NV BSL
Desmond Murray Kevin Luchmun
SPRING 2019
BARBERNV ISSUE 22
BARBER
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Credits Founder Joanne Reid | Editor Matthew McLaughlin | Graphic Designer Cara Scott | Sales & Marketing Manager Kat Heron | Writers Siobhan MacDonald and Caitlin Fyffe Front Cover Ben Clifford Stephenson | Design & Marketing PrintNV | Columnists Chris Foster and Chris Muskett Thanks Andis, Barberblades, Takara Belmont, Cool Blades, BarberSociety Live, Dr Salman Malik and etch Ž, Panasonic Professional Grooming, Piranha Barber Academy and Barber B, Barbicide, MHFed, City & Guilds, Adam Sloan, Desmond Murray, Kerri Mulgrew, Ben Clifford Stephenson, Jay Burns, Declan Williams, T.J. Wright, Colin Petrie, Art by NZ, Michael Damiano, Danny Robinson, Sheldon Edwards aka HD Cutz, Capsule Comms, North Barbers, Niall Keegan and Penthouse Barbers. Published by Gallus Print & Digital Media, 5 Newton Place, Glasgow G3 7PR | Email contact@salonnv.co.uk | Tel +44 (0) 141 212 5525 Copyright All work in this publication is copyright BarberNV Magazine and Gallus Print & Digital Media Ltd. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. Š Information and product prices are correct at time of printing. Some products may not be available in all stores.
BarberNV Magazine | 3
Hair: Declan Williams
MHFED / CITY & GUILDS
TRAINEE BARBER OF THE YEAR WINNERS Kerri Mulgrew — Scotland Jay Burns — England TJ Wright — Northern Ireland Declan Williams — Wales Ben Clifford Stephenson — Qualified Barber 4 | BarberNV Magazine
CONTENTS
I S S U E 22
08
50
etch®
British Barber of the Year
11
54
Education
Female barbers
12
59
Kevin Luchmun
BSL
16
66
Andis step-by-step
North Barbers
18
68
Danny Robinson
20
70
HD Cutz
Colin Petrie
28
74
Art by NZ
City & Guilds
30
76
The buzz cut
Desmond Murray
34
80
Chris Muskett
Michael Damiano
38
82
Chris Foster
Products
40
84
Instagram showcase
Penthouse Barbershop
48
86
New to e-chair.com
News
SHABA
Editor’s Comment Knowledge is power... No matter what you do in life education is paramount to success—that’s why this issue has a particular focus on education. From the City & Guilds Qualified and Trainee Barber of the Year competitions to our picks on some of the educational courses to watch, we’ve covered it all. Our cover image was provided by Qualified Barber of the Year, Ben Clifford Stephenson and was shot by the legendary Desmond Murray—who we have intervied about his wealth of industry and competition experience.
explain how social media is like a house party! Chris Muskett the lead MHFed educator flew out to Japan last year to teach seminars across the eastern archipelago on European barbering. Exclusively to BarberNV, he has given us his account of
Social media is everywhere and while it can be a great platform to post increasing artistic images of your brunch on, it’s also a tool your business cannot live without. We talked to some key influencers in barbering to give us their insights on success, barbering and social media. Our columnist Chris Foster even joined the conversation to
teaching and what he has learned from his travels. 2019 has already been a very busy and productive year for barbering and shows no signs of slowing down with BarberSociety Live In Paril and Barber Connect not long after. Long may barbering prosper and boom.
Enjoy! BarberNV Magazine | 5
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I N D U S T R Y NEWS R+CO JOIN THE VEGAN REVOLUTION We’re told in the next 10 years we must do everything we can to save our planet from global warming. With this in mind, more and more hair professionals are becoming conscious of the products they use. R+Co has recently announced all of their ranges have gone FULLY VEGAN. The brand has been working on this transition for the past few years, and with new innovations in raw ingredients, the vegetarian products can finally be reformulated. R+Co’s new vegan transformation has seen the brand receive overwhelming praise from stylists, customers and retailers alike.
ANDIS LAUNCH NEW PROFOIL SHAVER Andis has set a new benchmark in shaving and finishing precision with their latest Andis ProFoil® Lithium Titanium Foil Shaver—the ultimate tool for ultra-close shaves and fades. Barbers looking for unparalleled shaving performance are drawn to this tool, owing to its compact form that weighs in at less than five ounces. Perfectly proportioned and ergonomically contoured, the ProFoil® Lithium Plus delivers up to 80 minutes of run time from a single charge, with the option to use with the cord when the battery runs down. Individual gold titanium hypoallergenic foils house two rows of cutting blades, engineered to maintain their shape and deliver smooth, irritation-free results. The ProFoil Lithium Plus is driven by a robust
and quiet rotary motor running at 9,400 RPM for maximum performance. With a centrally located power switch, this tool is easily controlled by the thumb making it ideal for both left and right-handed users. The premium charging stand is sure to be appreciated by barbers and stylists alike to help keep work stations organised. Andis senior manager of product development, Danielle Gallo commented: “Barbers looking for reliably consistent shaving performance already favour the ProFoil. “This new iteration ensures the user experience is even more comfortable with enhanced control. Our best-selling shaver just got better.” Discover the new ProFoil Lithium Plus Titanium Foil shaver at andis.com
BBA LAUNCHES SEARCH FOR THE STARS OF TOMORROW The UK’s leading barber and men’s hairdressing association is launching a high-profile search for the stars of tomorrow with a national barbering competition. The British Barbers’ Association (BBA) has launched their National Student Barber of the Year 2019. The competition supported by VTCT, Wahl Men’s Method and Booksy seeks to discover the best talent among the next generation of UK barbers. The competition will give students the chance to develop and demonstrate their skills to their peers, as well as be recognised for their exceptional achievement.
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R+Co president Dan Langer said: “Being a full vegan brand was the goal since the inception of the brand. However, we had to make certain exceptions for performance. “Having vegan products aligns perfectly with the brand’s identity—promoting a modern, health conscious lifestyle that is ingrained in social consciousness.” The brand’s co-founder and celebrity stylist Thom Priano was at the forefront of this transition, having lived a vegan lifestyle for 10 years. Thom also plays an integral role in promoting and educating the health and environmental benefits of veganism. He said: “We want to send a message to both the hairdressing community and the greater world that you can have healthy, beautiful hair without harming animals. “As a company, R+co has a platform to raise awareness and prove through masterful formulation, performance and kindness that there is a better way. “We want to be the leaders that steer our industry toward doing what’s right.”
There will be three categories for entrants to compete in—basic haircut and finish (Level 2), basic facial hair design (Level 2) and precision, creative cut and finish (Level 3)—by submitting two photographs (front view and side view) of unassisted work they have done by 22 April 2019.
BBA on the National Student Barber of the Year Competition.
Winners will then be chosen on a specific judging day by a select panel of BBA judges, using the CompareAssess an innovative web-based assessment tool specifically developed to provide a highly accurate way of establishing the value of submitted work through the collaborative decisions of a team of expert judges.
Training providers or employers must apply on behalf of their learners and be members of the British Barbers’ Association while their learners must be undertaking a formally accredited barbering qualification at level 2 or level 3.
The first-place entrant in each category will receive their awards, plus a £500 prize with the winners being announced by 23 May 2019. VTCT apprenticeship manager, Lynda Whitehorn said: “VTCT is proud to be working with the
“If you are a barber with impeccable technical skill and precision when working, then this competition is for you. To win a competition like this can launch a career—good luck!”
Entry is free, as is membership to the BBA for those not already members. To request an application form, contact the BBA at competitions@britishbarbers.com For more information, go to britishbarbers.com
SOVEREIGN GROOMING TO OPEN ONLINE STORE This month Aberdeen male grooming giants Sovereign Grooming— formerly Huntsman—will launch a new line of male beauty and spa treatments alongside their first-ever online storefront. These new treatments—under the Sovereign Image banner—will be rolled out from a new area built up in their existing Union Street salon. Amongst the new services will be beard and eyebrow shaping, exfoliating skin treatments, hair-growth stimulation and spray tanning. The online retail arm of Sovereign will be packed full of the very best in hair, skin and beard care products and launched alongside these additional services. The collection has been personally curated by salon boss Kyle Ross, who was shortlisted by GQ Magazine for Barber of the Year category in September.
BARBER B AT BARBER SOCIETY LIVE Barber B, the man behind Piranha Hair Studio’s Unisex Afro & European hair education courses will be appearing and educating on-stage at BarberSociety Live this month. On the Monday of BarberSociety Live there is a look and learn seminar from the multi-award-winning barber art team R.A.T pack from REBEL REBEL, as well as a look and learn titled Blades, Fades, Hair Tattoos & Braids, a unique collaboration from Barber B (UK) and Ramses Versluis (NL). Blades, Fades, Hair Tattoos & Briads will be running on Sunday and Monday and is focused on inspiring barbers into a new way of thinking
about education and business. The 45-minute interactive seminars are a new concept being launched at BarberSociety Live with the aim to take them across the UK later this year. Barber B told BarberNV that he wanted to offer different opportunities to barbers and imporve on the educational systems already in place to take the industry forward. Possessing over 25 years’ worth of industry experience your education is in no better hands than it is with Barber B and his team. With an elegant edge that combines modern and classical techniques his show will certainly be one to pay close attention to. BarberSociety Live is on between April 7-8 and you can still buy tickets from www.barbersocietylive.com
CAPTAIN FAWCETT OPENS MARVELLOUS BARBER MUSEUM On Saturday 9 March Captain Fawcett hosted a splendid candle-lit soiree at his mysterious HQ in Kings Lynn, Norfolk. The rumours of Captain Fawcett gathering an intriguing collection of barbering artefacts was indeed true. Assisted by his right-hand man, the captain has curated a Marvellous Barbershop Museum within his own Gentleman’s Grooming Emporium—and with the captain’s party, the museum has been declared well and truly open. Guests travelled to Kings Lynn from Germany, France, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Russia, the USA, India, Pakistan and all corners of the UK to attend the grand opening. Making a personal appearance were several of Captain Fawcett’s excellent ambassadors: Carl-Johan Kellgren, Kim Johansen, Maxwell Newton, Russell
It includes Hanz de Fuko, the cult Los Angeles haircare line which counts David Beckham, Bruno Mars, and Scots superstar DJ Calvin Harris among its celebrity fans—luxury skincare brands Recipe for Men and Doers of London also feature. Sovereign is partnering with Shopify and Aberdeen-based Imajica to create the store, which will be launched as part of the salon’s new website in April. Kyle said: “We are very excited to be adding to the established barber and beard care lines already on offer at Sovereign. “Male Image is a huge growth industry in the UK and we are delighted to be able to offer a holistic approach to hair, beard and skincare under one roof. “Launching an online store is also a natural progression for the business. We’re fortunate to be in a position to retail some premium products typically seen in the likes of Selfridges and Harrods in London which we know will be popular with me who like to take care of their appearance.” Kyle, who grew up in Methlick, has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the industry since launching Sovereign in 2016. As well as being named Best Barber UK in 2017, he was also crowned Scottish Men’s Hairstylist of the Year in 2017 and SHABA Male Barber of the Year in 2018. The business—which Kyle runs with business partner Ryan Crighton—will open its second salon in Edinburgh in Spring this year.
Bristow, Pietro Grassilli, Herr Feldman, Glynn Woods, Arron Raw, Johnny Appleby and Penelope TaylorNewton. The event also welcomed Ricki Hall, Sid Sottung and Viraj Singh of The Jodhpur Company, the well-known characters behind some of Captain Fawcett’s beloved Signature Series. Meanwhile Andreas of Germany, Fiona of Ireland, Juan of Spain and Francesco of Italy represented some of the captain’s global distributors. Mangiamo’s and a Shef’s hog roast provided grub for attendees while toasts were raised with drinks from AJ Bars. And new chums Rok Soba, the brothers who inject rock‘n’roll into sobriety, pitched up with their excellent newly launched alcohol-free Zero Fear stout. Glitz and glamour a go-go was also on the menu with the delightful Miss Velma Von Bon Bon and ravishing Miss Millie Dollar plus Mr Edd Muir whose dramatic aerial antics paid homage to the world of Peaky Blinders and music filled the night thanks to On the Level, featuring Captain Fawcett’s own Corey Doades on bass guitar. Final mention must go to the exceptionally skilled Scapicchio Barber Family, barbers for five
generations, who demonstrated their famed Kamisori fixed blade shaving technique to great wonder and amazement. The museum features items of interest to all with a passion for barbering, history and objects with a story to tell. With a background in the film industry, Richie Finney has curated Captain Fawcett’s museum with the eye of a set designer, and as such, it also serves as a unique photo and film location. Visitors to the Museum, located on the mezzanine of Captain Fawcett’s Emporium, will also be able to sample and purchase the full range of Simply First Class Gentleman’s Grooming Requisites.
