT OF THINGS. WE WANTED TO CREATE THAT HYBRID BETWEEN THE CLASSIC BARBERSHOP AND THE MODERN-DAY HAIRDRESSERS.”

BARBERING

MEETS

TRADITIONAL

WE CAUGHT UP WITH DON QUINN, THIRD GENERATION BARBER, BLACK LABEL AMBASSADOR, YOI SCISSORS AMBASSADOR AND OWNER OF MOLISANO MEN’S HAIRDRESSING, TO HEAR MORE ABOUT WHAT MODERN MEN’S HAIRDRESSING MEANS TO HIM. For Don Quinn, barbering has been in his family for generations. Originally from Italy, Don’s grandparents immigrated to Wales in the 1950s, and have a barbershop and hairdressing business that has been running for 50-odd years. “That’s how I first got into the industry,” said Don. “My grandfather, Frank Todaro started teaching me when I was around twelve-thirteen years old. I started cutting hair by the age of fourteen and worked there, at Todaro’s, right up until last summer. There are still about seven of us in the family still in the industry, including his brother Giuseppi and mother Maria Todaro and it has always been a passion for me. “Back in about 2012, I started to notice a shift in men’s hairdressing. I noticed men were starting to spend more time and money into their grooming and appearance. It was then that I became really passionate about the idea of men’s hairdressing, rather than just your generic short back and sides barbershop.” In July 2020, just after the first lockdown, Don opened his own shop: Molisano Men’s Hairdressing. Don explained: “Really, what the idea behind ‘men’s hairdressing’ is, is to really slow down, take more time, and be more meticulous with the cutting aspect of things. We wanted to create that hybrid between the classic barbershop and the modern-day hairdressers.

With the shop at the moment, we are going for a very calming, relaxed and minimalistic atmosphere. We didn’t want to create that egotistical environment that you sometimes find. We are well aware that mental health issues are on the rise, especially in men, and we wanted to make an environment where men could come, feel welcomed and relaxed, no matter who they are. As a barber, it’s not just about the look and the vibe of the shop, it’s the amount of value that you can bring to the customer. We are looking to add as much value as possible with everything we do here.” I asked Don about his experience with opening Molisano during the midst of the pandemic: “It has actually been better than what most people would expect,” he explained. “Coming out of the pandemic, there has never been a time in history where people, and I mean everyone, needed a haircut as much as they did. So, for me, if I was going to open a business in a normal time, without the pandemic, it would have been harder for me to build up that clientele. And because I have had that time, I was able to market myself in a better way. I was able to reach more custom, and we were able to build up a waiting list of people ready to jump into the shop. So, despite its difficulties, in a lot of ways, it played in our favour.” 

MODERN

“MY ABSOLUTE GO-TO PRODUCT IS BLACK LABEL BLACK MIST. JUST FROM SMELLING IT, YOU WOULD BUY IT. YOU’VE GOT TO TRY IT.”

HAIRDRESSING 67

“I REALLY ADMIRE THE WHOLE PHILOSOPHY WITHIN THE BLACK LABEL BRAND. THEY ARE VERY MINIMALISTIC, MODERN, AND GEARED TOWARDS THE MODERN MAN, WHICH FITS IN PERFECTLY AT MOLISANO.”

It was important for Don that the products that he brought into his shop were not only high quality but fit in with the ‘men’s hairdressing’ aesthetic: “I’ve been using Black Label for about four years now, but the reason I chose Black Label especially when I opened the shop was because they are an independent brand and don’t wholesale to big suppliers. Their range is on the smaller side, but you can tell how much thought, love and care goes into each product they have, so the standards of the product is amazing. I also really admire the whole philosophy within their brand. They are very minimalistic, modern, and geared towards the modern man, which fits in perfectly at Molisano. “A lot of successful barbershops these days have developed their own haircare brand, and I get a lot of people asking why I haven’t started one. The reason is, I would not be able to produce anywhere near the same standard and quality as Black Label. I would be reducing the quality of my products and letting my

customers down. For Black Label, the quality and performance of their products is their main priority, whereas if I were to work with a private label, I would not be able to put the same amount of thought and effort as they do. I have tried many private label products, and nothing comes close to Black Label.” I asked Don about his favourite Black Label products: “My absolute go-to product is Black Label Black Mist. Just from smelling it, you would buy it. You’ve got to try it. It’s great because rather than the matte finish you would get from a salt spray, it gives hair more of a shine. You can use it for blow drying, for more of a cleaner pompadour look, or just for adding volume, because it doesn’t tangle when you are drying. But you can also use it for a really matte, messed up finish, because the more you work it, the more mattier it gets. “My second go-to would be the Craft Clay, because it’s not overpoweringly heavy on the hair. You don’t need too much, and it just gives the hair a really lovely and clean finish without being weighed down. Plus, it lasts all day and gives the hair a great hold.” For tools, Don’s go-to are Yoi Scissors’ Ohka Sakuras. Because Don’s vision of ‘men’s hairdressing’ is all about the detailed and meticulous cutting experience, having the right scissors for the job is vital. On top of opening Molisano, Don has some other projects on the go, particularly Fella-Mane Education with his business partner Charlie Baker. Originally an online education platform for men’s hairdressing, aiming to take intermediate barbers to a professional level, Don and Charlie are now working on building Fella-Mane into a comprehensive men’s hairdressing app. “We wanted to do it because we were both well aware that we were very busy in the shops and it was hard to find the time to teach. So, I just thought, if we could start up an online education platform, we would be able to reach a larger audience without having to physically be there. Then with the Covid restrictions, that was the only way that we could reach our audience, so it worked out.” That being said, as a finalist in the Wahl British Barber of the Year, and regular at the Great British Barber Bash, Don is enthusiastic to get back to travelling and attending barbering events. He said: “I feel socially deprived! I haven’t seen anyone or done anything, so we have a few big events lined up now over the next couple of months. I am looking forward to getting back on the road and relaying what I have learned over lockdown. I feel like I can add more value than I did before, so I am looking forward to being able to share what I have learned.” •

Let’s talk about hairdressing By Robert Rix, The Company of Master Barbers In my last article for this prestigious publication I focused on apprenticeships back in the days when I was making my first faltering footsteps in the craft. You may recall from that article that I mentioned that as soon as I had completed my barbering apprenticeship, I switched sides and moved from the gent’s trade into the ladies’ side of the game, and started the learning process all over again. At that time, the ladies industry messiah was, of course, Vidal Sassoon, and his mantra was as always ‘IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CUT’. Well, I would be the last person on earth to go against what the great man said, but, and here it comes, that is not strictly true.

“VIDAL SASSOON’S MANTRA WAS ALWAYS ‘IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CUT’. WELL, I WOULD BE THE LAST PERSON ON EARTH TO GO AGAINST WHAT THE GREAT MAN SAID, BUT… AND HERE IT COMES, THAT IS NOT STRICTLY TRUE.”

So much of the published Sassoon imagery also relied strongly on the way in which the hair was finally dressed before the camera’s shutter was clicked. A great deal of time and effort went into the “Wash & Go” concept, and a whole product range depended on the mass uptake of retail product that would flow from a successful delivery of that message. Remember here that we are not just dealing with the preferences and work methods of a Mayfair Society Hairdresser, but rather the corporate policy of a global retail manufacturer.

“SOMETHING THAT HAS SEEMED TO HAVE DIMINISHED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS IS THE PRACTICE OF FINGER DRYING. YOUR HANDS AND YOUR FINGERS ARE REALLY YOUR BEST TOOLS.”

Now, coming back to barbering today, there seems to be so much emphasis only on the cut, and with too little importance being placed on dressing the hair. And, here it is, that is where the real contradiction lies in today’s barbering; by the deft application of ‘hairdressing’, this is exactly where we can improve on that superb cut that we have just done. It’s the way in which we can elevate a good cut onto a higher plane and transform a good cut into something that is truly great. Far too often we see published images of a superb fade or a cut featuring expertly defined pin-sharp outlines on the zygomatic and temporal hairlines, and yet in the overall image, there is something of a let-down, because far too little effort has been devoted to, or time has been spent on, dressing the final style. Yes, we want a client to be able to maintain and dress his hairstyle at home, but in the barbershop we also need to do that final dressing just a bit better than he can do it himself. An aspect of our apprenticeship in-shop training is to ask the trainee to develop a finished style on a practice block. To photograph the finished result and then to re-dress the dummy head again in a completely different style. Once more, they have to photograph the finished result before wetting down yet again, and then come up with a third style rendering. And, here is the real test, they have to achieve this without cutting a single hair on the block, and, it all has to be done without the aid of any hairdressing products. The blocks are simply wetted down with water between the re-styles. The greater the degree of change from style to style the higher the student is marked. Needless-to-say, this is a real test for the trainee, and to pull it off they have to employ a number of differing techniques. They really do have to put some thought into what they are trying to achieve, and, by referencing back to intermediary photographs, they can see where to introduce change, and thereby choose the dressing technique to obtain the required result. The next phase of this training exercise is to do it all over again with styling and dressing products being employed. This training regime really hammers home what the limitations are with working with simply wetted hair and what can be achieved with the aid of styling and dressing products. This in turn leads on to a greater

understanding of what a particular product can or can’t do and what products can be used together in conjunction with others. Something that has seemed to have diminished over the past few years is the practice of finger drying. Your hands and your fingers are really your best tools. We will often ask a trainee to carryout a complete re-style by using no tools other than their hands. If nothing else, this training task is great for getting right down to the essence of what we do, and the trainees really start to appreciate what hairdressing is all about. Blow-drying is something that has evolved from what was originally developed in the gent’s side of the craft as blow-waving. Barbers were blow-waving their client’s hair decades before the ladies trade latched onto it and seized it for their own. The basic technique that underlies blow-waving is harnessing the current of warm air being emitted from the hairdryer nozzle as a tool, in and of, itself, supplementing the movement and manipulation of the brush or comb. By careful control of the direction of airflow combined with airflow volume and temperature all manner of differing results can be achieved. Sadly as with so much in our industry, this type of expertise has been either lost or forgotten. Brush and comb choice when blow-drying can have a huge impact on the final result and should be looked into and experimented with to find out what can and cannot be achieved with each type of tool in conjunction with varying air-flow volumes and temperatures. The other great addition that the hairdryer brings to the game is the creation of volume. With a skilled application of warm air in the right place and dextrous brush manipulation it is possible to build towering gravity defying styles. Another useful tool to experiment with is the volumiser dryer attachment, however I would caution that this tool is better suited to work on naturally curly and wavy hair. So back to that epic Sassoonian statement: ‘It’s all about the cut’. Well, no it’s not, it’s actually about the overall finished result and it’s the art and craft of hairdressing that gets us there. So, don’t lock yourself into being just a barber who can deliver a good cut. And more importantly don’t shy away from the label of gent’s hairdresser, be proud to be a good all-round hair professional.

