The Ugly Men’s Association Barber and Shave Shop

After finishing a degree at the University of Auckland, Master Barber and Owner Lucas Snowden made the decision to try his hand at barbering. Lucas Snowden

Initially training in New Zealand, Lucas then spent time working in both Melbourne and the Gold Coast before heading off to London where he worked for several years before landing in Perth.

He opened Ugly Men’s Association in late 2017, with just one chair in a massive space…and so it began…

I still remember the first few weeks of opening when I would fill the hot towel machine hoping to have clients come through the door, only to find myself with a full set of towels at the end of the day. These memories are a humbling reminder of how far our store has come over the past few years.

Our name - Ugly Men’s Association - is actually a throwback, it’s an historical reference local to Perth. The original Ugly Men were an association established in the early 1900s as a social group which would raise money for new migrants and families struggling to make ends meet following the war.

One of their main fundraising events was the Uglieland Carnival which was only a few hundred metres from our store. I feel the name compliments the historical State Buildings in which we live. It’s one of Perth’s most recognisable buildings which is now home to Perth’s best restaurants and one of the country’s best boutique hotels.

In hindsight, I appreciate it was probably a bold move to approach the owners of one of Perth’s most historic buildings to pitch the idea of an untested barbershop in their basement. But I think they were attracted to the idea that our shop was never going to be just a barbershop. It was always my hope that the shop was not going to be just a place for cuts and shaves, but that it would become a place for Perth’s progressive set to meet, yarn and occasionally party. Just like the original Ugly Men’s Association of Perth, I guess.

THE TEAM

Last year, our first apprentice Balin Burns won WA Apprentice Barber of the Year, we are very proud of him for that. We’re a team of 10 full timers, including three apprentices. Tyla joined the store shortly after it opened, and she’s our store manager. She has been a core part of our team for almost five years, which is a testament to both her skills and loyalty. As part of our training regime, we make a special effort to focus not just on cuts and shaves (which are incredibly important), but also on how our new starters manage the full client experience - from the moment the client enters the store to the moment they put their coat on to leave. At the end of the day, we work in the service industry, and we need to be proud of our store’s service offering.

SIGNATURE CUT

The flat top is one cut I love to flex when I get the opportunity. I know it’s one from the 80s, but I always felt like I needed to master it to ensure I retained the respect from the old school barbers while still pushing the boundaries with new and progressive styles.

I’ll admit, it has been testing running a progressive, innercity barbershop in the world’s most isolated capital city, during a pandemic! But we made some great decisions before our state borders closed, to back a number of international barbers from the UK and Europe, and we paired them with budding young local talent. It was an enormous investment at the time but was probably one of the best decisions I ever made. The result has been a barbershop in Perth with a genuinely international flavour.

And for a city like Perth, where locals have been living behind a hard border for almost two years now, the hunger for a connection to the outside world is stronger than ever. And at our shop we get to do that. One day it’s Japanese whiskey, the next it’s an Italian Aperol Spritz. And we employ this same thinking when it comes to choosing everything from our hair products, our store decor, or even our daily playlist.

WHAT’S NEXT?

I think barbershops - and the men’s hair industry generally - is already undergoing an exciting transition. Women’s hairdressers no longer have the monopoly over colours, perms and curls and more and more men are wanting a barbershop which lets them experiment. Our goal is to create a backdrop where clients feel comfortable to exercise that creativity over their look.

The Ugly Men’s Association Barber and Shave Shop is located at Basement Level, The Heritage Listed 140-Year-Old State Buildings Cnr of Barrack Street and St Georges Tce Perth, WA 6000