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BARBERING SHOW INSPIRES ALL Fife College’s Carnegie Conference Centre in Dunfermline was the place to be to see the latest in the barbering world as it recently hosted the Modern Barbering Show. The show displayed the latest trends in cuts and barbering at the event with live cuts on stage enjoyed by an audience of barbers and hairdressers from throughout the region. Hayden Cassidy, the London-based barber who is an Andis global educator and works alongside fashion magazines, photographers and artists was one of the individuals who gave a presentation. Greg Forrest and Eric Begg from Slicks Barber Shop in Glasgow also did a live demonstration showing their different techniques such as skin fades, as well as discussing products they used and the benefits of them. Before the event took place Hayden, Greg and Eric met with the barbering students at Fife College to give them advice on progressing their careers in barbering. Adrian Rudge, barbering lecturer said: “What a fantastic event to have at Fife College which celebrates and showcases the world of barbering. We were delighted to be part of this partnership which has not only inspired our own students but also brought together professional barbers from throughout the region to share best practice and to learn from some of the best in the business.” Fife College offers a range of barbering courses including Certificate: Developing Barbering Skills, which lasts for 18 weeks and starts in February. For more details visit www.fife.ac.uk or call the hotline on 0344 2480121.
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SCOTTISH BARBER COMPETITIONS RETURN TO THE SEC, GLASGOW The Scottish Barber competitions will be returning to the SEC, Glasgow on Sunday 28 and Monday 29 April 2019. The competitions will be hosted as part of the Scottish Hair & Barber trade shows on the Barber Stage, sponsored by Andis and will feature the live finals of Scotland’s Best Barber, as well as announcing the winner of Scotland’s Best Student Barber. A brand-new addition to the competitions has been added as Andis, the Great British Barbering Academy and Styling Products UK are on the search for Scotland’s Best Barbering College. The aim of the competition is to recognise professional and student barbers, providing them with a chance to showcase their skills to a panel of expert industry judges.
Anyone who wants to take part has until 31 March to enter and can do so by visiting: scottishhairandbeautyshow.com Last year, Sam Massey was crowned Scotland’s Best Barber 2018 with Blayre Turnball named as Scotland’s Best Student Barber—Sam will be returning to showcase his award-winning barbering skills. The Barber Stage will feature many of Scotland’s leading barbering talent performing a range of demonstrations, from cutting and shaving techniques to styling and colouring: Scottish Hair & Barber is a national hair and barber trade show which runs alongside the Scottish Beauty exhibition at the SEC, Glasgow. There are over 350 brands from across the barber, hair and beauty sectors who are attending. Talks and live demonstrations will run alongside the exhibition, providing attendees with the chance to learn about the latest trends, products and techniques whilst gaining business advice and the chance to network amongst thousands of professionals.
BBA |
B R I T I S H B A R B E R T H E Y E A R 2 0 1 9
2019 proved to be a great year for those who entered the BBA’s annual British Barber of the Year competition. With entry numbers doubling from last year and the quality of the photography round made for a tough judging decision. As the finalists prepared for the live finals the commitment shown in finding the right model and demonstrating their creative talents on the day was evident. In the morning finalists competed in the Flattop Challenge with the semi-finals taking place in the afternoon. It was clear the competition was close with only one or two points separating some decisions. Tension in the air was thick and excitement built to fever pitch in and outside the BBA boxing ring held at HJ Live London in February. Britain’s most talented barbers
battled it out in the earlier rounds with the final round coming down to a battle between Rachael Flynn and Mathew Guerin. BBA judge Gary Machin said: “We knew this was going to be a very competitive and exciting final, all the finalists really wanted the title and you could feel the tension build throughout the day and the adrenaline was certainly flowing in the boxing ring in the final.” Mathew Guerin of Guerin Barbers, Ammanford, Wales impressed the judges on all ten areas of the criteria and came out the ultimate winner! He said: “Winning the BBA British Barber of the Year award is a dream come true and it is the highest achieving moment of my career so far.” Mathew not only won the coveted BBA Belt and title of BBA British Barber of the Year 2019, but also took home prize money of £2,000 and £500 worth of BBA Male grooming products, Wahl Clippers and Sensei scissors. The BBA also thanked their sponsors BBA Male Grooming, Booksy and Sensei, as well as HJ Live London and all of the judges.
O F
Mathew Guerin
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SURVEY REVEALS GROWING NUMBER OF FEMALE BARBERS AS INDUSTRY F I N A L L Y S H E D S I T S “ M A L E O N LY ” T A G A growing number of barbers in the UK are now female, exciting new figures from The Bluebeards Revenge male grooming brand have revealed. these figures won’t continue to improve.” Barbering is currently enjoying a remarkable renaissance in the UK and statistics show barbershops are outperforming beauty salons, nail bars and health clubs when it comes to opening the most retail stores. The Local Data Company’s Retail and Leisure trend report 2017/2018 found barbershops also outgrew restaurants, bars, pizza takeaways, coffee shops and mobile phone stores. These findings follow another survey from The Bluebeards Revenge which showed 95% of men still visit the high street to go to their barbershop or hairdresser.
Number of female barbers in the UK: 2015: 434 of 4,126 (10.5%) 2016: 679 of 4,561 (14.8%) 2017: 911 of 5,235 (17.4%) 2018: 1,087 of 5,786 (18.7%) 2019: 1,419 of 6,004 (23.6%)
Source: The Bluebeards Revenge (as of March 1, 2019)
T
he survey released ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March shows nearly a quarter of UK barbers are now female—up from 10% in 2015. The brand has attributed the rising numbers to increasing standards as well as changing attitudes towards gender equality. Sophie Collins, a barbershop owner from North Wales and an official ambassador for The Bluebeards Revenge, said she was encouraged by the results and believed it is only matter of time before females make up half of all barbers. As a female barber, Sophie, 28, has faced many challenges; some men not only didn’t want her to cut their hair, but would mock her ability or even walk out of her barbershop when they realised she was a female. Sophie, who was named the Best Wet Shaving Barber in Wales two in a row, said: “When I first started out on my barbering journey back in 2013 it was such a hard business for a female to break into because it was so male-dominated. The female barbers, unfortunately, that were successful five to six years ago were perhaps the good looking ones. “I remember the days when men would walk into my barbershop, take one look at me and walk straight out in disgust. Fortunately, this has changed and men have moved on and are much more liberal and open-minded. The fact I’m a female has become irrelevant and it’s just accepted that I’m not a bloke. “I want to use my profile and success to inspire and encourage even more females into the industry, as it’s such a rewarding career path.” Nick Gibbens, spokesperson for The Bluebeards Revenge, said the findings were hugely encouraging and showed how far the industry had come in recent years. He said: “We have been working hard to promote gender equality in the industry and the signs are looking positive. There is still so much more to do but if the industry pulls together then I see no reason why
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QUICKSILVER
DANNY VAN TUIJL, GINGER|LEMON HAIRSPACE Hair: Danny van Tuijl, co-founder of Ginger|Lemon Hairspace Photography: Felix Rachor Makeup: Franziska Wilke Fashion styling: Lizzy Lemon
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Hair: Danny van Tuijl, co-founder of Ginger|Lemon Hairspace Photography: Felix Rachor Makeup: Franziska Wilke Fashion styling: Lizzy Lemon
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BARBE R S O CIET Y
L IV E
2 0 1 9
2019 marks the fourth instalment of the larger than life Benelux-based barber festival, BarberSociety Live. Year on year the BarberSociety team ups their game and in four short years have created a European barbering legacy like no other.
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he two-day barber extravaganza will be held on the 7-8 of April in Zuiveringshal West at the Westergasfabriek complex, Amsterdam. BarberSociety Live brings together barber educators and brands from around the world under one roof for a world-class event attracting more than 1,000 barbers and spectators. The first day is ‘barbers only’, with day-two open to everyone! This year, BSL has a particular focus on charity, as barbers from the Barber Angels Brotherhood volunteer group will be giving free haircuts to Amsterdam’s homeless. The fourth BarberSociety Live will also boast two battles—a BarberSociety Battle for national and international barbers and a BarberSociety Young Talent Battle in association with hairdressing and barbering colleges. BarberSociety founder and owner of Van de Hare Amsterdam Barbers, Marc van de Hare said: “We’re delighted to see BarberSociety Live keep growing! It makes me so proud when I read that many people see BarberSociety Live as the best barber event in Europe. And
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with good reason as there are around 50 barbers who have a tattoo of our logo and barber educators from every corner of the world are keen to take to our stage. “I’m really looking forward to this fourth edition that will feature a super informative and inspiring programme on both days, great brands and loads of fun! None of this would be possible without our sponsors. We’d especially like to thank 1922 by JM Keune that has been our loyal sponsor from day one. We’re also delighted to welcome the new sponsor Red Deer and their outstanding Barber Clipper No. 1!” Alfred Isaacs, director and owner of Exonda Salon Tools, Germany said: “I knew immediately when I visited BarberSociety Live in Amsterdam last year in the run-up to the launch of our brand-new Red Deer Barber Clipper No.1—this is the perfect platform for introducing our new and unique product to the Dutch barber scene! While our products are totally ‘Made in Germany,’ I’m naturally a Dutchman through and through! That’s why I’m very proud that we’re an official sponsor for
BarberSociety Live 2019.” It’s clear that BarberSociety Live is a not-to-be-missed event for everyone interested in the world of barbering. Two days packed with the best barbering talents, inspiring shows, interesting seminars, prestigious battles, demos, lifestyle brands with the best and latest barbering-related brands, products and tools and much more. We’ll see you there in April.
Programme
Barber Battle The BarberSociety Battles were held for the first time last year and they were a resounding success. That’s why BarberSociety Live 2019 will once again feature barbers proving their skills and creativity in front of a live audience. The line-up features two BarberSociety Battles, powered by 1922 by JM Keune:
Sunday, 7 April— BarberSociety Battle
Professional barbers who own or work at a barbershop are eligible to test their skills in the barber battle. In addition to the honour of carrying the title BarberSociety Winner of the Year 2019, participants can also take home prizes including €1,000 in cash.
Monday, 8 April— BarberSociety Young Talent Battle
The Young Talent Battle is for hairdressing and barbering college students and is made possible through a partnership with Dutch hairdressing and barbering education programmes. A college league table will be drawn up
whereby the top three colleges will win product prizes made available by the sponsors. Director of Keune Hair cosmetics, Eelco Keune explained: “We’ve been a sponsor of this event from day one because we’re convinced this great profession deserves a platform. It’s with good reason that so many barbershops are springing up like mushrooms. This reflects a clear need for men to have a place of their own. This is why we are also sponsoring the battles because we believe in the value of competitions and encourage barbers to take part.” Marc van de Hare continued: “We received a number of registrations immediately after the battles in 2018, so we expect even more barbers and students to battle it out this year. We applaud this because participating in battles is exceptionally good for your development and creativity. Watching the battles is also a learning experience for non-participants. They enable you to gain inspiration and to see differences in barbering techniques in different cultures.”
The complete programme will be announced soon via the BarberSociety Live website and their social media channels. However, it’s already clear the fourth edition will showcase some of the greatest barbering talent from the across the globe, including ambassadors of 1922 by JM Keune and Redken Brews. The legendary UK barber and amazing BarberNV columnist Chris Foster will continue his tradition of moderating the proceedings and present in his distinctively energetic style. The final line-up of top barbers that will present on stage: • Julius Cvesar (USA) • Leah Hayden Cassidy (IR) • 1922 by JM Keune feat. Ronald de Bont, James Beaumont & Tom Chapman (NL/UK) • Ruger. Barber feat. Alan Beak & Liam Twist (UK) • Barber B & Piranha Barber Academy (UK) • Scapicchio Accademia shaving show (IT) • Redken Brews feat. Boudewijn Jurriaans & Russel Zohan Seneviratne (NL) • Spaghetti’s feat. Antonio & Woody Esposito (IT) • Rebel Art team (UK)
For tickets and more information visit barbersocietylive.com
• AHMA (Asia Hair Masters Association) feat. Zen Yip, More Yang & Jay Lee (HK/TW)
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NORTH BARBERS
2 4 - HOU R
C U T T I NG
E V E N T
Four barbers from North Barbers in Exeter took part in a 24-hour cutting event on 9 March in the aid of two local charities. Stephen Simms, Marley Mayer, Christie Walker and Daniel Barcroft were on their feet for a full day raising money for the St. Petrock’s and Dream-A-Way organisations.