ECO

and

sustainability

“IF WE ARE PUTTING 100 FOILS ON SOMEONE’S HAIR AND YOU NEED TO GET RID OF THEM, THEN WE ARE DOING THAT IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY, SO OF COURSE THERE IS GOING TO BE AN EXTRA COST, IT IS GENERALLY AROUND £1 PER CLIENT.”

The Social

sustainability in action

BEING A MORE SUSTAINABLE SALON DOESN’T HAVE TO BE ONE HUGE LIFE-CHANGING DECISION. ONE CHANGE AT A TIME MAKES A DIFFERENCE. KY WILSON, OWNER OF THE SOCIAL, EMBRACES THE CREDENTIALS OF SMALL COMPANIES THAT ARE TICKING ALL THE ECO BOXES. Ky Wilson has two salons, one in London and the other in the Lake District where he grew up. He opened both salons seven years ago, and during that time, each business decision has taken on more of a sustainable slant so that his salons work with more eco conscious companies and have the salon waste recycled by a specialist company. “I never plan anything really. The salon’s motto is ‘We Adapt As You Evolve’ and that goes for the sustainable side of the business too. I’m certainly more drawn to independent companies that are smaller or even start ups as they tend to be more sustainable. The biggest thing for us was when Green Salon Collective launched.”

The Green Salon Collective is a group of environmental experts working together to facilitate salon sustainability by recycling the unrecyclable. Ky continued: “I messaged The Green Salon Collective as soon as I spotted them on the scene. I had seen similar companies offering salon recycling services in the US and Australia, but this was the first one here. They are creating a positive difference within the industry. It needs to become second nature to us. Only 1% of foil gets recycled, which is crazy, as aluminium is one of the most recyclable products.

“When you register you are given bins to separate your waste into chemicals, paper/ cardboard, towels, plastic, hair, metals and PPE, they recycle everything including colour tubes. You can be an accredited salon which is something new that they have just launched. “I was offered the role of a Green Libertine, which I was delighted to accept. They have hand picked a few people to take up the role. It’s interesting to find out that when I used to recycle foil with more traditional methods and it had loads of colour on it, then it was actually going to landfill. It’s wishful recycling or wishcycling as it’s now being called. 

“I WAS OFFERED THE ROLE OF A GREEN LIBERTINE, WHICH I WAS DELIGHTED TO ACCEPT.” “As for hair, we have an abundance of plants in the salon, and hair is a great source of nitrogen, so we bed it into the soil and over time the plants get the benefits. If you have an allotment nearby, ask if they could use some hair or your used coffee grounds as I’m sure they will take them off your hands. I am lucky enough to live by the sea, so I also make the hair into hair booms and when I go out paddle boarding, I drag the boom behind me, and it absorbs up excess oil in the water. It’s a little thing, but it helps. People think they can’t change the world on their own, and they are right, but collectively all these things make a difference.” Paying for the services of a company like the Green Salon Collective is a cost that can be transferred to clients as a green charge. It’s a separate charge for a service that the salon is providing. Ky continued: “If we are putting 100 foils on someone’s hair and you need to get rid of them, then we are doing that in a sustainable way, so of course there is going to be an extra cost, it is generally around £1 per client. I add this on a separate charge on my client’s bill so they can see what they are paying for.” Ky also works with Scrummi Towels, a relationship that started as Ky has always hated the fact that salons used towels that looked dirty very quickly; then there was all the washing

and ironing. He said: “I tried loads of different companies and Scrummi were by far the best with the quality of the product, how it absorbs and their service. I’ve used them for seven years, my aim was to have towels I didn’t need to wash, and these are biodegradable within 100 days. You can compost them yourself, or you can send them off with the Green Salon Collective as well.” For the tools he prefers, he works closely with BaByliss PRO. “I 100% use BaByliss PRO tools, it’s another company I built a solid relationship with. They have been one of the brands that have supported me big time through lockdown. “The one product I love is their 25mm curling tong, it’s a staple. I also use the Rapido hairdryer for my salon and session work as its super lightweight. They also have a cordless range which I was super stoked to do their TV campaign for. They have a cordless Waving Wand, Curling Tong and straighteners which makes my life much easier when I am on location either doing a wedding or a shoot and don’t have access to a plug point. Ky is currently studying organic haircare formulation, he added: “There is nothing nicer than being able to do someone’s hair using personalised products that benefit the clients mind and body, eliminating all those nasty toxins hairdressers are so used to using. I was working with Louise King of Wilderness Hair, she is an expert in making amazing vegan concoctions right within her salon, including a powdered shampoo that has the base of only three ingredients and you just add water for it to lather up.” In both of his salons, Ky personally opts to use Davines products, he also educates for them. It is a brand that can boast a B Corp certification, which means it reaches the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance.

Another brand that has enviable environmental credentials is Leaf Scissors, which is a company that produces sustainable salon products, including scissors, paper (not foil) foils and Eco Heads shower heads. “When Leaf Scissors approached me to potentially become an ambassador. I was honest with them and said, send me them and if I don’t like them, I’ll send them back. I was apprehensive as the price point is around £250 (£200 with Ky’s discount – check out his socials), they sent me them and I was blown away. They are handmade and crafted from Japanese steel. They use 100% sustainable packaging and are involved with the Eden Reforestation Project, so for every purchase they plant at least 10 trees, with the aim being to plant 25,000 trees by the end of this year. “If you actually speak to the owners of these companies we work with, they live this life, they are not just ticking boxes, they are completely immersed in this sustainable lifestyle. Their integrity is ingrained into their DNA to be authentic and sustainable.” From an aesthetic point of view, Ky doesn’t push the sustainable message strongly to his clients. He said that apart from the recycling bins being around and the eco heads on the basins, the salon would just present as a lovely space with lots of plants. Ky’s attitude demonstrates that there is no need to put immense pressure on your business and yourself to find recycling solutions for the salon. There are sustainable companies that can support you throughout the journey. Using a reputable recycling company to pick up waste products takes little effort for maximum sustainability effect which, you would hope, will become second nature to us all, in all walks of life. •

I 100% USE BABYLISS TOOLS, IT’S ANOTHER COMPANY I BUILT A SOLID RELATIONSHIP WITH.”

IF YOU ACTUALLY SPEAK TO THE OWNERS OF THESE COMPANIES WE WORK WITH, THEY LIVE THIS LIFE, THEY ARE NOT JUST TICKING BOXES, THEY ARE COMPLETELY IMMERSED IN THIS SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE.” 75

SALON AND BARBERSHOP WASTE HAS A NEMESIS ON THE HORIZON WITH THE GREEN SALON COLLECTIVE AND THE WORK THEY DO IN RECYCLING THE UNRECYCLABLE.

Recycling the unrecyclable The Green Salon Collective was founded in 2020, with a vision to raise the standard of our industry by enabling salons and barbershops to become more ethical and sustainable environments for not only the salon, but for the stylists and salon guests too. Using their recycling system, together with extensive education and an accreditation programme, salons can gain new like-minded clients by becoming true, ethical, sustainable businesses that turn the waste in your bins to meaningful wins. Every item of salon waste can be used again to benefit our industry, community and the environment. Paul Seaward of The Green Salon Collective (GSC) tells us more: “The sad truth is that mixed recycling does not work. It causes crosscontamination within the bin bags, causing many salon and barbershop items to be sent to landfill. Chemical and hair recycling is a totally new service from GSC, so it’s only been available to the industry since last year. By providing a circular economy for salons and barbershops, Green Salon Collective is the solution.”

So what, in practical terms does GSC do for hair professionals? RECYCLING The key focus of Green Salon Collective is finding circular solutions for salon waste. Using hair to clean up oil spills. We generate clean energy using discarded PPE. We even compost your salon towels.

EDUCATION We empower salons and other hairdressing businesses with the knowledge to operate more sustainably and to be more resilient to future industry disruptions. Our articles cover salon waste streams, ethical suppliers, industry leaders and more so you can operate your business with less of an impact on our natural world and with more of a positive contribution to society.

ACCREDITATION

Our accreditation programs demonstrate to clients, employees and the wider industry that your salon goes above and beyond when it comes to looking after both people and the planet. We have developed bespoke programmes to suit the needs of salons and barbershops as well as freelancers and freelancing spaces. It needn’t cost the earth to save it and GSC talks us through their cost-neutral pricing suggestion. Paul continues: “Green fees, eco fees, sustainable charges. What are they, and how do they work? For our system to become cost-neutral, our member salons charge their clients a £1 to £2 (or euro) ‘green fee’ on every visit. Some salons call it an eco-fee, or a sustainable fee, either way,

this extra charge covers all future costs of being a member with us. Once a salon has paid for a registration kit, we are a ‘pay as you go’ system. Salons charge their clients a green fee then use this new revenue to buy GSC Return Boxes as and when you need them. Salons then pack a single box with bags of hair, metals etc, and we collect it for free once a collection is booked.” It’s a no brainer for a salon or barbershop that wants to become more sustainable. The Green Salon Collective has a simple goal in mind for everyone in the hair and beauty industry: “We envision zero waste salons where 100% of all waste is reused, repurposed or recycled and all waste profits going to charity. I think we can achieve this quicker than you might think.”

