BRIDGING THE GAP BY JULIE BELLINGER-GIBB
Alex Burt is the founder of Teddy Edwards Cutting Rooms, one of the most celebrated names when it comes to barbershops in the South of England. Alex started his career in women’s hairdressing in April 1995, responding to a call for apprentices in the local paper. In spite of starting in the hairdressing business with little knowledge of the craft, he quickly established himself within his salon, loving the creative aspect of the business, as well as the social side. It was in his second role within a ladies’ salon that he began to struggle to motivate himself. He was uninspired by the trend for perms and hair-ups, however, when it came to men’s hair he thrived, enjoying the precise aspect of barbering. Having discovered a passion for this niche, Alex then started working in a barbershop but wrestled with the more antiquated elements of the industry. He comments: “I couldn’t understand why barbering seemed to lack the more creative pizzazz of women’s hairdressing. So many shops were stuck in the past; to the point where they still had old 80s photos on display in the windows!” After a year’s training at Trevor Sorbie, where he really honed his skills, Alex took this education and applied it to his own natural talent for barbering. He secured a position in a barbershop and refined this amalgamation of the two skill sets, striving to give customers all the hallmarks of the hairdressing experience within the realms of barbering.