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orth Barbers owner Stephen told BarberNV: “We decided if we were going to do it we’d do it for a local charity and keep it in the community. St Petrock’s is a homeless and community charity that’s based in Exeter city centre. What they do for the homeless is incredible.” Dream-A-Way is an organisation who help children and adults affected by disability, helping over 15,000 people since their inception in 1993. Over the 24-hours of cutting hair the team took in £1,345 and factoring in the blind auction the total cash raised came to just shy of £2,400. Giving back to the community by selecting local organisations got many customers and local businesses to throw their support behind the barbers. “A lot of the people who got involved know one of the charities and we had clients walk in with food for us just to keep us going through the night. We had one client who cooked a barbeque for six hours!” For the blind auction lots of local businesses offered up incredible prizes to help North raise as much they could. With the local team sending in a signed football and a cookery school auctioning off a free lesson for one lucky couple. “It is because of the community side of things; people know who they’re helping
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out and that’s so important. When they can relate to what you’re doing it makes such a big difference.” Stephen told us the inspiration behind the event was a suggestion by resident barber Marley Mayer. “He [Marley] thought it was going to be an empty suggestion. Like I was going to turn around and say ‘yeah, that sounds like a really good idea,’ then never do anything about it. Three weeks later I turned up with all the advertising for it. His face definitely dropped a little when I told him it was definitely happening [laughs.]” As throw-away as the suggestion may have been it’s impossible to deny the impact the event has had. Not only for the charities but for the barbers themselves, as not a single one could think back to that Saturday without laughing.
“The shop was consistent all day, there wasn’t really a point where it was really busy where there’s like 30-40 people in the shop. As one client left another would walk through the door.” The barbers described a lull in customers some 6pm for people to immediately pack the shop out again. Once the lull hit Steven decided to put up the dart board in an effort to keep everyone going. But as he told BarberNV that was the point where people began streaming back into the shop. “After that we were flat out until midnight. That’s where it really burnt us out. The last client came in at 5:15am and you knew as soon as that guy came in that was going to be the last one and our bodies just shut out.” This is the first charity day North Barbers has organised but it certainly won’t be the last— even if there’s not another 24-hour event. “We’ve got the bug for it now; I want to do another one next year. I wouldn’t do another 24 hours that actually hurt. “I think I’m going to make it into a yearly thing for us. Do something quirky and something different every time. I’ve got an idea for next year, it’s even more interesting and we’re hoping to get even more people involved!” If you’re close to Exeter keep your eyes peeled for what North Barbers do next.
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SH A BA SH A BA Scottish Scottish Hair Hair & & Beauty Beauty Awards Awards Scottish Hair & Beauty Awards IN ASSOCIATION WITH IN ASSOCIATION WITH
BARBERNV S A L O N BARBERNV S A L O N BARBERNV S A L O N #SHABA18 #SHABA18 SO ITA BEGINS.. #SH BA18 IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Have you or your salon entered #SHABA19? Registration is closed but voting will be open soon and will remain open until the end of May! So do everything you can to prepare yourself for the biggest competition and biggest night in the Scottish hair and beauty calendar. Last year over 100,000 votes were cast to decide the finalists for the eighth Scottish Hair & Beauty Awards. This year, as we creep closer to a decade of SHABA; the premiere night in the Scottish hair and beauty calendar will be bigger and better than ever. Once again, the evening will be held at the glamourous Glasgow Hilton. Hundreds of salon owners, professionals and tastemakers from all over the UK will be travelling to Glasgow to be a part of the glitz and glamour of the evening. Registration is now officially closed, but as of 15 April voting will open and clients across the industry will decide who the finalists will be. The night will bring the industry’s brightest stars under one roof to celebrate the best of the best, mingle and network. There will be a whole host of names, not just from the Scottish beauty sector, but professionals from across the UK. SHABA is a one-of-a-kind night that continues to flourish every year. SHABA’s team of expert judges will use all the experience at their disposal to make an informed call on the finalists. They’ll look at the quality and consistency of work and customer service skills, so just remember that reputations will not precede you and nothing will slip by the panel.
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SHABA BARBERING CATEGORIES Best Barber Shop • Best Barber • Best Barber Colourist Best Apprentice Barber • Best Wet Shave
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SHABA19 |
The Judges
The Scottish Hair & Beauty Awards treats the task of judging their barbering categories with the highest importance. That’s why SHABA has called upon the very best in the industry to judge Scotland’s finest industry professionals. Now, BarberNV can announce some of the renowned experts who will be deciding the finalists ahead of 8 September.
PHIL JARMAN ALAN BEAK SHABA receives entries from the very best barbers in Scotland, so it wouldn’t be doing them justice if they weren’t judged by the best. Alan Beak is the co-owner and co-founder of RUGER. barbers. British barbering has few names as recognisable as Alan’s. The barber behind more than one BarberNV cover, Alan’s meteoric rise in barbering has seen him mass over 130k Instagram followers. The barbering categories couldn’t hope for a better judge of skill.
Our first barber judge brings with him a wealth of experience. Born in Port Glasgow, Phil has travelled the world with his scissors before settling down south where he owns Carlo & Co. in Cambridgeshire. Phil can spot a great haircut from a mile away so this year’s barbers will really need to be at the top of their game. Phil says he is in the 30th year of apprenticeship and continues to learn every day—no one will better understand the pressures of being a modern barber.
ADAM SLOAN
JONATHAN ANDREW
Adam Sloan was the first barber in 365 years to be allowed to join the Barber’s Guild, which is now run by surgeons and dentists. Adam helps future generations of barbers by producing textbooks, journals and instructional videos. To top it off, he was the recipient of the SHABA 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award—so who better to judge the prospective barbers?
Jonathan is one of the coolest men in hair today. A multi-awardwinning stylist, Jonathan most recently has been announced as the newest Fudge Professional global brand ambassador. With a wealth of TV, stage, session and shoot experience, Jonathan is sure to bring glamour to the judging panel.
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SHABA winners don’t just win a beautiful SHABA plaque to display in their workplace—they will also be feature in SalonNV and BarberNV magazines!
SHABA TIMELINE
February 11: Registration opened for SHABA 2019.
April 1: Registration for SHABA 2019 closes.
April 15: Voting opens. All winners appear in the following magazine issues, pictured onstage receiving their award.
June 10: The judges will have made their final decisions and you will know if you’ve made the final cut.
August 5: Deadline for all required finalists to submit their evidence/portfolios.
All winners then have the chance to have their own double-page editorial feature in either SalonNV or BarberNV.
September 8: SHABA 2019 takes place at the Hilton Hotel, Glasgow.
You could even appear on the cover, like Colin McAndrew (Best Male Stylist, 2018) and Kyle Ross (Best Barber, 2018).
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AMERICAN CREW ALL-STAR CHALLENGE WINNER
GEMMA WILLOCK-SMITH Hair: Gemma Willock-Smith Photography: @cutscoolcats Model: Jason Trotter
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REAL RECOGNISES REAL HOW T O U S E S O C I AL M E DI A A S A BU S I N E S S OW N E R C OL I N
P E T R I E
Social media in 2019 is crucial for any industry brand, barber or business—that much should be self-evident. But what’s the best approach? And where do you begin? Founded in 2014 by Colin Petrie, Hard Grind has become one of the most recognised and respected names in the global barbering scene. This is as much to do with Hard Grind’s social media presence as it is their sheer technical ability as a barbering collective. In the aftermath of a very hectic year, Colin chatted with BarberNV about how HG became the social media juggernauts so synonymous with the industry.
Colin Petrie
“A
nything I do on social media isn’t because I’m smart or clever, it’s not because I’ve got some grand plan. We speak very openly and honestly about things, which luckily for us happens to resonate with people.” From the outside, Hard Grind feels much more like a family unit than a staff of barbers. Everyone up and down the company has “hardgrind” in their Instagram handles and shape their lives around the HG collective—an important paragon to the brand’s identity. Like everything Hard Grind does there’s a distinct air of authenticity all their own and is far removed from a suit and tie branding strategy. The brand unity came when Colin, whose original tag was Chad Hogan, wanted to name his son Chad but only if he wasn’t known as Chad himself. Thus he changed his online handle to @colin_hardgrind. From there, Ryan, who worked with Colin at the time, changed his @ and suddenly the familia was born.
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“We’ve never once asked anyone to change their name, but I’m really proud of the fact that people want to associate their whole page and life with a brand I’ve started. It’s like a family because that’s what we are. We’re very personal with our accounts, it’s not just haircut after haircut. “A lot of us have kids now, so we’re babysitting for each other and that’s what we post about—there’s no real rhyme or reason that’s just what’s happening. If I’m hanging with my kid then that’s what I’m going to post about, if I’m cutting hair that’s what I’m going to post about, if I’m in Russia doing a show the post is going to be about Russia. “It’s just follows our lives but you have to put your life out there if that’s what you want your brand to be seen as because if not then I don’t think you have a shot.” Hard Grind is hard to think of as an entity and not a group of charismatic personalities, certainly a quality that has helped build their brand identity. While Colin keeps telling BarberNV that they hit certain trends at the right moment it’s clear there’s more to their success than simple luck. There’s a passion and realness behind Hard Grind, even when they’e posting the silly little things. “We’ve got a shop rule if you get grannied you have to get an eyebrow slit or your leg waxed or something. From day dot we’ve been posting things like that and that wasn’t very done at the time. From day one we’ve been us, we’ve been stupid and funny. Thankfully it did work for us and we’ve been very transparent about everything.” Hard Grind sells itself on what it is, with no pomp or circumstance. There’s comfort food, coffee and all the amenities you could possibly want from a barbershop. But this isn’t where it ends, Colin prides himself on showcasing all aspects of
the industry, including those areas others might shy away from. “We’ve always posted inspiring and gritty things. We post a lot about the dark side of the business and we know people open up shops that don’t have much background in business—they just want to cut hair. We’ve always been very open about how tough and stressful it is and of course the benefits as well, but you have to have a lot on your plate to take on something like that. “The game’s changed massively since the beginning, everyone’s very active on social media and making a big deal about using it as a business tool—which we did. And I mean we’re the busiest shop in town and we’re nine chairs deep, so it’s obviously served its purpose but it doesn’t come without its stresses at the same time. “In the beginning we fell in the trap of posting at specific times, making sure you got your three posts per day, making sure you posted something just so you stayed relevant. We’re the opposite of that now, we post what we want to post, we don’t play a game. “This goes against a lot of what people who talk about creating content say but to me, it depends who you’re creating the content for. For us at the beginning we had a lot of reposts from big companies, big names, big pages which was great for getting us recognised in the
industry but really that never put a penny in my till. It doesn’t help me or my business and it doesn’t help the staff here every day, grinding and cutting. “We’re more Brand to Customer [B2C], we’re hashtagging local places like Dundee. We still want more people to find us here, we work with the student population that comes to the city because that will actually advance the business we have here, not the just the business we have in terms of the industry. You’ve got to have a balance.” Hard Grind, like many top barbershops have sponsors and affiliates. But with the prestige of having brand recognition comes the obligation of showcasing these partnerships. According to MarketingCharts Research, social ads are now second only to television advertising among millennials, making collaborations that much more attractive for brands looking to capitalise on business and influencer marketing. Colin doesn’t have any particular tips or tricks on how to get the most traction, simply, he goes back to his mantra that real recognises real. “We only work with brands we really love and believe in. It’s not about what they can give us. We do events for these people, we do pop-ups for these people—Sailor Jerry really doesn’t need me to post about their rum to get their rum out there. “You do enough for the brand to make them happy and they should do enough for you to keep you sweet, and you work together from there. I mean we’re sponsored by Matakki, but we don’t post pictures of scissor after scissor and they don’t need it to be like that. It would turn a lot of people off if we started posting like that.” For parting advice, Colin said: “People want to make a name for themselves and want to be recognised in the industry, which is great but all they post is haircuts. You aren’t really building a brand then, but there’s not a face attached to it, there’s not a personality attached to it. Without something there to pull you in besides the haircut, I think you’ll struggle to build a brand on that. “I think you’ve got to be real with it and put personality through it, you’ve got to put yourself out there. It’s a hard thing to do because you’ll get scrutinised for it, you’ll get hate for it, you’re going to get talked about, but that’s just going to happen. If you aren’t ready to be talked about, you aren’t ready to be successful.”
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C I T Y
&
G U I L D S
TRAINEE BARBER OF THE YEAR
C
ity & Guilds Trainee Barber of the Year is a competition to find the very best in young barbering talent from around the UK. Four trainee barbers and one qualified barber fought hard to be recognised as the very best in their respective regions—Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales. The prize? A prestigious photoshoot in London with the current BHA British Men’s Hairdresser of the Year Desmond Murray—a dream for many in the industry. With clothing and style provided by one of the industry’s best fashion stylists, Joey Bevan—all supported and assisted by members of the Men’s Hair Federation [MHFed.] The brief for the shoot should come as little surprise to anyone who knows MHFed founder Adam Sloan... Rod Stewart. The glam of the tartan and leopard print definitely kept the young barbers on their toes but the finished looks proved each and every winner deserved their titles. On the day of the shoot the brief was to create three looks based on three different outfits. It showed the increased confidence of all the winners when they started modifying the outfits so the fashion fitted better worked with their editorial visions. Soaking in the wealth of industry experience around them incubated this confidence. Ben Clifford Stephenson told Adam he hadn’t expected to have learned as much from a single day as he had—the fruits of his experience are there for
THE WINNERS Kerri Mulgrew (Scotland) Jay Burns (England) TJ Wright (Northern Ireland) Declan Williams (Wales) Ben Clifford Stephenson (Qualified barber)
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all to see on our cover! “It was daunting,” Adam told BarberNV. “Every single one of them rose to the occasion and produced incredible images. Editorial is very different from commercial, especially when you’re going with the style we went with. The hair has to suit the whole look you know!” The quality shown by the winners was undeniable, both Des and Adam couldn’t say enough about the five young barbers and their finished looks. Looking triumphantly at the winners Des said “you guys are the future”. Creating editorial looks rather than Instagram looks must have presented a high level of challenge, throwing them in the deep end but their confidence swelled and every single barber came away with a stronger understanding of their editorial voice. Kerri Mulgrew took to social media to declare: “Fantastic day and an experience I’ll never forget so early in my career!”
overwhelmed and excited to win 1st place and be part of a fantastic day as there was a lot of great cuts for the Scottish catergory. I can’t thank everyone involved enough for the amazing experience.”