Turn The Tide

together! DAMIEN DIABLO OWNER OF 1981 BARBERSHOP IN TRURO, CORNWALL, BOASTS THE COUNTRY’S FIRST STAND ALONE ZERO WASTE BARBERSHOP. HE TALKS ABOUT THE TURN THE TIDE CAMPAIGN THAT HIS SHOP IS SUPPORTING. Damien stresses he doesn’t want to sound like a Twitter meme, when he says: “There is no planet B, every industry needs to take it seriously. I think that as barbers we have huge influence and reach, as we shape what is fashionable and what is seen as ‘cool’. We can use this to the planet’s, and our own advantage. Globally the hair industry contributes to 120 billion individual packaged products, most of them plastic! We are creating a huge demand, and as an industry if we just said we don’t want to use or sell products packaged in plastic, then things would change! If we did that, and suppliers switched to sustainable packaging, or even better, waterless products, the effect would be huge and so positive.” Damien has recently started supporting a campaign called Turn The Tide. “We found Turn The Tide on Instagram. He’s a local man, single dad of three, he works and then on his lunch break/after work/weekends he and his kids clean the local beaches and coast paths. His stories on Instagram are shocking and inspiring at the same time. He doesn’t get any grants or funding, and we thought why not try and raise £1,000 for him. We gave ourselves a month, but at the end of the first week the total had already been exceeded. So far, we’ve raised £1,500 and still counting, and we have done it by selling t-shirts. The t-shirts are oversized organic cotton, and feature a reworking of our logo. It’s a onetime limited-edition screen print. We don’t have many left, so if anyone wants one, head on over to our Instagram and message us for details.”

First steps toward being sustainable:

Maybe start with cups, that’s the easiest one. Almost every barber shop you go to, you’ll notice the mountain of disposable cups that pile up by the end of the day. Offer your own branded reusable cups, and maybe take It further and team up with a local coffee shop. Customers bring your cup in for a discounted coffee! It pushes business the coffee shops way, promotes your logo on the cup, creates that community vibe, and is a win for the environment.

Plastic free products, check the ingredients in your products. Avoid using and selling anything containing Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), Nylon (PA), and Acrylates Copolymer. As soon as your client washes their hair, or even swims in the sea, these micro plastics end up in the water. There are so many amazing product lines that don’t use any of these ingredients.

Save water: Ecoheads are what we have installed on our basins. They use 65% less water, but they also filter so your client’s hair ends up in way better condition. Plus, they don’t break the bank, at around £120 per ecohead.

Switch energy supplier. Go with someone like ‘Bulb’. They only use renewable sources of energy, and you could end up saving money too!

WE HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN PRODUCING THE BEST QUALITY PRODUCTS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, AND TO BECOME MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS IN PARALLEL WITH THIS.”

Barbershops a year to be fully

sustainable CLAIMING TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE COULD MEAN TAKING THE SMALLEST STEP OF CHANGING YOUR CLEANING PRODUCTS, BUT FOR THE OWNERS OF OS BARBERS IN BRIGHTON AND LONDON, THEY HAVE CHALLENGED THEMSELVES TO BE COMPLETELY SUSTAINABLE BY 2022. THE COUNTDOWN HAS STARTED BY INVESTING IN THEIR OWN NATURAL PRODUCT RANGE. Being based near the sea in Brighton has always been a reminder to Joe Steven and George Oakley, joint owners of OS barbershops, that they remain mindful of what they can do to avoid any more plastic ending up in the sea. Joe and George have known each other from school, setting up their first shop in 2014, they now having two shops in Brighton and one in London. The businesses have grown organically with them putting a lot of focus on company culture, building a strong team and now concentrating on a lifestyle brand. That lifestyle brand has kicked off a 100% natural shampoo bar.

Joe said: “In the time that we have had off, we’ve been lucky enough to create something that combines two of our passions – creating natural products and looking after the environment. We strongly believe that as we grow, we have a role to play in producing the best quality products for our customers, and to become more environmentally conscious in parallel with this.” In practical terms, it is something they have always wanted to do, become sustainable. What that means, according to Joe, is being transparent about the whole journey.

“There are a lot of businesses out there that say they are sustainable but are maybe not as transparent as they should be. For us, it means making a pledge that we work towards. Talking about the things that are easy to tackle, and more importantly, talking about the things that aren’t easy. “There is a lot more to it than we ever thought, which is good, because it is a challenge for us.” Some of the easier challenges have been changing utility suppliers, swapping out cleaning products for an eco-option. The biggest challenge they face is how to deal with used PPE. As a lot of it you can’t recycle. 

“Our local council is definitely behind picking up our recycling. We also use a company in London called First Mile, that picks it up weekly, they pick up all recycling. You do need to know you are separating your recyclable from your non-recyclable waste for a start before it gets picked up. “As for choosing suitable grooming products to use in the barbershops, we went to brands directly and ask them what they were doing in terms of their responsibilities toward having less of an impact on the environment. We use EVO products. For one, their products are excellent, their packaging is made from recycled plastic and they are aiming toward being a totally vegan range. “That’s one of the reasons we decided to create our own product range, as it gives us full control over it. It means we know exactly what has gone into it. We are at the early stages of creating our lifestyle range but with the natural shampoo bar that we have just finished, we wanted to create a product that was easy to understand, easy to use and that was a sustainable product. The next in line will be a conditioner bar, but we are thinking there will be around five or six products in the range eventually. “To start your own range takes time. There is a reason why people go down the white label route, it’s easy, but we felt that the quality wasn’t there. For us we found these guys over in West Yorkshire who are helping us with the process and the manufacturing. We went to see them and learned how it was all made. Told them about the product we wanted to make, talked a lot about packaging and overall, it has taken us about a year in total, with all the testing we have put it through. It’s all new to us, so it has

“THERE ARE MANY PROS OF USING A NATURAL SHAMPOO BAR TO WASH HAIR. THE PRODUCT IS DESIGNED TO TACKLE MANY AREAS OF HAIR CARE.” taken more time, but we have gained a lot of knowledge that we can use next time.” The goal is to be a lifestyle brand, and to create a community of like-minded people, and ideally, we would love barbers who are also aiming to be more planet-friendly to stock our product range. It’s too easy to chuck all the shop’s waste straight into the bin, but Joe feels that it’s time we took responsibility for our actions. “I think that we all have a social responsibility, no matter the size of the business, we have to contribute to the bigger picture. It’s bigger than ourselves as individuals, and bigger than ourselves as businesses, it’s a huge problem. There is a disconnection between us and the environment, and we have to do our bit to salvage the damage we have already done.” Overcoming the challenges of repurposing business waste has led the guys to looking at ways of doing something useful with the hair

they collect. “It’s not been confirmed yet, but we are in talks right now on about how best to deal with the hair cuttings.” Generally, hair goes into landfill, and anything that goes to landfill is detrimental to the environment. Joe talks us through the benefits of switching to a shampoo bar. “There are many pros of using a natural shampoo bar to wash hair. The product is designed to tackle many areas of hair care, like helping remove dandruff, it promotes hair growth and increases blood flow to the scalp and removes oil from the hair, leaving it with that second day feeling after a wash, it’s not so flyaway. Looking to the bigger picture of the planet, we believe the benefits go far beyond just hair. “Firstly, there is no plastic used in both the product or the packaging, which is all 100% recycled and biodegradable. Secondly, the product is longer-lasting than many supermarket shampoos. Lastly, the product is fully sustainable and has a much lower carbon footprint when it comes to transporting the product.” The shampoo bar is a sea salt and pine bar, and 5% of profits are being donated to Plastic Ocean UK, which helps clean up oceans that are saturated with plastic waste. “We are super proud of it, it has been such a hands-on process for us, and we can’t wait to get it out there and raise awareness and connect with like-minded businesses and people to show how transparent we are being on their journey.”•

p e s t S p Towards p

sustainability SESSION STYLIST JAMES ALFIE PARR, MANAGER OF THE BROTHERHOOD BARBERSHOP BY NASHWHITE IN LEAMINGTON SPA, TALKS TO BARBEREVO ABOUT BEING MORE SUSTAINABLE. Brotherhood was founded by Lee Nash Jones and Rob White of Nashwhite in February 2020 and James tells us that the aim was to be more than just a barbershop, combining traditional barbering with high end men’s hairdressing and high fashion looks. “Having already worked for Nashwhite, Rob and Lee approached me to manage Brotherhood and to help build the brand and push the vision for it. With my background in session styling, it’s been great to add a more editorial but yet classic style of men’s hairdressing to the barber shop.” Taking extra measures to be more aware of salon waste has been on the agenda at Brotherhood. “I think being constantly aware of what you’re doing and therefore considering the impact it has on the environment is the key to this. Considering things even such as the use of electricity in the salon and looking at ways you can reduce your carbon footprint will help you notice those changes to be made.” Choosing the right product range that reflects your own ethos is important and Oway is the chosen brand for The Brotherhood. “We spent months researching and testing products to make sure we had the best to offer in Brotherhood. The Oway men's brand is the most sustainable, advanced, forward thinking, premium range available in the world right now. It made complete sense for us to introduce this into the salon as it aligned completely with our ethos and we knew our clients would love it too.”

“OUR CLIENTS SHARE OUR MISSION TO SUSTAINABLE LIVING, AND THE REFILL STATION GAVE THEM THE OPTION TO DO SO WHILST STILL USING PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS.”

Being more sustainable as an industry is becoming more prevalent and James agrees that it is something we all have to be more aware of. “We think it definitely will be something that more and more barbershops will have to become more aware of. Clients are becoming increasingly aware of this and therefore they want to go to businesses that are doing their bit too. As an industry I think the issue of sustainability has become much more prevalent in the last couple of years and the changes we are seeing are great.” With this in mind, Nashwhite have installed refill stations. “Our ethos has always been about becoming more sustainable and eco-aware. We do our best to continually make changes and improvements where we can, to ensure we are doing the most that we can. Deciding to introduce the refill stations made sense for us. Our clients share our mission to sustainable living, and the refill station gave them the option to do so whilst still using professional products. Not only is it the more sustainable option it is also more cost effective for clients too which is a win win.”

