3 minute read
BLOG SPOT - MATT CLARKE
TREND ALERT: THE SUBTLE ROCKSTAR
Let’s talk lived-in hair. It’s a no-brainer that fades are here to stay, a staple of the Barbershop, footy players and pop stars alike will always gravitate towards ‘the shorter, the sharper, the better.’ However, we are now looking at the rise of what I like to call ‘the subtle rockstar.’
As 2020 saw the worldwide rise of the Mullet, an Australian classic. A style that had laid dormant in outback pubs, with that one friends weird Aussie uncle… And Warwick Cappa. Then 2022 marked the era of the modern mullet, party at the back with a sharp fade on the sides and a textured top, not really business at the front, more party at the back and less party up the front.
All stemmed from the hard to miss resurgence of 90’s fashion, oversized everything, big sportswear logos and New Balance dad trainers. Much as those styles progressed into the styles of the early noughties. The 2020’s is following suit. Y2k is back! Stonewash denim, baggy cargo pants, tighter fitted tees and crop tops. A half shirt and below knee length blue jorts, who would have thought!
But just like the 90’s, Billy Ray Cyrus mullet transformed into the styles of the late 90’s and early noughties styles. Men’s hair is seeing a similar metamorphosis. business up front? 2024 has progressed to party all over.
Enter the subtle rockstar, think back to the sea of boy bands, girl groups, the Ricky Martin’s and Britney’s flooding the airways and then arose the indie bands like, The Strokes, Jet, The White Stripes and The Killers. Unlike their heavier polished counterparts, movements like; nu-metal, pop punk and post punk that opted for high shine spiked hair, long straightened locks and hairspray perfect rockstar hair. These bands had a devil may care style, mid length hair, overgrown styles and as much as I cringe to mention, haircuts that didn’t look like haircuts.
Clippers and scissors will always have their place, but the razor cut is back! Rather than striving for perfection men’s hair fashion is all about the perfect imperfections, the styled bed head and I’ll say it again, haircuts that look like they haven’t had a haircut. I know it’s a giant sigh when a client asks for a ‘haircut that looks like they haven’t had a haircut. As hair people we are perfectionists by nature, we will never stop chasing the perfect fade or the sharpest line up and never achieve it because we are, well, perfectionists.
But these ‘subtle rockstar’ haircuts need you to take a step back, look at the bigger picture and strive for perfectly imperfect. the nape to have just the right amount of overgrown flick, the sides to have the perfect amount of texture, and a fringe that sits just low enough on the brow to ooze ease and cool.
It’s a blend of dishevelled coolness and understated charm, drawing inspiration from the indie music scene of the early 2000s. Gone are the days of meticulously groomed hair and perfect fades. Where men’s hair is heading, is all about the effortlessness.
So barbers, we need to put down the clippers and the scissors, swap them for a razor and texturisers and embrace cool mid length men’s cuts, or be at risk of falling behind.