Kerri Mulgrew, Scottish winner said: “I began helping my friend Alisha out in her barbershop doing junior duties. I realised quickly that I had an interest in barbering and the skills involved from observing in the shop and from various barber events. I wanted to persue a career doing something which I had a passion for and which never stops teaching and changing and I definitely found that in barbering. “I decided to go to college to learn further about barbering, I entered the competition through college as they are always encouraging us to showcase our work. I was
Jay Burns, the English winner said: “The experience has been amazing a little unbelievable to be honest to be chosen as number one is an honour and has been a massive boost to the start of my barbering career. It’s been very hard work and to win this has made it all worth it. “I started out cutting my own hair while I was travelling in South America [...] I watched some YouTube videos bought clippers and cut it. The haircut apparently wasn’t that bad so my friends who I was travelling with asked me to do theirs [...] I thought maybe I could do this when I came back.
“I was enrolled on the City and Guilds barbering apprenticeship and working at Pall Mall Barbers. Dan Davies the general manager at PMB informed me of the competition so I thought I’d give it a go completely not expecting to win it. “Obviously, the prize to be featured in Barber NV and City and Guilds magazine was not something I thought would have been possible a year ago. It just shows that if you committed and work hard it’s achievable.” T.J Wright, the Northern Ireland regional winner said: “When I found out I had won the N. Ireland Trainee Barber of the Year I was over the moon and it actually brought my mother to tears! “I can honestly say that I couldn’t have asked for a better team of tutors around me encouraging me to do my best. I feel I must give a special mention to my barbering peer Cathal Harte who encouraged and inspired me to aim high and the staff in people 1st Hairdressing and Barbering Academy for believing and guiding me throughout my level 2 qualification. “Winning the award has confirmed to me that I am on the right path [...] the photoshoot with Desmond Murray is a dream come true and such an amazing experience for me as a trainee barber just starting my career. I intend to pursue my dream of one day opening a chain of salons in countries that I have yet to visit.” Declan Williams, the Wales regional winner said: “I started barbering about five months ago. It had been something that I’ve been interested in since I was in school. Once I’d finished my education I realised I wanted to do something that would challenge me, but also something that I would enjoy. “I headed straight to barbering, applying for Beatties & Co for Guys and Dolls. The MHFed/City and Guild National Trainee
THE PROCESS The initial competition was advertised on social media and in colleges throughout the UK. The brief for those looking to enter was to submit a before and after image working towards an editorial look. The images didn’t have to be professionally curated or photographed but the judges looked for the barbers who possessed a particularly editorial gaze. Adam Sloan told BarberNV: “We decided this year to go for a digital competition, so there was no live stuff at all. The brief was a before and after that worked towards an editorial look—thus the photoshoot with Des. “We had thousands of entries, it’s the biggest we’ve ever had and the quality of entries was
Barber competition is the first competition I’ve entered. So it was a very nerve-racking experience but I enjoyed every moment. “Coming first in this competition is something I would have never imagined happening just six months ago. I was so excited finding out the results is was surreal. Then finding out I was getting to work with Desmond Murray was amazing. “I just want to give a big thank you to James Beattie for taking me under his wing and
Ben Clifford Stephenson, Qualified Barber of the Year, with Desmond Murray
so high. In particular from Northern Ireland, the number of entries was record breaking. It was probably the toughest region to judge because the caliber was so high. “We then went to the City & Guild for the judging panel. We had to have sittings there were so many and we worked all day on finding the top three from each region.” Feedback for the competition has been phenomenal, with Adam telling BarberNV they’ll repeat the same format for next year. We can only encourage every young barber with editorial aspirations to keep their eyes peeled for next year’s competition.
teaching me what I know today. If it wasn’t for his guidance I wouldn’t have been available to achieve this prize.” Ben Clifford Stephenson, Qualified Barber of the Year, who won the BarberNV cover mount said: “I got into barbering about two years ago. Barbering was something that had always interested me but I thought it was too late changing career being 28 at the time. I was fortunate enough to have a sit down with my mum who not only supported the idea but funded my course—so a massive thank you mum! “I worked full-time lifeguarding whilst I trained at Changes Academy under Joe Sloan and Chris Muskett, who made sure I never settled for average. Whilst training at the academy I won the City & Guild Trainee Barber of the Year 2017 at Salon International which was pretty overwhelming at the time. “For the past year, I’ve been working at JBS Lifestyle alongside Jake Lansley. Where I’ve been knuckling down working on my craft and building clientele. “I’m over the moon that I won the competition. I want to say a big thank you to Adam Sloan and the MHFed for the opportunity to showcase my work. I also want to use this platform to let everyone know you’re never too old to change it up and follow your passion.”
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Hair: Jay Burns
MHFED / CITY & GUILDS TRAINEE BARBER OF THE YEAR WINNERS Kerri Mulgrew — Scotland Jay Burns — England TJ Wright — Northern Ireland Declan Williams — Wales Ben Clifford Stephenson — Qualified Barber 32 | BarberNV Magazine
Hair: T.J Wright
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O N
DESMOND MURRAY
H I S
C A R E E R , E D U C A T I O N A N D A W A R D S
Desmond Murray is a multi-award-winning hairdresser and photographer with an unparalleled editorial gaze. Not only does the two-time and current BHA Men’s Hairdresser of the Year have an artistic lens for editorial, but he also takes on the monumental task of shooting his own collections! Thanks to his drive to challenge himself and reach new heights, over his 30-year career Des has built up a dragon’s hoard of accolades. Culminating in him being inducted into British Hairdressing’s Hall of Fame in 2009. Des took the winners of City & Guilds Trainee Barber of the Year and Qualified Barber of the Year under his wing to pass on some of his cumulative knowledge. Photographing the editorial looks from the day, Des also helped shape how the younger generation looked at hair. BarberNV got the chance to sit down with Des and chat about his career, education and how to prepare for competitions. BNV: With so much experience do you have one particular career highlight? DM: I think the most memorable for me is the first time I won Men’s Hairdresser of the Year because it was the first shoot I had ever shot and done the hair. It completely blew my mind. Not just winning the award for hair but shooting it yourself is a really tall order. BNV: As the current BHA Men’s Hairdresser of the Year do you think it’s important to pass on your knowledge to younger hair professionals? DM: For me, education is the key to our industry. At the end of the day, I would not be here if it wasn’t for someone that took me under their wing and taught me everything they knew. And if we don’t share that knowledge the industry isn’t going to grow. I think the purpose of MHFed and the Fellowship is to nurture young talent and they’ve done an amazing job. If I was a young up and coming hairdresser today, I would go outside of your comfort zone because there’s absolutely loads of places you can learn from. I will also say, pick your teachers well because you’re going to be an extension of your teachers. BNV: What’s the best advice you can offer people looking to get into barbering or hairdressing? DM: I think colleges are good because they’ll teach you all the theory, but I think the main thing is to do a lot of research. Depending on where you’re from find out who has the best shop or salon, then go to
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Desmond Murray them and apply to them. When you’re young you’ve got nothing to lose, you have your age, skill, everything. Where you go to learn is really important, if you want to move out of your town, go to the best. If I was to learn now and I had to do my career all over again I would assist someone like Eugene Souleiman or Sam McKnight. BNV: What do you think is the biggest mistake barbers or men’s hairdressers might make? DM: Maybe putting a hole in someone’s head [laughs.] Jokes aside, I remember my first time doing men’s hair and I did exactly that—I put a hole in the back of someone’s hair. When you know how to correct your mistakes that’s when you become a professional. We all make mistakes because we’re human but you need to learn from those mistakes and not make them again. BNV: Has immersing yourself in photography and hair given you a greater concept for a finished product? DM: In the salon I do loads of commercial clients […] and it’s all very commercial. In a photography arena, looking at hair is totally different. The camera picks up hair differently than it would in a salon! The hair has to be amplified and the quality of the hair has to be bang on! I shoot with a Hasselblad camera, which is a medium format camera and it picks up every little strand of hair. I used to think like a hairdresser, I’d do a great haircut and didn’t give a damn about the face. In essence, if you haven’t got the right face it’s not going to work […] you could put a bin bag over Kate Moss’ hair and she’d look amazing and you could do crap hair on Kate Moss and she’d look amazing. But if you do good hair on someone who isn’t photogenic it’s going to look crap because you need that base to work from. The most important thing to get a great image is the blank canvas. Not only do they have to be photogenic, but they also have to be able to move as well. As hairdressers, I believe it’s important to see the
BNV: What’s your process when preparing for a shoot and where does your inspiration come from? DM: Let me take the awards for instance because that’s a really great scenario. It depends on where you want to go with it, but I think it’s important to learn from it and become a better person. For me the journey there is really important. If you learn from the journey that means you can take ideas or concepts from that and utilise it for something else. The process starts from looking at my last collection and thinking ‘I need to grow from that’. I need to take myself out of my comfort zone and learn new techniques and ideas and work with new products. Then I collate that into a mood board and I play with hair—whether it’s men’s or women’s—from there I come up with concepts, choose models and get to shoot. The mood board is my bible because the clothes stylists need to know where I’m going with my ideas and the makeup artists needs to know where I’m going and I need to know where I’m going [laughs.] For inspiration, I have loads and loads of pictures. I go to agencies like Streeters because they’ve got photographers, makeup artists and clothes stylists, they have the best people in the world. I go through Instagram and YouTube to see what’s going on there as well. From there I take inspiration from what everyone else is doing and I put my own spin on things—especially on the photographic side.
overall picture and not just the hair because that’s a mistake I made early on in my career. BNV: You’ve said before you started out assisting two photographers. Over time how have you built up your sharp focus for editorial images and how to you marry this with your work in hair? DM: I was really fortunate in the 80s to assist two fashion photographers. I worked with Vidal Sassoon for a while, then after that, I wanted to do more editorial hair. I wanted to still do hairdressing but not hair cutting, I just wanted to dress the hair. At the back of my head, I always wanted to do photography and I did try once. I remember I left Sassoon’s and thought I’ll do my own shoots, so I got a really cool friend of mine—she looks like a model—got a really good haircut on her, cool clothes and a makeup artist and we shot it outside. A week later they came back and it was awful. It was out of focus, it was overexposed, the whole lot and I thought there’s no way I could be a photographer. I started to get the editorial side of things together and I went to a studio it was in the Isle of Dogs and there were two photographers one was called Max Bradley, the other Paul Pollock. I always say to myself ‘what have you got to lose?’ I asked them if they would teach me photography if I did the hair for all their models and they said yes. They’re two slightly different photographers, Max was a little more editorial; he does a lot of stuff for Vogue, Face and I-D. Paul is very technical and he knew everything about cameras and lenses. So I became a hybrid of Paul, Max and probably Vidal Sassoon. My Men’s British Hairdressing Award shoot was actually a nod to Max Bradley. It was simple lighting, really effective, really strong and they’re quite graphic looks which is great. It’s been a great journey assisting those guys because without them I wouldn’t be here today.
BNV: What’s the best advice you can give to young barbers looking to do more photographic work? DM: There’s a website called Model Mayhem and if you wanted to get more hair photographed, there’s photographers and makeup artists who will all work for free. If you’re willing to give your time up, you’ll be able to do tests all day long if you want and you’ll get great images. If you want to do your own photography and your own hair, first and foremost it’s quite an expensive game. In this day and age, it’s a lot easier because everything is digital, all you have to know is lighting [...] if you want to do it yourself you can pick up quite a cheap camera; play around with it and have some fun. If you don’t have fun it’s a waste of time doing it. BNV: How should a barber prepare for entering a competition? DM: I always look at the standard and quality of past winners because that sets a precedent for the quality of work you have to do. It’s important to know who the judges are as well. If someone like Trevor Sorbie was judging I know I’d have to do very clever hair for example. I think it gives you a rough guide of what to do. You need to know what the criteria is so read the brief. Those three things give you rough guidance of what to do—you have to minimise the odds, it’s almost like gambling.