Easydry the humble towel has evolved

THE FATE OF THE OLD COTTON TOWEL WAS SEALED WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF A TOWEL THAT CAN OUT-PERFORM IT AND IS ECO-FRIENDLY INTO THE BARGAIN. EASYDRY FOUNDER ANNE BUTTERLY TALKS TOWELS WITH BARBEREVO. From a teenager working part time in her aunt’s hair salon, Anne saw first-hand how much time was wasted on washing and drying cotton towels. After college she worked in marketing and had the idea to create a disposable towel that could out-perform cotton and be more sustainable. After a number of years working on research and development, she produced the Easydry Hair Towel. Within a few short years, Anne had a full product range for different industries and was selling Easydry in almost 30 countries worldwide. Anne tells us about her towels: “I knew that to create a successful product, it needed to out-perform what it was replacing. In this case, the cotton towel had been around for decades with very little change or improvement. I knew that I could create an innovative, eco-friendly towel product that could replace cotton towels, washing machines and tumble dryers. I also realised that the environment was becoming more and more important, so any new product would need to be sustainable to be successful. “Performance, hygiene and convenience were the key selling points for this product – especially for busy hairdressers and barbers. The main criteria is to have a product that out-performs cotton in terms of drying ability and the affect on the hair. Easydry towels dries hair quicker than cotton and without rubbing or rough-drying. This is crucial for delicate, curly or textured hair as it prevents damage or frizz. The product range has grown from the Easydry Hair Towel in white, and it became clear that both hairdressers and barbers love black and Anne began researching how to create a black disposable towel that was just as eco-friendly and effective as its white counterpart. Which, of course, she did. Anne says: “I stared with one product and I was lucky that my first few customers were a large colour house and large salon chain! Since then, I have launched a extensive range of products to suit any industry. Our environmental credentials are always important to me so that is always my first consideration when creating a new product. One thing that makes me really proud is that some customers who came on board with Easydry at the start, are still with us years later.” Feedback from the marketplace led Anne

to launch the barber range of towels. Barbers wanted a smaller towel so she launched the Black and the White Easydry Short Towel (30cmx60cm), specifically for barbers. The next challenge was could she make a towel for hot shaves? Barbers and male groomers wanted a product that worked really well and that looked great for clients. The Easydry Thermal Towel (43x43cm) can be heated or chilled and is ideal for use during hot shaves. It has no odour and there is no need to worry about washing bristles out after use as it is a single-use product. Like the rest of the Easydry range, it is 100% compostable, hygienic and is kind to skin and hair. Gary Machin from the British Barber Association is a user of Easydry, he said: “They are the most hygenic, absorbent alternative to cotton towels. They are a great partner for shaving and I use the thermal towels. From a barbering point of view they look great and are hygienic. The main difference with these towels is that they are thermal. It’s important to prepare the towels properly for a hot shave. You unfold the towels, fold them loosely, load the towel with water, then squeeze out half the water, so that when you heat the towel, you are heating the water held in the towel and not the towel. The environmental credentials are outstanding. I think they are a perfect compliment to a shave in a barbershop.” Being eco-friendly is a major part of the brands ethos. “Sustainability is a must have for me and for Easydry and it has been from the very start. As far as I can see, there is no point in creating a product if it’s not sustainable. There’s no point in creating an ecofriendly product and packing it in non-sustainable packaging. Our towels are FSC certified. They are packed in compostable bags and in FSC certified cardboard. We even ship on recycled cardboard pallets instead of on wooden or plastic pallets! And we have been doing this from the very start.” It’s been an incredibly tough year all round and everyone at Easydry is enjoying salons and barbershops being open and getting on the phone with customers and hearing the hope and optimisim in their voices. The team is set up to help all salons and barbers to make the easy switch to Easydry.

“I KNEW THAT TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL PRODUCT, IT NEEDED TO OUT-PERFORM WHAT IT WAS REPLACING... IN THIS CASE, THE COTTON TOWEL.”

USP is green

…at Dougie Johns sustainable hair salon PIONEERING CHANGE WITHIN OUR CULTURE IS THE AIM FOR JAMIE STEVENS OF DOUGIE JOHNS HAIR SALON IN BRISTOL, WHO WELCOMES THE RESPONSIBILITY AND BUSINESS REWARDS OF RUNNING A SUSTAINABLE HAIR SALON.

Jamie who is the men’s hair and shave specialist at Dougie Johns, is a graduate of The Old School from Schorem Haarsnijder & Barbier in Rotterdam. He opened his barbershop three years ago, and a year later his husband Jack Britten, a hairstylist, joined and they moved toward being a unisex salon. It was at that point that the decision to be a sustainable business was born. “We tried to find what our unique selling point was and what would make us different from the other four hair salons on our street. Being sustainable has become a real selling point for us to stand out and it has really taken off. We now get so many people who come to us specifically because of the way we run our salon. “From a business point of view, we are able to justify charging a little more as we have the added cost of dealing with salon waste sustainably. You can do that when people know that you are putting your time and money into running that kind of salon. If your guests know that everything in the salon, from refreshments to hair colour are plastic free, and sustainably sourced, then you can charge a premium rate. “We use a company called Professional Hygiene. In comparison to a lot of other companies out there that collect salon waste they are remarkably well

“WE HAVE PUT THE HARD WORK IN ALREADY AND HAVE ANSWERS TO ALL A SALONS RECYCLING NEEDS.” priced. The company created this service for us, it wasn’t one they did previously. We approached them and told them what we needed, and they did it so easily. We have recommended them to other salons that have also taken up their service.” Having had some time off, Jamie has decided to take a step back from the salon floor and focus on the management of the salon, branching into doing some consulting with other salons on how best to transform their own practices into a more sustainable system. “We have a system that works and is easy to implement. When you change maybe three, four, five things, everything else falls into place. We have put the hard work in already and have answers to all a salons recycling needs. I personally like the idea of collecting hair and

having it made into booms to catch oil spills. I am a surfer, and we have a Surfers Against Sewage award for being a plastic free business. “Currently, it is really expensive to have the hair collected for booms, but that will be one of the challenges I set myself now that I will have more time, to find a solution that is affordable.” Having such high standards within the salon, Jamie has worked with a few product ranges over the years, but Kevin Murphy is the one that continues to impress. “They are really great. It has always been my favourite brand since I started hairdressing. All four of us in the salon have worked in Kevin Murphy salons over the years. Their packaging is made from Ocean Waste Plastic which is reclaimed from the sea and then turned into fresh packaging. The shape of the bottle is designed so that when they are shipped you get more product in the box, so you are not wasting packaging. It is quite clever. “Just lately they have had to remove their label that says they are 100% Ocean Waste Plastic, because of the volume they now need to source, they have had to add a small percentage of normal recycled plastic, which even then is still really good. 

IF YOUR GUESTS KNOW THAT EVERYTHING IN THE SALON, FROM REFRESHMENTS TO HAIR COLOUR ARE PLASTIC FREE, AND SUSTAINABLY SOURCED, THEN YOU CAN CHARGE A PREMIUM RATE.”

“IT’S NOT ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE AREN’T DOING. IT IS ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE DOING.” “It is a very ethical brand, and they seem very passionate about it. They are working on getting their label back for being 100% but they can’t claim that right now. “Whatever it says it does on the bottle, that is what it does. The way they shape their packaging means that they use around 40% less plastic.” So why bother, it seems like an added effort to be sustainable, would it not be easier to just throw everything into the one bin? “First of all, we don’t have a normal bin in the salon at all, if it can’t be recycled it can’t come through the door. If you bring something that can’t go into one of our bins, you take it home. I can’t imagine not trying to reduce your use of plastic and recycling everything you can. It’s not about what people aren’t doing. It is about what people are doing.

“To be honest I would find it more of a pain to take a regular bin, tie it up and take it outside. That’s more hassle than paying someone to come into my building and take my waste away. And I know it is being disposed of responsibly. “It’s not hard, just putting something in a slightly different bin, or choosing compostable coffee pods - all it means is that when I am ordering the pods, I select a different option from the plastic ones. “One other thing that is relevant at the moment with Covid, is to make sure you are using disposable gowns and towels that are biodegradable. We use towels from Scrummi and they can be composted. I don’t even know what the price comparison is between a disposable towel and one that is compostable, because I don’t care. I will always buy the ones that are compostable. I would pay whatever the difference is, as it is just not an option for me. “You can make little changes that make a huge difference. For example, choose a recycled highlighting foil that can then by recycled again. If you think about it, we are a small salon, we go through a regular bin bag of foil every week, that’s only with three stylists doing colour. Think of the volume a salon with 20 stations is producing. That could make a massive difference.” Speaking of foils and as Jamie covers all the men’s services, we ask about the current trend for men’s colour. “There is a demand for men’s colouring. We do quite a lot of full head bleach and tone on gents. In the last 12 months due to Covid, we’ve not done loads of gent’s colour, mainly because of the uncertainties surrounding lockdowns. As I say, we do lots of scalp bleach and toning, which requires quite a lot of maintenance. So, guys are reluctant to go all in, then possibly not go to the salon for a few months, this will inevitably result in them taking the clippers to it. “For colour we use Wella, simply because it’s the house we’re all trained in and have used for years. The tubes are aluminium and, therefore, are recycled with our foil.” When choosing salon furniture, it maybe isn’t always a viable option to buy recycled chairs, but if you buy well you only buy once and Jamie went for Takara Belmont.