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TORI GILL AUSTRALIAN MEN’S HAIRDRESSER OF THE YEAR FINALIST
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W H A T
T O
D O
W I T H
INFLUENCE
I
M I C H A E L
D A M I A N O
nfluence is a funny thing, what do we define influence as? Is it simply people selling slimming supplements or other products on Instagram? Using your influence to market products is fairly commonplace, it’s a good revenue source for influencers and good outreach for new or fledgeling brands. Additionally, the use of the phrase ‘influencer marketing’ has skyrocketed since 2017 and we’re more aware of their power than ever. Influence can be a lot like respect in that it’s hard to earn and very, very easy to lose. But what does one do with the influence once it has been obtained? Is there any responsibility to the audience who gives you this power? Because surely great power comes with great responsibility. Michael Damiano is a former Barber of the Year, three-time UK Afro Barber of the Year, NHF Men’s Fashion Collection winner and Hairdresser of the Year, as well as being a member of the coveted WAHL artistic team. With all of his accolades and industry experience in all aspects of the industry, it’s safe to say the Bedford barber has built up considerable influence. BarberNV caught up with Michael to ask him about social media influence, responsibility and what it all means to him. BNV: How important do you think social media is to the industry and how have you built your personal profile to where it is now? MD: Social media plays a very important part in the industry if used correctly, it’s a great way to promote you, your shop and your work. Unfortunately, it can be an unpleasant thing too as everyone is a critic! You might find yourself not wanting to publish your work with the worry of other people in same industry judging you, but just remind yourself who it was for in the first place and that’s the customer you want to sell yourself too! I’ve built my profile on achievements, proud moments, skills, talent and showing a bit of personality too. BNV: What do you think the role of the influencer is in the industry? MD: An influencer would be something or someone who has established credibility with a large audience that they inspire. I’d recommend following influencers, as it can make you want to achieve more, do better in what you’re doing and can be used to learn new skills.
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Barbers have become educators, platform artists, social media influencers and public figures, they are forgetting we wouldn’t be any of that if it wasn’t for the customer in the first place.
”
BNV: Do you think social media influencers have a responsibility to their followers? And what does that responsibility mean to you? MD: No, not really. They have a responsibility to themselves and to what they post and promote. A follower can choose to like it or not, follow it or not. It’s different for me, as my responsibility is to WAHL in the industry. I need to show professionalism wherever I go, to make sure my academy courses with WAHL have people leaving learning new skills and feel confident to use them in their shops. Whether it’s on stage at a show, on social media or in a classroom, I have a responsibility to educate people. BNV: As part of WAHL’s artistic team how do you use your influence? MD: I try to use my influence in a fun way. I always have the audience in mind when I’m educating, thinking about what they would
like to take away from the show. I try to put on a performance while educating, showcasing my skills and energy. When it comes to my customers, I still put them first, get them involved and tell them about new clippers I’m using on their hair and how it helps me to achieve better results for them. BNV: How do you feel barbers should use their influence? MD: Remind people what it is to be a barber. Look after your customer, don’t moan about them or take them for granted. Barbers have
become educators, platform artists, social media influencers and public figures, they are forgetting we wouldn’t be any of that if it wasn’t for the customer in the first place. BNV: How do you think barbers can up their profile in 2019? MD: Competitions, help others, expand your services and educate yourself. Listen to others you admire and look up to—and USE WAHL! Follow Wahl @wahlprouk and the Wahl Artistic Team @wahlartisticteam
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PRODUCTENV Y
Editor’s Choice
EDITOR’ S COMMENT For a lot of men ‘skincare’ isn’t a word that passes their lips often. This month the BarberNV team is dedicated to cleansing, moisturising and protecting your skin. If that wasn’t enough, we’ve got the new, innovative product launches and essentials you’ve come to expect from us.
Doers of London Hydrating Face Cream
Oliver J Woods Perilla Oil
Skincare is more important now than ever, and the Doers of London Hydrating Face Cream is a great answer to your skincare needs. The Hydrating Face Cream reduces redness and irritation from shaving, moisturises the skin and combats the signs of ageing. The Doers formulation truly gives you the splash of hydration you need.
The Perilla Oil is a blend of Crambe Abyssinica and Macadamia Seed Oils and featuring the signature OJW scent. Enriched with Vitamin E, it instantly calms the wildest hair, softens and controls beards and rejuvenates tired-looking tattoos. £26 oliverjwoods.com
£20 selfridges.com
Lab Series MAX LS Skin Recharging Water Lotion This unique hydrating lotion is designed with the Lab Series Molecular Age-Less Complex, charged with Aquatron technology. Simply apply the lotion all over your face and neck in the morning and evening to reclaim your youth! £35 labseries.com
Copenhagen Grooming The Beard Growth Kit This kit is ideal for the modern man seeking to add something new to his grooming routine. The Activator Serum stimulates your facial hairs and boosts your beard growth, while the Beard Roller maximises serum absorption and stimulates the sleeping follicles. The kit also contains a sanitiser designed specifically for the Beard Roller. £69 cphgrooming.com
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Ramer Shaving Towel The Ramer Shaving Towel is the UK’s first softening wet shave towel. The sponge towel softens the beard and opens the pores to achieve the closest most comfortable shave, while avoiding irritation and razor burn. £5.99 ramersponges.com
Clarins Revitalising Gel Clarins’ anti-wrinkle, energy boosting gel treatment slows down the first and most crucial signs of ageing by ironing out wrinkles and toning. Your skin is sure to be left looking and feeling healthy, hydrated and shine-free. £35 allbeauty.com
Andis ProFoil Lithium Plus Titanium Foil Shaver The Andis ProFoil® Lithium Titanium Foil Shaver set new benchmarks in shaving and finishing precision to become the go-to shaver for barbers and stylists. Perfectly proportioned and ergonomically contoured, the ProFoil® Lithium Plus delivers up to 80 minutes of run time from a single charge. Individual gold titanium hypoallergenic foils house two rows of cutting blades, engineered to maintain their shape and deliver smooth, irritation-free results. £84.95 andis.com
etch® Shaving Gel The etch® TAPER shave gel has been exclusively formulated to create an unrivalled shaving experience for hair and beard line-ups. The shave gel provides long-lasting, non-sticky lubrication using minimal gel in comparison to its counterparts. The lightweight formula offers a proprietary blend of ingredients developed using barber feedback, making it now the best shave gel on the market. £13 etch.shop
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REN Skincare Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium Anti-Fatigue Body Wash Infused with REN’s exclusive Anti-Fatigue Essential Oils blend this body wash will awaken and refresh sluggish skin as well as your senses. Ideal for those in love with sustainability, the wash comes in a pioneering 100% recycled bottle made with 20% reclaimed ocean plastic. £22 renskincare.com
Toppik Hair Fibers Black Toppik Hair Building Fibers is made from coloured keratin protein and blends undetectably with existing hair strands to instantly create the appearance of naturally thick and full hair. $24.90 toppik.com
Baxter of California Shave Tonic This worthy shave tonic is fortified with the likes of vitamins like E and A intended to suffuse skin with more nutrients for a healthier glow and a firmer face that can better endure the ravages of age. $18 baxterofcalifornia.com
House 99 Texturising Clay – Change It Up Take control of your hair with this texturising and pliable clay to achieve the hairstyle you need. You never know where the day may take you, but make sure it doesn’t take your hair with it. The House 99 hair clay is reworkable and gives medium-to-long hair texture and body. £15 house99.co.uk
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Furniture & Equipment
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Takara Belmont DAINTY Takara Belmont’s functional and versatile Dainty chair is perfectly suited for the rigours of a busy barbershop. With 360º lockable rotation and a reclining backrest, ease your client into the most comforting position for their service with the reassurance of strength and reliability for many years to come. takarahairdressing.co.uk
Kobe Barber Apron Waxed canvas and real leather combine for a high quality, vintage style that’s eminently practical too thanks to its well-designed loops and pockets. Available in three colours: Chocolate, Maroon, and Sand. £31.95 coolblades.co.uk
Kobe Barber Tool Roll Real leather straps, waxed canvas construction and solid brass buckles create a gorgeous vintage look with a practical design that’ll hold clippers, brushes, combs and scissors. There are even special pockets for spare clipper blades. Measures: 35 x 17 cm closed, opening out to 63 x 35 cm. £37.95 coolblades.co.uk
Barbicide Disinfecting Wipes Barbicide Disinfecting Wipes are the perfect economical, easy to use wipes with a two-minute contact time ensuring your salon, spa or barbershop meets sanitation and disinfection guidelines in just a few minutes. This product is a convenient cleaner and disinfectant ready to use in one wipe. £31.49 sallybeauty.com
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HOLY TIGER, GRAZ
WISE GUY COLLECTION Hair and beard: Jürgen Niederl Photography: Lupi Spuma
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PENTHOUSE BARBERSHOP C L AR A , OF FALY, I R E L AN D
WORDS BY CAITLIN FYFFE
Clara, County Offaly, Ireland. Population: 3,242. Barbershops: 3. Barbers to watch out for: 1. This small town in the heart of Ireland has three barbershops to serve its residents and so competition is fierce. The latest newcomer, Penthouse Barbershop threw open its doors in November 2018, and has already carved a reputation for itself as the place to go for a luxury service at a fraction of the price. The shop, opened by Clara born and bred Niall Keegan, spoke with BarberNV about his first few months at the helm. Finishing college after studying music performance, he’s always harboured a keen interest in the world of style and fashion. It was a friend that owned a barbershop that pushed Niall towards picking up the scissors to fuse his love of style in with something different—kick starting a career that would take him from Ireland across the globe and back again. After retraining as a barber, work experience turned into a part-time job, which turned into a full-time job and when the company opened a second shop, Niall was asked to take the reins. He told BarberNV: “I just loved the business side of things, and the management. I got an offer to travel so I went to Dubai for a year, ended up saving some cash and coming back and opening up my own shop.” Jumping ship and moving to Dubai, Niall got the opportunity to work in Chaps and Co in 2017, a high-end barbershop with your standard hair and beard trim starting at 180AED (£37). No doubt a bargain to its super-wealthy clientele, especially when the shop has attracted the likes of Steven Gerrard and Tyrese Gibson. Niall has sat boxer Anthony
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Fowler and golfer Shane Lowry in his chair, amongst the local social media influencers. He told BarberNV it’s hard to compare working in Dubai and at home in Offaly county: “It’s a huge difference and kind of hard to get used to it at first because in Dubai you’ve got high profile people coming in. You’ve got these well-off, wealthy people and back in my hometown it’s just normal people coming in, sometimes scraping up money for haircuts whereas in Dubai it’s extremely expensive.” Penthouse offers on trend cuts for both hair and beard at competitive prices, made even more reasonable when in the hands of Niall, who’s worked with brands such as Gucci and Tom Ford. Since moving back to Clara in 2018, Niall says the reception from opening up his new shop has been incredible. “I opened up in my local
town, it’s not an overly big town—I think it’s population is about 4,000 people so it was kind of a risk because there were already two other barbershops. I’d never worked before in my local town so I didn’t have a regular clientele. And that’s the good thing about small towns everyone is really supportive and so I have had a lot of support from the people here.” Although Penthouse has been greeted by the community with open arms, it’s not a take-andno-give situation. The shop hosts autism friendly sessions on the first Monday of every month. Niall wanted to make haircuts an accessible experience for everyone: “When I used to work in Ireland before I moved away I worked in a shopping centre and it was a really busy atmosphere. It was like a pod in the middle of the shopping centre it was quite open so there was no real waiting area. We used to get a lot of kids with autism in and it wouldn’t be easy for them. They’d be kicking and screaming and it could be a really uncomfortable experience for them. “For me, when I come to get a haircut it’s a treat—I come to get relaxed and sit back and you
know, it’s completely different for them. So I’m just trying to make it a more friendly and comfortable experience for them to come and get their haircut.” Although recently opened, this shop clearly isn’t in idle hands. Selling clothing, and already has its own hair and beard product range, Rogue, which Niall hopes to grow: “I would love to get the range a bit bigger so I can maybe stock in different places maybe eventually try and get them into the likes of Boots and places like that.” Niall has more planned for the shop, hoping to collaborate with local charities saying he aims to start hosting coffee mornings for people with mental health issues saying: “That’s something that’s close to for me. I’d really like to do something to try and help.” But Niall’s ambitions don’t end there, he hopes to expand Penthouse and open another shop, securing his spot at the top of Clara food chain. Penthouse Barbershop can be found on @niallkeeganhair and @penthousebarbershop.
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etch® | TH E N EW G O L D STA N DA RD
Dr Salman Malik (Sal) is the scientist-turned-innovator behind new male-grooming brand etch®. Tired of the shaving products that didn’t give barbers the right edge for the best lineup service, Sal formulated the etch® TAPER Shaving Gel. Launched in September 2018 to rave reviews the new etch® TAPER Shaving Gel is set to revolutionise your barber services.
F
rom a young age Sal has visited barbershops weekly—even learning to cut hair himself! Having tested hundreds of brands over the past five years, Sal decided to use his knowledge and expertise to formulate his own shaving gel, realising his friends, family and even barbers were unsatisfied with the results of existing male-grooming products. “There aren’t many scientists who are also professional barbers,” he said. “I understand what my end users want and I formulated my shaving gel around that.” There are few things in life more refreshing than leaving a barbershop with a fresh trim and clean line-up. The simple formulation means it doesn’t include ingredients that don’t need to be there, while actively lubricating and moisturising the skin. “The standout feature of our shave gel has been the gel-to-water like property, which our customers feel has a great impact on their shaving experience. “This feature is what really allows barbers and customers to achieve the perfect line-up without the need to use artificial enhancements, which has been on the rise lately.” Sal continued: “If you go to Boots or Superdrug and buy a Gillette shave gel, you can’t really see where you’re shaving because of the dark and dense colour. Even the shave gels tend to foam up making visibility poor.” That’s why the TAPER Shaving Gel is ideal for barbers, the product requires no prep or setup, meaning you can save time and more from your services. “Time is money”, it’s an old idiom that’s been hammered to death—but you can’t deny its truth. In the next five years, Sal will look to expand the product line to include up to eight innovative products for the barbering industry— eventually turning etch® into a global male-grooming powerhouse. “One of the products I have under development which would involve waxing for men. Generally, with waxing, you need an instrument to heat up the wax but we are producing a quick apply wax where you would use a paper strip to peel it off. Many products like this currently exist but most if not all fail to deliver in performance.” Sal is on a quest to build etch® into a world-class male cosmetics brand with “a simple ethos, a strong brand and good formulations,” and that is what makes etch® the new gold standard in the male-grooming marketplace.
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Dr Salman Malik
BARBER TESTIMONIALS
Since the launch of etch® in September it’s been made clear that Sal’s formulation and branding has resonated with the barbering community.
“I’ve tried many different products over the years but I’ve never found one I really liked. I thought I would give etch® a try and I’m so glad I did. Definitely the best line up gel I have used. Easy to apply, doesn’t leave messy residue and even when it dries it still allows the blade to glide effortlessly.” — Hannah McKnight, owner of Nu:Era Barbershop
“The smell of etch® shaving gel is absolutely amazing; all my customers always complement the smell. The gel itself spreads evenly and a little goes a long way and it doesn’t dry out like other gels I have used before. It provides such a nice glide across the cutthroat and prevents pulling of the hair. After use, your skin feels revitalised and the client feels ready to take on the day—I 100% recommend this shaving gel.” — Declan Sweeney, @skills_barber
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EL BARBER
WELCOME TO 90s Artistic direction: Carles Reixachs Hairdresser: “El Barber” Team Photography: Albert Rosell “Woah estudio” Makeup: Melanie Majojo “Your make up studio”
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E D U C A T I O N Ignore the cries from some of the industry having reached “peak barber”, the industry is still in a boom with new barbershops opening in the UK every week. There’s even a predicted 10% growth in the industry by 2024; a positive outlook for young barbers looking to enter the profession. There might be no better time than now to become a barber. Barbering is a fast and competitive world with new techniques and trends popping up thanks to social media. This is why selecting the right education will set you in good stead. Barber education needs to give you the skills and confidence to work in and keep up with an ever-changing industry. With increasing calls for regulation in barbering and the wider hair industry, selecting the best place to learn the time honoured craft can be tricky. And while there’s certainly no shortage of barber courses in UK for those starting their career or looking to refine their skills, so it’s important, now more than ever to understand what’s on offer. This is why we’ve prepared a list of what we believe are some of the colleges and courses to look out for.
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PIRANHA BARBER ACADEMY Leeds
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MADE ACADEMY
PANASONIC PROFESSIONAL GROOMING COURSE
Glasgow, Scotland At the helm of the MADE academy is Rebel Rebel owner, Alan Findlay. A multi-award-winning industry figurehead, business owner and educator. In a one-of-a-kind collaboration with Glasgow Kelvin College, you will be taught to a very high industry standard, the Rebel Rebel way. MADE students will get education beyond just cutting hair, they will receive industry training in how build their professional Instagram profile, with the social media elements being tailored for the industry based on the successes of the Rebel Rebel team. The aim of MADE is to shake up barbering tuition in Scotland, offering each student a personalised work placement programme, which will be scattered throughout the course to suit the needs of any student. MADE students also work towards a City and Guilds qualification, which lasts a lifetime and is both nationally and internationally recognised. COURSES The courses are designed to help you take a leap. To enter a new industry, or improve your craft and apply it anywhere in the world. There are four different courses offered at MADE and if you are looking for something more bespoke, MADE can help you with that too:
UK The Panasonic Professional Grooming team has taken the UK by storm in recent months, offering the industry refreshing and engaging education sessions to barbers of all abilities. Expertise and enthusiasm at the ready, the team are now on a mission to offer this tailored service to a whole new audience. Introducing the new Panasonic Professional Grooming course, ‘Hairdresser to Barber’, with national educator, Paul Thomas Farr… Launching across England and Wales, with Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland not far behind, Panasonic Professional Grooming will be kicking off with exclusive, full day courses in selected wholesalers across the nation.
TRAIN.ME If you’re working in the barbering or hairdressing industry—two days a week for 15 weeks to upskill or train for you or your staff.
Darrel Feasey, national account manager for Panasonic Professional Grooming, shared his enthusiasm for the course launch with the BarberNV team: “The education sessions we have held recently have had such fantastic feedback that there was no doubt in our minds that we had to extend our radius to include more wholesalers. Education is such a vital part of the industry, so we are incredibly proud to be able to offer such a bespoke and exciting course to professionals of all abilities.”
WHILE-u-WORK Keep earning while you’re learning to become a barber. Two days a week for 28 weeks. No experience necessary.
For more information on the contents of the course, or for wholesalers hoping to get involved, contact Darrel at: darrel.feasey@ eu.panasonic.com
TRY.ME Come join in for a day to get the MADE experience before you sign up—£99 per day.
To book onto an upcoming Panasonic education session, contact your local wholesaler before spaces fill up.
FAST.TRACK 15 weeks, five days a week of intensive Rebel Rebel-esque training to get your barbering career started.
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BBA SHAVE COURSE UK
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Production: Kevin Luchmun Photographer: Kevin Luchmun Hair: Kevin Luchmun Make up artist: Kelly Mendiola Fashion stylist: Mekel Bailey Fashion stylist assistant: Quinton Faulkner
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BY KEVIN LUCHMUN Award-winning barber, educator and photographer Kevin Luchmun has created a new online platform allowing global access to his acclaimed education. By Kevin Luchmun will be focused around twelve video tutorials that dissect current fashion-led trends in the male grooming industry.
Kevin has become an influential figure in the male hair industry following his work as the TONI&GUY international artistic director and an unmatched career as a freelance educator—By Kevin Luchmun gives viewers a unique insight into his style. The programme is tailored for all levels of ability and demonstrates a wide range of current styles and techniques and how to implement them. Available worldwide, By Kevin Luchmun includes step by step head sheets and a brief discussing the influence behind each distinctive look. BarberNV asked Kevin about the conception of By Kevin Luchmun, and what the future of his educational services involves... BNV: How long has By Kevin Luchmun been in the making? KL: I started planning back in August 2018 so this has been a big production. Not only did I do the step by step haircuts but I actually ended up shooting the campaign for it as well. So this has been something that I have been excited to share with the world.
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BNV: As a social media influencer do you see there being a responsibility to your audience, and has this led to By Kevin Luchmun? KL: Yes, I feel as the industry is ever booming, I’m always trying to challenge and push myself forward—I always have to be forward thinking in what I do. Originally the plan was to re-brand and change my logo, but then I decided to shoot a new collection. Six images became 12 and I thought along with that to do a full production and do tutorials behind the looks. BNV: What does By Kevin Luchmun mean to you? KL: This is the first time since being an independent artist that I have produced and created a collection and step by steps. It’s been a very big project that I have kept under wraps for six months now—I just wanted to put it out there once it was done. I didn’t want to hype anything or say “coming soon”, I just wanted to put it out there. I’m proud of what I have done and it hasn’t been sponsored by any brands just myself through networking and meeting creatives along the way. BNV: What separates By Kevin Luchmun from other online video tutorials? KL: Throughout the years of travelling and my experience of educating, I have carefully taken part in the edits and production of this. There’s a three-camera point of view, so the viewer really feels they’re there watching it. I have fully voiced over myself and there is a thorough explanation of what is being done. I have also included head sheets of the sectioning patterns behind each haircut. BNV: Where do you see By Kevin Luchmun in the future? KL: As I said, I really wanted to create a new collection and create new content and looks. The future of By Kevin Luchmun is to reference the education I do around the world with a collection of haircuts so I can reference what I do through imagery. For more information visit kevinluchmun.com
Behind the scenes photographer: Patrick Seaman
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Production: Kevin Luchmun Photographer: Kevin Luchmun Hair: Kevin Luchmun Make up artist: Kelly Mendiola Fashion stylist: Mekel Bailey Fashion stylist assistant: Quinton Faulkner
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Production: Kevin Luchmun Photographer: Kevin Luchmun Hair: Kevin Luchmun Make up artist: Kelly Mendiola Fashion stylist: Mekel Bailey Fashion stylist assistant: Quinton Faulkner
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S T E P - B Y - S T E P
ADD CONTRAST TO TEXTURED CUTS BY FADING For clients wanting to change up their look, Andis UK lead educator Baldy explains how a skin fade can achieve a nice contrast to an existing style. “Taking a longer tapered style with a textured quiff and executing a tight fade on the sides and back can create a whole new look,” says Baldy. “The new Supra Li 5 cordless clipper from Andis has a five-position blade that makes switching lengths while fading extremey simple. Plus, you get a consistent repeatable cut length with this tool.” With its lightweight, cordless design, powerful rotary motor and two-hour run time, the Supra Li 5 is a great choice for barbers or stylists. Read on for Baldy’s tips on adding a fade to the textured quiff:
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STEP 1 – Using the Andis Supra Li 5 clipper, set the blade to #0000 (closed blade position) and remove an inch border all the way around from the nape to over each ear.
STEP 2 – Use the #1 blade setting to remove the bulk of the hair in a slight horseshoe shape around the midsection—this is the length you will fade into.
STEP 3 – From the closed blade position, open the blade three clicks and run your clipper from above your inch border up into the #1 cut section, making sure to stretch the skin for a nice smooth transition.
STEP 4 – Then, close the blade one click and remove the transition line from your inch border upwards into the previously cut area. Repeat the process one section lower for a smooth, clean fade.
STEP 5 – Now take your Andis clipper comb and cut clipper-over-comb, blending into the length beneath the top section, keeping it tight and square.
STEP 6 – Close your blade to the #0000 position and remove the hair from the bottom of the ear upwards into the shortest point of your fade. Then work from the back of the beard line forward by about 6mm creating the base of your beard fade.
STEP 7 – Open the blade two clicks from the #0000 position and start to blend into the beard. Repeat this process one click at a time, completing the fade.
The Supra Li 5 features a 5-position, adjustable blade with snap-off design for easy replacement. Adjusts from #0000 to #1!
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H I A T U S
F R O M
SOCIAL MEDIA D A N N Y
R O B I N S O N
Danny Robinson is a man who has seen the peaks and troughs of the professional barbering industry. He’s an ambassador for Denman and Oster, he’s styled some of the UK’s leading DJs and rappers and has worked on stages across the globe. While barber related social media profiles are now commonplace, but Danny was one of the first barbers in the UK to make full use of Instagram as a promotional tool to set his career ablaze. So it begs the question. Why did Danny Robinson take over half a year long hiatus from IG?
“I
got bored with where Instagram was going. Every time I looked on there [Instagram] everything felt fake. The fades were too smooth and they’re holding a massive ring light which will blur out any imperfection in a haircut [...] I just lost interest.” Feeling disillusioned with the state barbering on Instagram Danny quickly moved to posting stories, rather than haircut photos. Drawing on his many pools of creativity Danny has been able to make social media work for him—even when he isn’t posting haircuts. A former television actor, it was Danny’s born in charisma and showmanship which drew flocks of people to watch his skits. “The people coming into my shop are probably aged 14-35. I know my market and I know who I appeal to. Before I was a barber, I was a professional TV actor and I’d done stand-up comedy, I just filmed funny scenarios and people bought into it.” However, this again changed when Danny discovered the Screen Time feature on his phone. Shocked that in one day he had spent six hours on his phone, Danny decided to take
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a deliberate step back. “That’s a full-time job and I’m not getting paid for it. I completely stepped back from even using my phone and I started to concentrate on other areas of my life that needed working on. With that six hours I thought you could spend that in work, I was coming home from work and sitting on my phone for hours.” Seeing the industry becoming more and more social media focused, with people trying to use the piece of glass in their hands to further their career, but stepping away from what should be the focus of the industry—the customer. “Instagram is just smoke and mirrors. There’s so much ego in there and don’t get me wrong, I’ve played up to it and had an ego in the past. I just stepped back from it all. I’ve stepped onto some insane stages across Europe, I’ve done all the major UK barber shows and the thing I’ve learnt from being there is that there’s no pot of gold. There’s no multi-million-pound contract you’ll get off a clipper company. “A few years ago I was working all these shows and being dragged from pillar to post.