“Takara Belmont are simply iconic in barbering and to me there’s no substitute. When I opened the business, I was on a tight budget and I was prepared to scrimp and save wherever I could, but I wouldn’t compromise on the Belmonts, it was no secret that if I couldn’t have them, I’d have to wait to open the business.” And have they proved a sound investment for Dougie Johns? “They have. Now that we do lots of colour our guests can be with us for several hours and these chairs are extremely comfortable and luxurious. The great thing about the Takara Belmont Apollo II especially, is that they hold their value if looked after, so they’re a great investment.” When talking about product ranges, Jamie offers a couple of pointers that could be a good start if you want to be more sustainable. “Try to find a product range that is within your budget. Retail is so massive, and in general products or companies that are more eco minded are more expensive. But that’s not to say you can’t have a version of that. Aim for one that is doing its best to be more sustainable. “There is a wall of plastic retail bottles in every salon, and it is the same in ours, but all of ours is recycled and will continue to be recycled. “The other thing I would say is that you have a captive audience for at least 45 minutes maybe up to a few hours. Talk to them about your values and the ethos behind the business. “There’s one more thing I would advise, and that is to make sure your team are on board. It’s all very well me saying I am being Mr Sustainable, but if the rest of the team doesn’t agree and if you aren’t in the salon and they bring in plastic bottles of coke or something, then the message is lost. “To be honest, my staff are all over it. One of our stylists came to us specifically because of our attitude to being sustainable. So, we have attracted new guests and new staff on the back of it, which is terrific.” In conclusions Jamie said: “We wanted to be a nice salon with chilled out people who have a great attitude and that is what we have bred both within our clientele and our staff by putting our sustainable ethos in place.” •

THE TRUE ORIGINAL Often imitated yet never equalled

www.takarahairdressing.co.uk

Keeping ethics

at your core THE WHOLE WORLD IS MORE CONSCIOUS OF HOW REDUCING OUR PERSONAL CARBON FOOTPRINT CAN HAVE AN IMPACT ON CLIMATE CHANGE. EVERYWHERE YOU TURN THERE ARE ARTICLES AND DOCUMENTARIES DOCUMENTING HOW HUMAN ACTIVITY OVER THE LAST 200 YEARS HAS MEANT THAT WE’RE STANDING ON THE BRINK OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER. Climate change is one of the biggest challenges we are facing as a species. We occupy this planet, so why would we not we try to do all we can to help save it. I personally get shocked daily at how much plastic, paper and metal waste comes out of one household, but it will take much more than reducing waste for us to make a difference. When I shop, I love seeing packaging that states it is made from recycled materials and I tend to go for that brand. Vegan is another word I love to see, and I know I am not alone. Clients are becoming much more aware of what they are using and purchasing. Lush lead by example for product companies, their ethos is unbelievable. Reusable or naked packaging (choose your products and pop them in the recycled paper bag), refillable packaging made from tin or cork. Products come in solid form, shampoo, shower bars, bath bombs, deodorant, body moisturiser, they are vegan and very importantly, cruelty free. Working with big companies I understand the pressures they are under to also try to reduce their carbon footprint and make more ethical choices. Producing and transporting products globally comes with its own challenges. Products need to be packaged to withstand transportation, temperatures and different countries have certain rules and regulations on exportation. The products need to last on the shelves for periods of time. Things that the buyers don’t necessarily know about or understand. I know I didn’t until I started travelling globally with Uppercut Deluxe and got an insight into what it takes to produce and transport products. A spokesperson from Uppercut Deluxe explained to me about the ethical choices they made when producing their own line of products and how they held onto their values of making sustainable decisions where it was possible. “Making ethical choices is part of the core ethos of the Uppercut Deluxe brand. Uppercut Deluxe was founded by barbers, for barbers. The driving force behind the brand’s inception was to create a product that barbers would be proud to have on their shelves, in that, a deliberate pull away from the big box, mass

Vikki Harrison-Smith

produced products that were available at the time. The brand has always been determined to support the local barbershops that keep the barbering trade alive, small business values all the way through; from our manufacturing partners, through our hands, and on to our barbers - each one incredibly connected to their businesses. “Our products are a testament to this. Where possible we have used recyclable packaging, we have not and will not ever test on animals (except for our sales team) our products are small batch crafted to ensure minimal wastage by not overproducing; and importantly, our products are made in Australia by the same local business that has made them for the past 13 years. These high ethical manufacturing standards come at an increased cost, but it is a cost we’re willing to pay.” As a business owner myself, I feel it is my duty to reduce the carbon footprint left by us even if it is in small ways. Recycling all our waste, using cruelty free or vegan products with recyclable or less packaging, paper cups instead of plastic, pump bottles instead of aerosol, ones we can reuse and refill, eco-friendly cleaning products, preferably in powder form that you can dilute with water to make the product, which in turn means nearly zero packaging, I like Purevo Ltd products, they are very eco friendly. Investing in a recycling company, eg, Green Salon Collective, to pick up the salon or barbershop waste is a major step forward, and the cost can be written off by adding a ‘green’ charge to each client, it generally works out at around £1 per haircut. Every barbershop owner that I’ve spoken to that invests in this service says that clients are happy to pay an extra £1 if they know that the waste that is produced is being removed and recycled properly, if anything it gives them a feel-good factor. I truly believe if we all make efforts to change and be more aware of simple solutions to reduce and recycle waste, use more ecofriendlier products whether at home or work as a collective we can and will make a difference.

THE EDUCATIONAL PISSING CONTEST Dan Davies// @dan_davies_cuts_hair

DOES IT MATTER IF YOUR BARBERS ARE QUALIFIED?

IF THE COURSE IS INTENSE, ONLINE, OR AN APPRENTICESHIP?

Are qualified or registered barbers better than unqualified unregistered barbers? Is the education available to barbers relevant to what you do in store? I believe that the awarding bodies for barbering and hairdressing are simply out of date. Yes, some great changes have been made including endpoint assessment. However, when the people assessing the students have little to no regular shop floor experience, are we really doing right by the qualification or is this a quick buck for the awarding bodies. Having seen what is classed as CPD (continuous professional development), I am shocked and disappointed by what is classed as professional development. I wonder if the people assessing the qualification could pass the course themselves? I would very much doubt it. Let’s look at what is in the qualification and what is relevant. The way the qualification is worked out is by mandatory and non-mandatory units. You pass the course by doing the mandatory units and then by choosing what non mandatory units to complete. These are then allocated points and learners are required to have a certain amount of points before they pass the course. Non mandatory units such as colour, require a massive amount of learner hours due to the science and theory involved. This requires more learner hours than say health and safety, beards, shaving, consultation, patterns and blow drying. I passed my level 3 barbering qualification without picking up a razor, how is that right?! I have since learned to wet shave under the tutoring of Ben Hardwick and Erin Wentworth but alas, should I have been in a position where I am a level 3 barber that can colour hair, but not line up with a razor or shave a face clean? I have been campaigning for years for the barbering, hairdressing and beauty qualifications to change health and safety to health, safety and

WHAT AWARDING BODY THE QUALIFICATION IS DONE BY?

IF ANY INDUSTRY NAMES HAVE ENDORSED OR TEACH ON THE COURSE?

awareness so that if it’s a rainy Tuesday afternoon and you are in the salon by yourself and someone is struggling you have an idea of what to do. A day’s learning about mental health awareness must be better than some of the crap that is in the qualifications and could save someone’s life. Unfortunately, despite trying so much with City and Guilds and writing to political figures including a visit to number 10, at the time of print this still hasn’t happened. To put this into context, it used to be regulation to use a sponge when shaving. Once this was agreed that this was ridiculous, a letter was written and this was removed from the qualification quick as that. When the same geniuses decided that it should be mandatory for candidates to wear gloves when shaving (I strongly disagree with this) it was added to the qualification. Yet when it’s suggested that we can help clients with signpost training it’s not added! Work that one out? I often hear intense courses slagged off. This is often because the people doing the slagging have not done any research, but because of the wonders of social media they have a platform to share misinformation and deluded opinion. For me it doesn’t matter if the new barber has come from London School of Barbering, Mint

WHO HAS TRAINED YOUR BARBER?

Academy or taken a three-year course at college. All new starters are going to need nurturing and guidance. As long as the candidate can be further developed then, cool as. Toni & Guy are regarded as one of the biggest hairdressing brands in the UK. Their students do not take a standard qualification. They have their own City and Guilds qualification. Why? Because the current hair qualification is dated and does not suit their business needs. So, it’s not good enough for Toni & Guy, yet it’s still good enough for local salons, baffling! The biggest change I would like to see is once a teaching qualification has been obtained, that all teachers, assessors and lecturers are then licensed much like the persons assessing a driving test. This means that the wonderful teachers and assessors remain educating and assessing to a high level, while the people that don’t cut the mustard go back to learning the trade we all love so much. How do you obtain this licence? Simple. Pass all the courses you are teaching with a distinction every year. The education system is a mess, that is left for salon managers and owners to sort. Many of us want mandatory state registration for barbers in the UK. Would the educators and teachers not be our first priority??

I wanted to quickly thank a few cool people that are part of #cutandrun. We supported each other over lockdown by motivating physical activity and talking to each other honestly about our mental health when we where all feeling a bit shit during the 264th lockdown. Thank you lads, you kept me going:

@this_barber_chris @danbaigbarber @dave_battle_hair

@jayrhair @loftychops @shaun_fgman

GIVE THEM A FOLLOW! STAY SAFE.

@tigg.hickin.hair @thetylerpeters @jordangarry1

Seeing in Colour KNOWN FOR HIS INNOVATIVE CUTS AND ADVENTUROUS WORK WITH COLOUR, WE CAUGHT UP WITH SHAUN BUCKINGHAM TO FIND OUT WHY IT’S WORTH BRINGING COLOUR INTO THE BARBERSHOP AND INTO YOUR SKILLSET. After a year of lockdown, many men have stumbled into their girlfriend’s, sister’s and mother’s bathroom cabinets to try out colour for themselves. From mullets, buzzcuts to frosted tips, for better or for worse many men are coming out of lockdown feeling a little more adventurous when it comes to their hair. How can we save these men from their own bathroom bleaching disasters? Bring colour into the barbershop and let them leave it to the pros. Today, Shaun is the manager of FG Man Barbershop, and has had a whirlwind of a year, winning British Master Barber: Barber of the Year 2020, a finalist in Wahl Barber of the Year and regional semi-finalist for L’Oréal Men’s Colour Trophy. For Shaun, who started in the industry as a hairdresser, bringing colour into the barbershop setting was a natural and easy move. “I’ve been doing hair for about

10 years now. I worked in a unisex salon environment for about five years, where I was able to develop both my cutting and clipper skills I taught myself a lot and worked hard at developing my barbering skills. When I heard word of a new FG shop for men opening in my hometown, I knew it was something I had to be part of, and I got a job as a founding member in 2017.” When you look at the collection images Shaun entered in the 2020 British Master Barbers, L’Oréal Men’s Colour Trophy, and Wahl Barber of the Year competitions, colour played a huge part in what made his entries so striking. We asked Shaun what motivated him to enter the competitions in 2020 and what part colour plays in creating his styles.