Danny Robinson with Craig David I’d had kids, I lost weight, I was physically drained! My career long customers started to vanish, some of them went to different barbershops. Which you can understand because I was never there. This is when I concentrated on being back in the barbershop and doing all these daft videos.” After taking an eight-month long break from his screen, Danny came back with a passion earlier this year. He deleted some 600+ photos on his account—with over 80k followers—and rebranded. Curating his profile to a new peak of professionalism. Not just spurred by wanting to show off real barbering or his life, but by a new venture he and Kilian had been toiling away at for over half a year—a deal only confirmed in early March. Thanks to his affluent Uppermill shop, Danny and Kilian Maddison were able to gain a contact with Formula 1, as well as being offered a Moto GP contract! “One of Kilian’s customers worked with F1 and travelled the globe with them. He said he was at the Mexican F1 and saw a pop-up barbershop there and obviously that was a
lightbulb moment for us.” After weeks of cat and mouse emailing, Kilian and Danny eventually heard back from Formula 1 and were given the opportunity to impress the motorsport giants. “Kilian was very persistent with it. He rang me a few times while I was cutting hair and said ‘they want to meet us. They want us to come to Silverstone.’ I was shocked, because you’re always kinda skeptical about things like that. “There was a lot of preparation to it, we made the presentation, bought smart suits and had the meeting with them. They seemed to know a lot about us. They had a folder full of information on us, they knew Kilian was a previous UK Barber of the Year, as well as the barbering and business awards I’d won.” Danny and Kilian prepared a presentation showing off their incredible career wins to bring the F1 team over to their side—they weren’t just two lads who tried to wing the opportunity of a lifetime afterall. Looking to
modernise Silverstone, the F1 team had a brainstorm meeting and one of the topics that continued to come up was male grooming. “She said it was just an idea that lay dormant and then three weeks later they received an email off us, it was like fate. She said they were interested right away.” Shown around Silverstone, even being allowed to stand on the winner’s podium. The pair got to see parts of the hallow ground few outside the sport would get to witness in their lifetimes. Now signed to cut hair at events, it seems the social media detox helped Danny focus himself. Pushing his brand to this point has been non-stop, and now Danny turns his ambition to face a worldwide takeover. And why not? Afterall, he’s now partnered with the richest sport on the planet.
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ON
HD CUTZ
G I V I NG C L I E N T S T H E I R C ON F I DE NC E BAC K
Balding and thinning hair can be a serious hit to any man’s confidence and despite this emotional impact, 84% of men don’t seek any sort of help or support. This is where hair fibers can play a role in boosting men’s confidence, even when their hair is already thinning.
A
recent study has found that 40% of men have noticeable hair thinning or even loss before they hit 40. Factors can range anywhere from stress, poor diets and unfortunately our DNA, as 95% of hair loss is down to male pattern baldness—you can thank your dad for that! Harley Street Trichologist, Sara G. Allison said: “Nearly all men have some thinning by the time they are in their sixties. However, the age that hair loss starts is variable and about three in 10 thirty-year-olds and half of over 50s have thinning hair.” Sheldon Edwards aka HD Cutz is a barber who caters to some of the globe’s top athletes. His list of famous clients includes everyone from Raheem Sterling and Jermaine Defoe to the world’s fastest man Usain Bolt—travelling up to 2,000 miles to give them the HD treatment. This treatment wouldn’t be the same without fibers. “A lot of my clients suffer from insecurity. Now people who are thinning or losing their hair rapidly, instead of going towards surgery they’re getting a bit of confidence through fibers—it gives more of a clean and natural look for the hair.” Sheldon, who has partnered with Toppik to give his clients their confidence back through fibers. Toppik discovered Sheldon through a Business Insider video which turned into a mega hit—attracting six million hits in six days—the rest is history. First discovering fibers through social media, Sheldon became immediately interested and started learning as much as he could about the product. Now he can’t see his services having the same impact without fibers—truly believing the product is a valuable tool for barbers to carry the industry forward to greater heights and of course give men their Sheldon Edwards aka HD Cutz confidence back. “I got very interested in the way fibers worked so I started practicing it on my own clients who are happy to indulge in it.” He also explained to BarberNV just how crucial education is to using fibers—especially considering the impact proper application can have on clients. “Personally, I think fibers need to be taught by every barber because as I’ve said hair is a growing industry and with education it can the massive industry, we know it can become—with education anything is possible with this product. But if you misuse the product it doesn’t give the finished cut the look it deserves. “I would tell every barber that if you want to represent our ever-changing industry, producing high-quality work day in day out, I would suggest they learn about fiber to give that customer not only a haircut but an experience.”
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JACKS OF LONDON
DARK LONDON Hair: Jacks of London Art Crew Photography: Barry Makariou Styling: Emma Lee Products: The True Gent, American Crew
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HOW T O
BU I L D
S O C I AL
M E DI A
FROM SCRATCH ART
BY
N Z
Growing your social media platforms is something that interests many people these days. That’s why influencers can charge hundreds on courses to tell interested parties how to grow their accounts. But what is it actually like to start a business from scratch and utilise social media throughout this process? Natasha who manages her business @art_by_nv knows all about this.
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WORDS BY SIOBHAN MACDONALD
hrough the growth of her business through social media, Natasha has been able to host two art exhibitions at her husband’s barber shop, Tony’s Barbers in Dumbarton. The latest taking place in February 2019. Natasha’s exhibitions have both been huge successes, as well as boasting impressive sponsorships for the events from brands such as Sailor Jerry, Eden Mill, Tunnocks and FreshHeads hair tonics. The power of her social media presence hasn’t been missed by Natasha, as she is aware her large following probably played a part in her getting these sponsorships. Starting her business out, she didn’t have the 18,000 Instagram followers she does now—Natasha started out with 0 just like the rest of us. When asking her about what gave her the motivation to start selling her drawings online, she had a humble response: “I would have always considered myself an artist because I’ve just drawn from when I was a wee girl but I had time when I was pregnant with Meela to draw more. So, I had all these pictures and I just thought I’m gonna stick them on Etsy and I opened an Instagram account at the same time […] But like I said, I didn’t actually think anything was gonna come from it. It was just a wee, I dunno, just a wee go for it and see what happens kinda moment.” Anyone who is trying to grow their online presence knows this is a difficult task in today’s social media market. More and more people are turning to social media as a way to build their careers but with changing algorithms it’s harder than ever. Natasha says, “it’s a lot of hard work
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and tedious as well […] I think when I started my Instagram it was about three years ago now and I think back then it was a lot easier, since then it’s quite hard now because y’know they’ve changed the algorithms and stuff like that. I think hashtags and stuff like that were a lot more helpful.” Natasha acknowledges that having some viral content can seriously speed along the process of growing a following: “At the start I also put up a drawing video, like a wee time lapse video of me doodling and it went quite big it had like 36,000 views and over 3,000 likes. I hardly had any followers and I think that helped a lot, but I’m not sure why that happened. [...] All my other posts up to that point hadn’t been that big, I think Instagram maybe put it in top posts or something so lots and lots of people were just getting to see this. I haven’t been able to
replicate that, I’ve never had a video since that’s went that big, so I’m not sure what happened to be honest.” As a business owner, before Natasha launched her website less than a year ago all of her sales and advertisements were made through social media. She took advantage of the fact that social media, specifically Instagram could be used as a free form of a website when people who are starting out can’t necessarily afford a website. The importance of utilising social media at the beginning of her career still affects how she runs her business: “Even now if I’m being honest I still use my Instagram a lot more than I edit the website and stuff so I still think it’s actually maybe more almost still more. It’s definitely reaching more people
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Her experience in London was totally surreal, she was given full control over designing this jacket—the only instructions were to keep it in line with a loose Valentine’s day theme. However, the thought of being live streamed while painting this jacket did touch a few nerves, “We sat down and they put on the live video and I swear when the live video started my hands were shaking and everything and I was just like oh my god I’m gonna make a mistake. It was all freehand so there wasn’t really any room for error and obviously on a live video you’re thinking if I make a mistake if everyone is gonna see me making this mistake but I was absolutely fine thankfully. It went really well and then I think it took me about three hours to do the design like completely.”
“At the start I also put up a drawing video, like a wee time lapse video of me doodling and it went quite big it had like 36,000 views and over 3,000 likes.
”
than my website is, but I have my website linked along the top of my Instagram now so I’m kinda like combining them a wee bit.” A huge achievement for Natasha was being named POSCA’s artist of the month for February 2019. POSCA invited her down to London to design a vegan leather jacket which was being filmed live on their account. Before this, when asking her about how POSCA approached her for this she revealed she applied on a whim. “They put a thing on their Instagram story and it just said ‘looking for next artist of the month’ and I just DM’d them through the story. It was just before Christmas and I just thought oh I’ll DM them y’know on the off chance just in case they might reply to me and I was fully not expecting them to even reply.”
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THE BUZZCUT Barbering and male-grooming can be a painstaking world to navigate, with fashion and trends evolving faster than ever—thanks largely to the popularity of social media—what is stylish now may be dust in the wind within a month. The buzz cut, however, has a huge history beyond being the military haircut.
WORDS BY SIOBHAN MACDONALD
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opular among men and boys due to the style’s low-maintenance, many countries give their military recruits an all over during their training due to the cut’s uniformity and tidiness. There’s very little fuss—you wake up without curls, kinks or hair jagging away from your scalp. For a haircut originally designed to prevent the spread of lice, the buzz cut has made a staggering impact on fashion and pop culture. The buzz cut rose to popularity thanks to the advent of manual clippers; invented in the later-half of the 19th century by Serbian barber, Nikola Bizumić. Stereotypically, the buzz cut is worn by men of action—the one-man army, pillar of justice types—so prevalent in pop culture since the 80s. In his study into how we perceive shavedhead styles, Albert Mannes said: “In the U.S., especially over the last 10 years, the shaved-head look has become very prominent in traditionally masculine professions […] the military, of course, law enforcement and these days, professional athletes sport the look a lot.” We see this idea mirrored in Hollywood’s action heroes, a shorn head quickly establishes the any given character is a man of action— think Bruce Willis’ entire filmography. Now, we are seeing the buzz cut used across genders, with the rise of androgyny and gender non-conformity in fashion—not just to signal a loose cannon cop on the edge. The cut has become increasingly popular for women wanting to liberate themselves from societies beauty standards–Amber Rose is famous for rocking her bald look. There’s a rebellious aesthetic linked to the punk movement. An important symbol of queer identity, the buzz cut is a lash back against the idea of femininity being measured by the length of a woman’s tresses—or as a counter to western beauty ideals within black
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culture. Pat Evans proved the rebellious and empowering aspect of the buzzcut could be very successful. Evans, one of the biggest and highest paid models of the 1970s rocked a bald head as an act of defiance against an industry not willing to accept her natural black hair. On shaving her head for a film role, Kirsten Stewart told Business Insider: “I wanted to do this for a long time for novel sake. At some point in your life you want to be able to do that [...] it feels amazing. I just want to head bang all day.” The buzz cut has survived and evolved as a statement throughout the decades, starting as a haircut for men in war designed to stop the spreading of lice to one of the most well recognised styles. In the 1970s a shaved head was the sign of punk attitudes and non-conformity through rock n roll. By the mid-to-late 80s the buzzcut had been rebranded into the world of hip hop, think of Tupac in his pomp. Politician’s had even picked up on this trend by the time the 1990s came around, showing this versatile haircut could withstand a lot of rebranding. The religious connotations that go alongside a shaved head are undeniable, male monks are famous worldwide for sporting the bald look. The haircut has come to symbolise religious devotion and the rejection of worldly possessions. As hair can be seen as a symbol of sexuality, it links to the celibacy vow taken by monks. In a world where a haircut can be so synonymous with authority, dominance and masculinity the buzz cut is a powerful tool for liberation as well as a statement for personal style. Remember, barbers don’t just cut hair, they elevate the person sat in their chair, they help shape that identity, even something as simple and as comfy as an all over buzz can contribute much more than you’d ever have thought.