I’VE BEEN EXPERIMENTING WITH COLOUR ON MY OWN HAIR FOR 15 YEARS NOW AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT’S ALWAYS STOOD OUT TO ME, SO IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN PART OF MY WORK.” “When it came to my submissions this year, it took a bit of reflecting on past efforts and research to set some goals of what I wanted to achieve, so that I already had an image in mind and a plan in place to recreate it. It was more for my own sake of working on my own skills and doing something good for me, and it just paid off quite well! “I’ve been experimenting with colour on my own hair for 15 years now and it is something that’s always stood out to me, so it has always been part of my work. Most of my entry photographs incorporate colour in some way, because it’s going to reflect differently in the image. It enhances the

cut, whether it’s a whole head of colour, or just a streak or two. The hardest part is finding the balance with colour, so it heightens the look, rather than distracting from the details of the cut.” As someone who began their career in hairdressing, we asked Shaun whether there was a learning curve when it came to colouring men’s hair. Shaun explained: “With men’s hair, because it is generally shorter, the initial application is less time consuming. However, the same amount of development time will be required. You also have to be more conscious of how quickly it will grow out, and how often the client comes in for a haircut. 

COLOUR TREATMENTS ARE 100% A GROWING MARKET FOR MEN. IT’S AN INTERESTING SKILL THAT IS ONLY GOING TO MAKE YOUR WORK STAND OUT, MAKING YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS STAND ABOVE THE OTHERS.” A sign of a good colour job is when it grows out nicely and your client can get a little more longevity out of it, rather than having it cut out straight away. “Another thing you have to be aware of is timing and making sure the investment in colour is worthwhile. For Shaun, it’s all about being organised and prepared. He explained: “If you can do so many haircuts within the time you do a colour, then why bother. The trick is managing your time and planning ahead. I do a consultation prior, where we meet for 15 minutes and talk about what they want, if it’s suitable, if they can maintain it, and do the skin test as to make sure they won’t react to the dye. Then I start looking at putting the timings in, I will look ahead to see if can do a cut or two while the hair is developing. If it’s going to be a bigger job with a surcharge, I will be clear with them from the beginning so there are no surprises at the end.” Despite maybe a little more work in terms of time and organisation, for Shaun, having the ability to offer colour in his barbershop was a no-brainer. “Colour treatments are 100% a growing market for men. It’s an interesting skill that is only going to make your work stand out, making you and your business stand above the others. There’s more to men’s hair than fades, the trends are always evolving, and more and more men are colouring their hair, whether it subtle or showstopping. If you’re into men’s hair for creativity, then colouring is definitely a venture you should go down. “Having the ability to colour has helped FG Man gain a lot of clients over the years. We get

a lot of men who were going to salons to get colour services, then going to a barber to get the haircut they wanted, at FG Man we can provide both. When others see men getting colour done inside the shop it heightens their interest and gets them asking questions, which might lead to them having the service themselves. “We’re a L’Oréal Professionnel-based shop, which also includes the Redken Brews styling ranges and the Dialight and Majirel colour ranges. I am really looking forward to adding Pulp Riot to our list as well, for some added creativity! “A good selling after-care product we have for colour is easily the Redken Brew Silver shampoo which is great for use on natural grey hair to help keep a true cool silver on bleached hair to minimise brassiness and yellow tones. L’Oréal’s Cover 5 is also great way to enhance your natural colour and once applied only takes five minutes! I really enjoy Blond Studio 9 from L’Oréal Professionnel, which is easily the best bleach I’ve ever used. Its consistency is creamy, has optimal neutralisation and an oil-based developer to go with it to keep hair at optimal condition with up to nine levels of lift; combined with the right toner, the results are amazing.” We asked Shaun what advice he would give to a barber looking to branch into more creative styles, take more risks, and get into colour at the barbershop: “Invest your time wisely, use your fundamentals, and don’t over think it. Look at what you want to achieve, put a little bit of time and effort into learning the applications of it.” •

THE COLOUR OF MONEY: Create a colour surge with

ROLLER BALL F

COLOUR is big business in hairdressing salons, so why not in barbers and men’s grooming? As men invest more money and time in their image and the preservation of a more youthful appearance, colour is potentially the biggest untapped service area in barbering and men’s hairdressing. And now is the perfect time to explore it. Famous principally for barber chairs and equipment, Takara Belmont transformed hairdressing colour services globally with technical innovations such as the Roller Ball F - an infrared processor that accelerates colour processing and delivers longer-lasting, more vibrant colour results. It presented a worldfirst when it was introduced in 1989, creating a global colour sensation. With its distinctive rotating infrared ring, it revolutionised colour technology with hairdressing icons including Daniel Galvin and Trevor Sorbie entrusting it to enhance their colour expertise.

UNLOCK YOUR COLOUR POTENTIAL With the need to maximise post-lockdown incomes and invigorate your financial recovery, adding high-value men’s colour services could boost income significantly, and Roller Ball F can help you maximise this potential. Once you create demand for colour, Roller Ball F literally halves processing time so you can accommodate more clients in a working day, and improve the outcome. “With free-standing mobile or wall-mounted versions, Roller Ball F is easily accommodated into even the most space-limited shops, and it enables colour clients to be served more quickly. This increases the number of appointments that can be added to your schedule and it generates colour incomes faster!” says Takara Belmont’s National Sales Manager Katie Wrighton. “Roller Ball F has inspired hairdressing salons to boost their business income from colour for three decades. Barbers and mens grooming salons should consider colour, as it offers a point of difference to male customer and gives your business a commercial edge too!” www.takarahairdressing.co.uk/ equipment/processors

INVEST IN QUALITY

MOTORISATION THE QUIET REVOLUTION Japan’s fascination with electronics, robotics and all things technological places it at the very pinnacle of global innovation. Emerging technologies over many decades have been pioneered as a result of this nation’s obsession with the yet-to-be-invented, combined with a determination to transform functional everyday products into multi-functional experiences that enhance, simplify and enrich our lives. Where Takara Belmont is concerned, barbering is no exception. In 1962, Takara Belmont introduced the world’s first motorised barber chair, the 808. At the time, its price tag may have positioned it in the realm of more

TAKARA BELMONT’S KATIE WRIGHTON OFFERS FIVE TOP TIPS BASED ON THE THINGS BARBERS ASK ABOUT MOST OFTEN!

prestigious grooming establishments, but it did achieve what Takara Belmont has continued to do ever since - set new precedents for technologydriven barbering equipment. This new generation of chair transformed experiences for stylists and customers and moved equipment into a new era of conceptual thinking and manufacturing know-how that permanently altered the definition of customer care. Now, in its Centenary Year, Takara Belmont continues to lead the world in motorised barbering chairs, so let’s take a look at their latest motorised barber chair heroes:

You’d imagine buying chairs for your barbershop is a simple task, but there’s a lot more to getting it right than meets the eye. Based on what Katie encounters in her role as National Sales Manager, she explains what you need to think about when purchasing furniture and equipment.

1 IS YOUR EQUIPMENT FIT FOR PURPOSE? The design and style of equipment is so important, but functionality that suits its intended purpose is vital too. Customisation makes it possible to tailor our equipment to your brand and service requirement, such as upholstery colours, base options and other technical features. But before you purchase visit a dealer, or one of our showrooms, to ensure it delivers the services it’s being bought for. This gives you the opportunity to try it in person and ensure that the dimensions are right for you. You can also see if there’s potential to introduce or accommodate new revenueboosting services or consider other types of equipment you may not have initially thought about.

Maxim

Inova EX

Legend

GO FOR THE MAX

2 QUALITY

As Takara Belmont’s most prestigious offering, the Maxim represents the pinnacle of luxury and comfort powered by leading-edge electronics. In addition to barbers that insist on the absolute best, VIP lounges in airports, luxury homes and even prestige yachts gravitate to this exquisite chair. A symbol of 100 years of innovation, Maxim is suited to high-end grooming establishments, as well as every day barbershops that value the ultimate in customer satisfaction.

Many barbers compromise on quality for one simple reason. Cost. Like all things in life, you get what you pay for, so invest in quality and you’re investing in your business, your team and your clients. Our brand is world-renowned for reliability, strength, performance and innovation and, in the unlikely event something goes wrong, you have the peace of mind of professional backup to get it put right. With leasing available from our dealers, investing in benchmark quality is affordable and tax efficient, so discuss your options before taking out loans, making a huge capital investment or opting for inferior products. In our experience the loss of service income from damaged, unusable equipment and the frequency of replacing or repairing cheaper equipment is a false economy. Substandard equipment affects the customer experience and working conditions that can also have commercial consequences.

CREATE YOUR LEGEND The Legend fully-motorised grooming chair delivers unsurpassed luxury and sublime comfort. In keeping with Takara Belmont’s most prestigious offerings, the Legend is ideal for barbershops, men’s grooming establishments and unisex salons looking to project a premium image and ensure clients enjoy a service experience like no other. Quality, durability and performance exceed every expectation, meeting Takara Belmont’s benchmark standards to present a stunning showpiece chair that delivers aesthetically, functionally and ergonomically.

NO EX-CUSES The Inova EX barber chair commands attention for style, comfort and function in equal measure. Its technology driven programmable functions are the essence of high-class style and performance to upscale every barbering, men’s grooming and shaving service.

With technology driven base options also available, base motorisation can be applied to a wide range of chairs across the range too. As customers demand luxury and place ever higher expectations on their visit to the barbers, luxury is no longer a preserve of the select few, so discover how to elevate your services by visiting takarahairdressing.co.uk/equipment/barbering

3 STYLE AND COMFORT Try equipment so you can see what it feels like from a customer point of view. As clients spend their entire visit in a chair or at the backwash, comfort is paramount. Our equipment is classically designed so it delivers ageless, timeless style and pure comfort. Our products are rigorously tested to ensure there’s no degradation in comfort over many years of use; another reason why investing in quality is so important.

4 WORKING HEIGHTS/POSITION To ensure you make the right choices, take a team member to try out the equipment’s functionality based on the actual treatments and services you’re using it for. Ergonomic qualities such as working height, reclining and rotational features are important to deliver the services you’re giving to clients.

5 ARE YOUR SELECTIONS FUTURE PROOF? It’s easy to think about what you need now, but think ahead when making equipment decisions. Will your selections remain current and can you update your equipment without having to repurchase entirely. Can your equipment be easily maintained and repaired and, can replacement parts and engineers be easily found when required? Many of our products have been developed over decades and remain popular, so we can always ensure easy access to parts and maintenance through our dealers.

SKIN TESTING DAYS BECOME ESSENTIAL WITH A SMALL PORTION OF CLIENTS AROUND THE UK EXPERIENCING A REACTION TO A SKIN TEST FOLLOWING A POSITIVE COVID RESULT, WHETHER THEY WERE AWARE THEY HAD IT OR NOT, IT HAS SHOWN US THAT WE MUST TAKE THIS AS SERIOUS AS EVER”

In planning this day, we have successfully put in place all Covid safety measures, including: • A non-contact patch testing facility. • Full protection screen to avoid any contamination and client contact.

KEVIN PAUL FINNELL, FROM F&M HAIRDRESSING IN BARRHEAD, GLASGOW, SPOKE TO BARBEREVO ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SKIN TESTING AFTER CLIENTS HAVE REPORTED HEIGHTENED REACTIONS FOLLOWING POSITIVE COVID RESULTS. There is more anticipation this time round than ever before for pre-appointment procedures and client visits. The opening after the first lockdown, no one knew what to expect, the second opening, we opened whilst rectifying any issues from the first opening, and this time the anticipation is building around one common factor – skin testing. There has always been anxiety around skin testing, with some barbershops and hairdressers being very precautionary and continuously skin testing their clients, others skin testing every three to six months and some not at all (which of course we are highly against). As we look towards the reopening and the after-effects of the past 12 months, the discussion surrounding skin testing has become highly intensified. Last year it became evident that a higher proportion of clients were experiencing reactions to skin tests following a positive Covid result. This became a real talking point as several of those who had experienced a reaction did not know if they had Covid or not and had never had a reaction to skin testing on any previous occasion. This itself resulted in barbershops and salons across the country relooking at their skin testing policies, consulting with medical experts and chatting in depth with insurance companies as to how to tackle this when barbershops reopened each time after lockdown. With a small portion of clients around the UK experiencing a reaction to a skin test following a positive Covid result, whether they were aware they had it or not, it has shown us that we must take this as serious as ever, ensuring every client is skin tested before visiting the salon or barbershop for any colour service – no

matter how little it is. Regulations state that clients who have had a skin test in six months or less will not be required to take another, however, due to the anxiety around this subject, we have decided to hold skin testing days in order to skin test each and every colour client before they visit for an appointment. Although many had received a skin test last time around, it’s very important to remember we have been in another lockdown and many more clients could have had a positive Covid result, had Covid and not realised or has had a health impact which could have affected their immunity to a reaction. It’s peace of mind for us as salon and barbershop owners and our team that we test and check every client – it’s better to be safe. We have selected four days over a seven-day period, all equally spaced out, whereby we offer skin testing to any clients who are booked in for a colour service – no matter how small this is, they will be skin tested prior to visiting our shop. The reason we are doing so is to ensure no one is put at risk and to prepare for the influx of clients which will descend upon us when we open our doors. Our client’s safety and that of our team is extremely important to us. The day itself will be between four to six hours long, with two or three members of staff within the shop, socially distanced, handing out the patch tests. We consulted with our clients and have chosen time frames which were most popular for all and allowed them the chance to visit pre-appointment. With our salon appointments fully booked until the 14th May, we are planning to hold further skin testing days to cope with demand.

• Social distancing measures outside of the shop to ensure a safe and distanced environment. • Full hand sanitising and Covid cleaning products readily available. • A client record system, to confirm who has visited for their test and who still require this. We do expect certain clients to be unable to visit on our skin testing days due to work or personal issues and we are working with them to ensure they are tested before their appointment. We are very lucky that our clients have been so supportive during such a tough 12 months and we are ensuring we go out of our way to help them in any way we can.

Tips for barbershop owners who are looking to do something similar Put together a proper plan. When we first discussed holding a skin testing day, we looked at the pros and cons, how we could comply with all regulations and looked in detail as to how this would work. We evaluated every aspect. Discuss with your local authority. We were pre-approved by our council, with them stating that we had the best procedures in place that they have seen. Make sure you stick to the guidelines and if in doubt, speak with your local authority. Discuss with your team. Make sure your team are on board with this too. You will need a couple of team members to help out on each of the days so ensure they are all briefed on what will happen and what will be expected of them. Communicate with your clients. Make sure you communicate your plans with your clients to get as ahead as you can. Call your clients, connect via social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, e-shots – any way you can. In communicating your plans this will hopefully get as many clients to visit the barbershop pre-appointment and result in one less thing to worry about when you reopen your doors.

TRADITIONAL BARBERING IN THE MODERN AGE BARBER, BRIDEY JO, TELLS HOW TO BRING YOUR BARBERSHOP INTO THE MODERN AGE BY OFFERING ADDITIONAL AND GENDER-NEUTRAL SERVICES. In the last 10 years, there has been an undoubtable resurgence of traditional, old school barbering, and traditional barber techniques. While this return to the industry’s roots has elevated the barbering game, it has created opportunities to bring traditional barbering values, like good customer service, and precise haircuts, into the more equal and open-minded twenty-first century. Bridey Jo is an optimal example of a barber balancing modern and traditional values in her shop. While offering traditional haircuts and fades for men, Bridey Jo Barbers is welcoming to all ages, and genders. She also offers a range of additional services for the modern-day man, or gal. But let’s back up and hear a little bit about Bridey Jo and her journey into barbering: “I decided to take the plunge into the barbering industry in early 2017. I realised I had found my passion when I started to learn how to cut hair and became a more ambitious person for it. “Once I decided I wanted to become a barber, I devoted my whole life to learning. Relentlessly, I started watching YouTube tutorials to teach myself, then I would practice on friends whilst working nights in a bar to pay my bills. “After about four months of solid graft, I landed my first job. After gaining some experience, I moved onto a unisex salon, which gave me the opportunity to dip into the colouring world and realise that hair has no gender!

“As my work started getting recognised and published, I started to really step outside my comfort zone and compete in hair shows. At that point, I decided to go freelance so that I could take on the opportunities which were flying my way. I was invited to demonstrate my work at hair shows around the UK and Amsterdam. I spent the entire summer guest spotting in amazing barbershops such as Hard Grind in Scotland, Bareknuckle in Northern Ireland and Phoney Poney down in Essex! They were really inspiring experiences and I learned so much from these successful brands.” For Bridey, the next step was all about building a brand of her own: “I’m all about equality, so being a 24-year-old girl in a male dominated industry was definitely not enough to put me off setting those goals high! “I renovated an old, abandoned office into a private upstairs salon room. My shop is appointment-only, and I ensure customers receive a personal and professional one-on-one experience. The shop is branded around me - I believe in men and women being equal, so it was never going to have ancient boundaries on what we offer.” Bridey Jo’s clients vary in age, gender and style. She explains: “In a day I will get young lads after that fresh modern skin fade, we will have older gents coming in for our Luxury Pampering packages including hot towels and anti-aging facials. We also have our quirky ladies coming in for one of my creative lady cuts!”

The client base is so varied, which is brilliant, because Bridey Jo Barbers is a place everyone is equal and made to feel welcome. It’s a place where hair has no gender - where male pampering and girls with skin fades are absolutely the new norm.” On top of all this, Bridey also offers waxing, colour for brows and beards, and luxury beard treatments: “It’s 2021! So, we have taken the leap to break the norm and set ourselves apart from the rest, because Bridey Jo Barbers is a modern-day place where men having their beard coloured and eyebrows waxed is totally acceptable!” There is not much point in offering this wide range of treatments and services, unless your clients know about it! To make sure her clients are always kept in the loop, Bridey Jo depends on her Booksy booking app: “As a Booksy Ambassador, I utilise so many useful features the app offers. For example, marketing and communicating with clients is made so easy! If I have a message to tell everyone, like a new service to my menu, I can send out an email, push notification or SMS ‘message blast’ to my entire client base. I can even select to just send emails out to ‘slipping away’ clients who haven’t visited in a while. It’s a brilliant way to communicate with your clients too, as it takes away the need to individually message or make multiple phone calls. “Another great feature – if we are fully booked all week and there are clients hoping to take a possible cancellation spot asap, they can head

to Booksy and ‘join the wait list’ for the days that are already fully booked. That means, whilst I’m busy with clients, if someone cancels their appointment, they can then book this slot without me having to ring people to let them know, so it also allows any gaps in your schedule to get taken and not lose out on any possible revenue. “As I will be taking on more staff this year, I will definitely be taking advantage of Booksy’s ‘Boost’ feature. This is great for barbers and shops who are trying to increase their client base and fill up their diary! When ‘Boost’ is turned on, it allows your shops visibility on the app to be boosted to the top. So, when people search for a barber shop in the area, Boost will ensure your barbershop is at the top of the list of shops, allowing it to be very visible, and ultimately get you more bookings. Booksy only take a percentage of this clients FIRST sale price and if this then becomes a loyal client, you can see the great effect it’s had on your revenue!” Now that Covid restrictions are easing, Bridey is looking to grow her team, her clientele, and her services, including adding all colour services. She explained: “In this modern age, it’s totally normal for men to care about their image just as much as women. We live in a country that thrives with equality. That’s why it’s important to start breaking this myth that ‘men should be men’ and colouring your hair is only for girls! Let’s bring more equality into our barbershops – that’s what Bridey Jo Barbers is all about.”

“IT’S 2021! SO, WE HAVE TAKEN THE LEAP TO BREAK THE NORM AND SET OURSELVES APART FROM THE REST, BECAUSE BRIDEY JO BARBERS IS A MODERN-DAY PLACE WHERE MEN HAVING THEIR BEARD COLOURED AND EYEBROWS WAXED IS TOTALLY ACCEPTABLE!” 97

Crazy about NORMAN BOULTON, SENIOR COLOURIST AND EDUCATOR AT NOT ANOTHER SALON/ ACADEMY OFFERS ADVICE TO THOSE CONSIDERING BRINGING COLOUR INTO THE BARBERSHOP. For Norman (@NormanBoulton), adding colour into the barbershop is an absolute no-brainer: “Everyone should be able to express themselves freely through their hair and colour is the best way to do that! Gone are the days of offices requiring everyone to have ‘natural’ hair. I have many clients who are embracing bleached hair and bolder colours. Offering colour services will generate more income and give you a happier, more versatile client base.” Norman is known for his eye-catching colour work. For Norman: “Crazy Color Ltd is my one true love! I’ve been using this brand since the beginning of my career and have never found anything more compatible. The colour range is versatile, fun and intermixable, making opportunities endless! Some people believe that because a haircut is short, they don’t need worry about the damage or hair health. But Norman says that this is not the case! “Bleach dries the hair out and can change the texture of the hair. Aftercare is essential is to keeping hair healthy and on your head.” For that, Norman recommends Pureology Hydrate and Strength Cure ranges: “Pureology is a life changing range! It’s free-from and vegan too!” So, what’s Norman’s advice for barbers looking to branch into creative colouring? “Get yourself educated, this is not a fake it ‘til you make it situation! Bleach is not everyone’s friend. Not Another Academy run loads of courses for all levels – check out our website! www.notanotheracademy.com/

“CRAZY COLOR LTD IS MY ONE TRUE LOVE! I’VE BEEN USING THIS BRAND SINCE THE BEGINNING OF MY CAREER AND HAVE NEVER FOUND ANYTHING MORE COMPATIBLE.”