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DANIEL RYMER
FORTITUDE Hair: Daniel Rymer Assisting: Lauren Spiller, Drue Mock, Fran King, Sam Hutchinson MUA: Danny Williams Photography: Abi Galatia
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// Column
CHRIS MUSKETT
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hen approached with the offer to educate alongside Justin Tellus in Japan, the thought of 10 nights away from my young and noisy family was quite appealing. It was humbling to be selected for this highprofile job representing City & Guilds, Adam Sloan’s MHFed and the Japanese Educational Company—Seyfert. The fact that others had shown they appreciated my teaching ability so much they were prepared to pay me to travel halfway around the world was a real honour. Education is not new to me, I’ve worked with Adam Sloan’s MHFed Academy for years, I’ve cut on UK stages, and travelled to nearby countries to teach. So with basic Japanese mastered and my tools sharpened, I had 10 full days in Japan ahead of me—however, Japan is a good 13-hour flight and 6,000 miles away. I didn’t know if the people I’d be working with would be the Vidal Sassoon of Japan or new starters who’d never held a pair of scissors. I prepped myself the same way a boxer would have a camp before a fight, I practised my teaching and cutting skills daily in one way, shape or form. The support from friends and family was incredible and on the day I left, I felt like I was travelling to Asia for the barbering Olympics. On the plane, I sat next two old Japanese ladies who spoke limited English, but they still managed to help me write my opening and closing speeches in Japanese for the shows. I had brilliant interpreters for the events, however, I wanted to break the ice speaking
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Japanese even though it had an Essex twang and was hard to understand—it made them smile at least. My first impression of Japan was incredible. They may be behind us in the barbering game but they’re ahead in so many ways. The streets are free from rubbish, their shabbiest looking public toilets are immaculate and the people are extremely polite—even on rush hour trains! Asian hair is typically very resistant to movement unless grown long, thus in the UK, it is thought of as “tricky” hair. It, therefore, made absolute sense why most Japanese people I came across on my trip had mid to long length hair. Bearing in mind I was there to exhibit UK barbering, to demonstrate fading, hard parts, and patterns, this highlighted a new challenge for me. I had to persuade the models, with help from my team, into cutting their hair really short. It was shocking for the students to witness the models have their hair cut so short like it would have been in England a decade ago. Japan uses 100-volt sockets, as opposed to the 230-volt sockets in the UK. This meant the hairdryers we had to use, though well made, seemed as powerful as a cheap handheld fan. This, alongside resistant hair, made styling quite tricky, but with some careful cutting, a small round brush and a lot of tension—I achieved some incredible European styles.
Osaka owing to its multicultural influences, was the only city I travelled to where people embraced short hair and fades. Here I took some superb photos due to the relaxed mindset of the models and the vibrant colours they had dyed their hair with. We mostly travelled by bullet train, as we were teaching in new cities almost every day such as Niigata, Fukushima, Tokyo, Tochigi, Kyoto and Osaka. It was an incredibly smooth and speedy experience. It wasn’t all work though, I was with an incredible team of people led by Justin Tellus including Ide Shintaro, Hiro, and Mariko Tomaru who made sure I visited many places in Japan. We saw a lot of beautiful sites, such as temples and skyscrapers, where from the top it looked like Coruscant—Tokyo made London look like a village. We ate mouthwatering and eye-catching food every day. Even though I’m back, I still enjoy the occasional sticky rice, miso soup and green tea for breakfast. The students in the Japanese colleges I went to did have a cleaner and cleaned the whole school themselves. They respected the school, as they were the ones cleaning any mess made. People are honest and crime is extremely low, I even saw someone find cash on the floor and I watch as they handed it into the train station officer! The lessons I learned in Japan, I apply in
my daily practice now—mainly the incredible politeness and respect. From the respectful way they meet and greet people to cleaning their dinner table at a restaurant after their meals like it’s their own. I was one of the select few fortunate enough to have been paid to travel and teach and would jump at the chance to do it again. However, even if you don’t get asked, don’t
wait for an invitation! Save up some money, chuck your clippers in a bag—with a power converter—choose a country and explore the barbering culture there. Us barbers are a welcoming bunch, and I’m sure you will be embraced with open arms wherever you go. So, my ten-day barbering tour of Japan was an absolute success! I taught and I learned in equal measures. It gave me the kick up the
backside I needed to finally open up my own studio, Muskett Studios, as a base to work and teach from. Even with over 10-years experience as a barber, I feel like I’m just getting started! @muskettstudios www.muskettstudios.com
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// Column
CHRIS FOSTER
Social media marketing is like throwing a party
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ttending a party is all about showing up, enjoying the entertainment, enjoying the food then leaving. Likewise, using social media is all about logging in, enjoying what’s new and exciting then logging out. But throwing a party is entirely different than attending a party. Similarly, marketing yourself and your business on social media is entirely different from just using a platform. If you are using social media to promote yourself and your business you have to understand that you are the host, and as the host you will need somewhere to throw your parties, somewhere for people to come and enjoy themselves and get to know you and what you have to offer. As the saying goes, the more time they spend with you, the more money they will spend with you. If you are creating great content to promote your business or profile you want to be able to put that content on your own website—your house party. Most people set up social media accounts but forget about establishing a strong brand identity and presence on the wider internet. Your website is your home, the place you invite people to so they can spend the time to get to know you and your brand. Building a strong presence on social media is like building a mansion on rented land or promoting your party at a club. You have no real control, and you can’t tell them what to play or change the music. Whatever platform you use, we are all bombarded with so much information—every post screams for your attention creating NOISE. It is everywhere, every platform you go to there is NOISE. It’s hard to get your audience to focus on your message. Social media platforms have all the control they want to ensure that anyone using their platforms stays on as long as possible. Take Facebook for example; Facebook logs a three-second look at a video as a view— hardly a view in my eyes. However, we feel great when we receive lots of views on our videos. It’s addictive, yet we scroll, like and share the massive amounts of content—NOISE. It is hard to know if the right people are hearing your message. Before you build any strong and meaningful presence on social media be sure to focus on your website and create your brand—a clear focus is extremely important. Know who your target audience is and who you’re going to serve at your social media party. Here are a few tips to help you focus on the type of website you want to build and the strategies you can use when posting to your social media platforms: Choose images and visuals that identify with your particular customer. Use identifiers such as gender, age, marital status, number of children and hobbies or interests. This is one simple way of filtering out the people who are NOT your ideal client. Knowing your dream client’s income will help you understand how to price your products and services because you know what they earn and most importantly, what they can afford to pay. Your copywriting should relate to how your dream client spends their day-to-day and their important beliefs or goals. Highlighting how
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your product or service helps them get to their big personal, family and business goals quicker or easier. Your goal is to be a helpful expert with the content you produce. Blogs are crucial for marketing on your website and social media. They are among the most commonly consumed content shared across social media platforms e.g. LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. A blog gives you a place on the web to create custom posts that can also include other types of content, such as embedded YouTube videos, eBooks or even images with captions. Like spokes on a bicycle wheel, all content on social media should lead back to the central hub—your website. Visit my blog on www.thefossacademy.com for your complete guide on building the perfect marketing website. Message me on Facebook Foss Academy or Hair by Chris Foster page or Instagram, Hair by Chris Foster for more profile building advice.
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NEW TO E-CHAIR.COM CARLOS & CO Royston | Letchworth
50/50 profit split
Carlos & Co have two chairs to rent in both their locations of Royston and Letchworth. This great opportunity has arisen for an experienced barber at the top of their game who wants to build their business within two of the most successful barber shops in the country. With access to ongoing training, seminars, and the industry’s biggest trade shows. Contact: jarmans2015@yahoo.com
MECHE Paisley
£100 (per week)
MECHE, Paisley are growing their team and are on the hunt for an excellent barber, hairdresser, MUA, and aesthetics professional/tattooartist/beauty therapist/sports-therapist. The ideal candidate will be selfemployed, with a good client base. They are a modern new family-based hair and beauty Salon based in the centre of Paisley. “Quality is paramount to us, and our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We are always looking improve on skills ensuring customers benefit from the best and most up-to-date treatments from us.” Contact: 07894 858 970
ROSS CARTER BARBERSHOP Falkirk
Negotiable
The Ross Carter Barbershop, Falkirk has been in business for 18-years, and recently opened a second shop and academy. They are looking for barbers that want to grow their clientele and enjoy ongoing education and business support. RC Barbershop and academy offers any barber the best of both worlds, combining education and a clientele base that has support of a salon with a large female base to be able to target their partners. Contact: 07891 507 388
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10BARBERING Glasgow City Centre
£300 (per week)
10Barbering is based in a super city centre location in Glasgow with excellent passing trade. The position would suit an experienced barber who wants to be their own boss and manage their own diary. Contact Zak: 07555 115 285
THE SOCIAL London
£120 (per day)
The Social is at the forefront of changing how the hair industry thinks. Creating a world lifestyle studio in true collaborative fashion, based in London and the Lake District encouraging the flexible work ethos of the ‘freelancer’ community. They embrace your sporadic movements and let you take control of your own time, money, and opportunities. With five chairs available or the whole salon and/or the Social Studio, photo studio. Three hair or makeup chairs and two barber chairs. Contact: ky@kycut.co.uk
HIDDEN HEIGHTS STUDIO Gateshead
£120 (per week)
A hidden railway arch in the up and coming area of Bridges Quarter, Gateshead. Just a short walk from Newcastle City Centre. Hidden Heights offers an inspiring workplace allowing you and your brand to grow independently. Founded almost five-years-ago it was among first of its kind. It enables forward-thinking individuals in the creative fields of photograph hair, barber, and MUA’s a collaborative space to create. Embracing the freelance community. Contact: info@hiddenheightsstudio.com
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SPONSORED BY
// ALAN BEAK
IN THE CHAIR
There are few names more recognisable in the industry than Alan Beak—one-half of the masterminds behind the barbering powerhouse that is RUGER. His instantly recognisable editorial work has previously featured on our cover, and to top it all off Alan will be one of the illustrious, keen-eyed judges at this year’s Scottish Hair & Beauty Awards! With a wealth of industry passion and dedication, Alan has never rested on his laurels and remains a humble figurehead. This quality has led to his meteoric rise as both a barber and hotly requested educator. BNV: It’s been a year since your last feature in BarberNV. What’s new with Alan Beak and RUGER.? AB: Lots has changed over the past year. We have more babies, new staff and lots of plans for the progression and evolution of the brand. There’s a lot of focus on our products at the moment and we’ve tried to go ahead with the times and we’re developing products to suit the changing styles within the industry. Our vision has always been to provide a community barbershop with the highest possible standards; everything in that respect has stayed the same. We just want to make sure we’re at the forefront of barbering. We’re still continuing to deliver our education worldwide, which is something we feel strongly about! BNV: What’s your biggest inspiration?
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EACH ISSUE BARBERNV BRING YOU SHORT INTERVIEWS WITH SOME OF T H E B E S T I N T H E I N D U S T R Y. ALL SPONSORED BY E-CHAIR.COM. AB: My biggest inspiration in barbering is watching everyone we taught years and years ago who have come through the ranks, who are now on platforms and educating worldwide. And just see the levels of progression with some people and where it can take them in the world. I’m always truly inspired by my team and as I’ve mentioned we are a community barbershop and no one works harder than someone who comes in a shop five days a week, ten hours a day behind the chair and makes sure their clients look amazing and feel amazing. Ten years ago no one would have imagined picking up a pair of scissors could take you to every country in the world and to meet other people—they are a huge inspiration. You go to Indonesia or Brazil or Amsterdam or Scotland, anywhere in the world and everyone does the same thing, but in their own unique way and it’s their passion that drives me. BNV: How important to you is education? AB: Education is paramount when it comes to the evolution of barbering and I’m an advocate for developing our industry so we get as much recognition for our skillset as possible. So it’s absolutely imperative we continue to share our knowledge. I always stand by the saying ‘the best way to reinforce your knowledge of a subject is to share it.’ The more we share our knowledge the deeper our understanding of hair, formula and
methodology we get. I always think it’s important for my progression to continue to share what I have. To gain knowledge is to have gained value and the more value you have the more meaning you have. BNV: What’s the best advice you can offer young barbers? AB: There’s lots of advice I could give to young barbers, but the one thing that strikes the most is how there’s a lack of patience. People don’t realise how long it takes to get to a certain level and the hard work that’s involved with progressing—it never really happens that fast. You have to bide your time, you have to be patient and very, very persistent. A lot of these colleges at the moments tell people they can come in and within twelve weeks they can be working on a shop floor and it’s not right. You have to be working solidly for years and years for you to reach a certain standard to be able to do every single haircut that walks through the door. BNV: Are you looking forward to judging this year’s SHABA awards? AB: I’ve very honoured to be invited to the SHABA awards. It’s something I’ve never done before and there’s always a lot of prestigious individuals there. It’s going to be great for networking and to actually present an award is a great honour and privilege.
The Social, London now on e-chair.com
Help your business reach its full potential 1. List your space on e-chair.com 2. Connect with freelancers in your area 3. Profit from filling your empty chairs “e-chair.com has opened the world of chair hire to the 21st century. Fast, efficient and pleasing on the eye - a lot like our members and their clients. Things won't be the same after this!” Adam Sloan, CEO of MHFED “As a salon owner, the ease of use is what I really love about e-chair.com. Whether you’re booking or letting, the simplicity of e-chair. com makes it a pleasant experience and so much quicker. Everyone will love this!” Alan Findlay, Owner, Rebel Rebel
Work anytime, anywhere, any place #yourrules
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