Boost your business with Booksy! THE BOOKSY BOOKING APP HAS JUST ADDED YET ANOTHER FEATURE TO HELP YOU ORGANISE, MARKET AND PROMOTE YOUR BARBERSHOP. WITH THEIR POPULAR BOOST FEATURE, BOOSKY CAN HELP YOU BRING IN NEW CLIENTS AS WELL AS HELP YOU BRING IN YOUR REGULARS MORE OFTEN.

With Boost, your business will have the opportunity to get on the Booksy recommended pages. As well, it offers discount tools such as Happy Hours, Flash Sales and Last Minute Discounts, to help you reach clients—old and new—and fill up those gaps and quiet hours. Instead of having an initial start-up fee or payment contract, Booksy will take a 50% fee of any new client that finds you through Boost. So, if their first service costs £50, there is an initial fee of £25 to Booksy, and the rest, including the tip, is for you. Once the client comes in again, they automatically become a returning client and there will be no fee taken. As well, as Boost helps you get the attention and bring in your regular clients, you will not be charged. So, with Boost, there is no risk. It is free to activate, and easy to suspend and reactivate whenever you choose. On your dashboard, you can keep track of the clients you who have booked with you via Boost, and the revenue you have made from it. One of the tools made available to you by Boost is called Flash Sale. This is a great tool to use during seasonal periods or when opening a shop for the first time and you are looking to gain more customers. Through the tool, you can choose how much of a discount you would like to give, and for which services you would like to include in the sale. Then you can set the amount of time you’d like the sale to last for. For example, if you are

“BUILDING CLIENTELE IS A BARBER’S AND BARBERSHOPS PREROGATIVE, THE CUSTOMER CARE AND SERVICE YOU PROVIDE DOES THIS BUT THE BOOST FACILITY WORKS IN NAME AND BY NATURE, IT’S SUCH AN INCREDIBLE TOOL FOR SPEEDING UP THE PROCESS OF GAINING NEW CLIENTS. EVERY WEEK WE HAVE NEW CLIENTS BROUGHT TO US BY BOOST THAT SIMPLY DIDN’T KNOW WE EXISTED, AND LEFT ABSOLUTELY THRILLED THAT 2 THINGS WERE INVENTED.. BOOST, AND RUGER .” - ALAN BEAK

wanting to offer special holiday prices, or bring in customers to a new franchise location. Once you have set up the sale, it will invite you to send your clients a text message advertising the sale. After the period of time that you have set, the flash sale will automatically disappear from your page. Boost also includes the Last Minute Discount tool, for when you have last minute cancelled appointments. You can offer as much discount as you want and set how many hours in advance you would like clients to book. You can also select which services you are available to do within the time gap that you have. Again, it will prompt you to send a message to your clients to let them know of your last-minute availability. Who doesn’t love a Happy Hour. This is a great tool if you find that you have slow days of the week, or particularly slow hours of the day, you can use the Happy Hour feature to fill those times. You can choose which days and hours you would like to set a discount for, and for which services the discount can apply. There is nothing wrong with getting a little boost when you need one! Take advantage of the tools you have at hand, with Booksy.

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SHAVING TIPS FOR BARBERS

POST QUARANTINE HAIRSTYLES FOR MEN WITH CURLY TEXTURED HAIR

KENNY DUNCAN, SCURL GLOBAL AMBASSADOR

The following are shaving tips to help increase the quality of the shaving experience barbers provide to their clients. The key factors of a quality shave are the comfort of the shaving process and the careful removal of excess stubble all while keeping the face moisturized. The following key steps will help keep the skin bump free and lessen irritation with quality products like the SCurl Anti-Bump Smooth Glide Shave Gel and SCurl Anti-Bump Moisturizing Post Shave. These products are formulated for men of color and anyone needing extra care for sensitive bump prone skin. The key ingredients found inside both the Smooth Glide Shave Gel and Post Shave are Marshmallow Root, Aloe Vera, and Tea Tree Oil. The combination of these key ingredients allows the SCurl Anti-Bump shaving products to be a superior choice for clients with sensitive skin.

MARSHMALLOW ROOT - provides a slippery glide to the razor while soothing the scalp and protecting from irritations. ALOE VERA - helps soothe the scalp and remove excess oil. TEA TREE OIL - helps cleanse the skin and keep the skin clear.

STEP-BY-STEP SHAVING GUIDE: 1

Remove longer hairs on the head with a clipper. Clipping the hair down to a stubble will increase the ability for the razor blade to glide along the head.

Place a towel over the headrest, and then drape the client. Place one towel over the client’s lower neck. Wrap the head with a hot towel and let steam for two minutes. This will open the pores and soften the hair and scalp. When the towel is cool, slightly press into the skin for another one to two minutes. This will further soften the skin. Take off the towel and apply SCurl Smooth Glide Shave Gel liberally in a circular motion. Massage the shaving gel into the skin and make sure the gel is worked into the scalp well. Spray the scalp with warm water with a spray bottle, and then develop a lather while massaging the gel both with and against the grain. The process should be allow the hair to stand up higher allowing for a closer more comfortable shave.

Grip the head with your least dominant hand and stretch the skintight by pushing your thumb upwards. Use the razor with a freehand stroke in a motion with the grain of the hair growth pattern.

4 5

After the entire head is shaven, apply a hot towel to the scalp again.

Apply SCurl Smooth Glide Shave Gel in circular motions again to prepare for shaving against the grain for the closest shave possible (shaving against the grain is not recommended for everyone). It is ok for those who do not have sensitive skin and keep their scalp hydrated.

Lean your clients head onto the headrest that is covered with a towel. Grip the skin with your thumb on their forehead and begin to use freehand razor strokes going against the grain. Reposition your least dominate hand often to use your thumb to push the skintight immediately in front of the area to be shaven.

After the entire head is smooth and stubble free, apply SCurl Moisturizing Post Shave to protect the skin from bumps, and skin discoloration.

Apply a cold towel to close the pores of the scalp, and use the towel to remove any excess product.

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Kenny Duncan, SCurl Global Ambassador, Philly USA discussed the way to adapt to the challenges of post quarantine hairstyles with his UK counterpart SCurl Ambassador Sheldon Edwards HD Cutz London. In most major cities across the world, Covid-19 outbreaks caused mandatory shutdowns of non-essential businesses by local governments. Barbershops and hair salons suffered from being shut down, and still suffer due to clients not patronising as often. Barbershops and hair salons in towns typically benefit from frequent visits from most of their clients, but now face the reality of less frequent visits all due to Covid-19 related issues. These issues range from clients working from home, clients not working at all, restrictions to night life as well as places of worship. Kenny & Sheldon assess a few ways to adapt to these recent challenges as result of Covid-19. The by-product of less frequent visits is longer hair for men and protective styles for women. This creates a few opportunities in this season of less frequent visits. The first opportunity presented is a new look for each client. Men in our barbershops are embracing curly top haircuts, twists, braids and locks. We have several clients that formally wore wavy haircuts that now have twists or longer hair on top. As a result of clients trying new styles, we’ve been instructing them on the best ways to style and maintain their hair in between services. The second opportunity is product retail. We often suggest products to help maintain their newly created looks and ways to maintain healthy hair in between these now longer visits. The products most often used are the SCurl Free Flow Leave-In-Conditioner and Twist & Lock Gel. The Leave-In-Conditioner helps most hairstyles become manageable and adds moisture while the Twist & Lock Gel helps hold the desired style without drying the hair out and has become the go-to gel for ballers getting twist and locs. Both of these products are infused with coconut oil, olive oil and shea butter which help keep your client’s hair healthy. For more information about these products, please visit scurl.com. In addition, the SCurl Barber Retail Program makes it affordable to offer great products to every client at affordable prices and will be available soon in the UK at Chris & Sons distributors.

LUSTERS’ SCURL AND PINK NEXT LEVEL DISTRIBUTION BEGINS Chris & Sons are now an official distributor of our Luster’s premier brands, Scurl & Pink. You will get fantastic offers, experienced technical assistance and chances to show your skills during the many promotional campaigns we plan to launch in the future.

IMAGE TAKEN PRECOVID

Chris and Sons is today the UK’s leading independent distributor to the hair and beauty industry. Responsible for furnishing salons, barbers, spas and clinics all over Europe.

CREATE A PROGRAM FOR • PRODUCT • TOOLS • SCHOOL

Our companies also share in recognising talent and industry icons. None other than Mr Sheldon Edwards, HD Cutz is a brand ambassador for both our brands. He is an absolute perfectionist, hardest working barber in the biz and maintains a world class clientele list of ballers and celebrities. With this collaborative opportunity, look out for these upcoming promotions featuring Sheldon.

• TECHNIQUE Learn to earn from the best in the business! Luster’s and Chris & Sons supplying the product, tools with Sheldon Mr. HD Cutz, performs the

Contact Chris & Sons network, at their Enfield showroom which boasts more than 6,000 square feet of salon furnishing to suit all budgets, three major cash and carry’s in London or get deliveries from one of their warehouses.

Teaching Techniques.

Watch this space for further details and track the launch with Chris & Sons, plus the latest Luster News at @lustersinternational and www.lustersinternational.com Chris & Sons: 020 8443 8940 / www.chrisandsons.co.uk 102

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