10 minute read
Tate & Lyle
BY REX A.C. SILVER
Jacob Martin evolved from the London barbershops of Soho and Fitzrovia, where he mastered his craft under the guidance of some of the finest barbers in the Capital. Starting his journey as Saturday boy in London’s oldest known Barbering location just off the Pall Mall, he ‘grafted’ as an apprentice for 2 years earning “a poxy 2 quid sixty!”
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Instilling in him a passion, skillset and hunger to learn one of the world’s oldest crafts, gaining knowledge that could not be bought with money, Jacob was fortunate enough to have worked at various top shops throughout London meeting various barbers/hairdressers.
“I was trained by arguably the most gifted barber I have ever met, Dominic Stables, who would have me perform air scissors for hours a day, to help me gain control over my scissor and comb technique. He has been a continuous mentor throughout my 10 years in this industry. I was given the privilege of learning a traditional art form which has now, in my eyes, been over complicated and blurred.”
During my formative barbering years, Jacob won the opportunity of a year’s mentorship with the British Barbers Association. “This gave me the opportunity to meet such amazing and talented barbers/hairdressers; the likes of Chris Foster, Dale Ted Watkins, Erik Lander, Errol Douglas, Lloyd Hughes & Kevin Vorley who gave me invaluable training!”
We find out more about this international talent now based in Sydney.
Tell us a little more about your career so far…
I trained traditionally as an apprentice before the hype and fast track barbering courses that I believe, are now all too common!
My career has been truly blessed with many fortunate experiences, including featuring as a main contributor for ManSTYLE Lab and demonstrating traditional skills I have learnt in my career at Australian Hair Expo 2016/17/18/19. I have had some wonderful opportunities whilst in this profession, winning The British Barbers Associations, Menspire program in 2013 and receiving a year’s mentoring with some of the industry’s leading names.
Performing at the largest trade show in Europe, on the Hairdressers Journal stand at 2013 Salon International, returning in 2014 performing my first ever live solo demo for the BBA were special highlights.
I was part of Johnnie Sapong’s styling team at London Collections Men working for fashion labels Oliver Sweeney, Maharishi and Hackett, product launches, most notably that of Moroccan Oil with Errol Douglas MBE and Dove’s shaving range. I’ve also had TV and radio appearances such as BBC 5lives Men’s hour and Man Up a makeover show for Fox TV and have appeared in magazines, newspapers and online blogs such as Hairdressers Journal Men.
Down under… Where do I start! I came to this country under the impression that I would only be here for 6 months then return home but 7 years and 1 shop later I now call Sydney, Australia my home and recently acquired my Australian Citizenship
When I first moved to Australia in 2014, high-end barbershops were few and far between. I had no desire to work at a shop where I couldn’t continue my growth and education. Learning and education consumed me. Just as it did in London, I wanted to learn from the best barbers in Sydney. So, I got on Google and searched Best Barbers in Sydney. Very few shops appealed to me, but one stood out. ‘The Barbershop’ with fully operational Barbershop & Speak-Easy bar in the back, this would be my home for 4 years.
I started as a backpack barber on a 6-month visa, and left having managed 2 stores and 12 staff.
Learning the business side of the trade allowed me to acquire the knowledge and key business fundamentals that I would need to ensure that when I did eventually open my own shop, I would have the skill set to succeed.
Setting up shop was an arduous and stressful process. I had to wait until I had been granted my permanent residency, a process that took in total 3 years before I could start the journey in opening my own shop.
The pursuit of securing a suitable site would take me over 14 months from start to finish constantly refreshing Commercial Realestate.com. Sydney has some of the most expensive real estate in the world! Then dealing with not having the physical support of my family, who are still in the UK, the tragic bushfires which saw massive delays in materials, dealing with one of the largest landlords in Australia and the huge difference in regulations compared to the UK ensured I learnt lots on the job.
I eventually opened my doors in February 2020. After only one month of trading, we faced the global pandemic COVID-19. This tested my abilities and resilience. Thankfully we survived and have recently come out after another lockdown. To say that the first 2 years of opening a small business is the hardest is an understatement, but luckily we have flourished recently topping GQ’s top barbershops list in Sydney, which is a testament to my team and loyal customers.
It’s been a difficult yet rewarding journey, I have grown as a barber and have learnt invaluable lessons, most importantly learning how to treat my barbers and not implementing the same mistakes I’ve seen previous business owners make. If anyone reading this wants to ask me in more detail about my experiences from emigrating to opening shop in another country, please do not hesitate in contacting me.
Share with us the story behind the shop name, design and culture and inspiration for what you offer.
London’s West End is historically known for its mavericks and conservatives, so whether it’s off the wall creativity or a sleek classic haircut that you desire, we excel at both.
Our brand name is derived from the secret language of London’s backstreet traders, created to prevent the prying police from nefarious collusion. Tate & Lyle is cockney rhyming slang for “style”, a word that epitomizes our Company’s ethos and brand vision. Tate & Lyle is also well known for golden syrup in the UK, syrup & figs is cockney for wigs another nod to our profession as barbers and wig makers.
Style is enduring and timeless, but it is also a unique form of personal expression: Tate & Lyle see it as our honour to deliver the results you seek.
Tate & Lyle’s service ethos emanates from the rich history of the West End’s highclass barbershop’s, the essence being an exemplary service delivered in a luxuriant shop.
Tate & Lyle has evolved from the London barbershops in which its founder cut his teeth and its vision is to deliver cutting edge results with a touch of class. Bespoke individualism is part of our rich heritage.
Tate & Lyle aims to provide a comfortable sanctuary for the esteemed gentleman of Sydney, an escape in today’s busy world; we’ve merged contemporary cutting in a classic and timeless setting we wanted to ensure the shop suited the location and prospective clientele of Macquarie street dark woods, Chesterfields, British racing green tiles so iconic on London’s pie and mash shops, black and white pictures of London adorn the shops walls and the scent of Leather and tobacco waft through the air. I wanted to ensure this shop was not a gimmick, just a good old-fashioned barbershop.
Our inspiration comes from lots of sources Pinterest, Instagram, Catwalk, print & fellow barbers who keep pushing the boundaries we love being inspired by seeing what our counterparts are doing globally. Barbering has really come on leaps and bounds from when I did my apprenticeship of course there is the over use of photoshop which has set unachievable expectations but there are some truly unreal barbers who deliver the goods such as Tay Basham, Harris Heaton, Nick Barford, Fab Sfameni , Reece & Alan Beak, Frank Glorified, Andrew Does Hair, Tariq Howes, Vassilis Serafetindis, Kevin Luchmun, Olga Gorbatenko.
A little on the success you have enjoyed.
Our major accolades are our current 150+ 5-star reviews on Google. In this day and age it’s so difficult to ensure every client leaves happy. The recent GQ feature was a huge achievement for us considering being so new to the industry and with so much competition as well as appearing on other best barbers list like Man of Many, DMARGE and BOSS HUNTING. We are humbled by our inclusions in these lists.
And your team?
We currently have 5 team members cutting, including myself, as well as one support staff member who helps with the admin of running a barbershop. We have acquired an eclectic team who have a wealth of experience in male grooming over 30 years of grooming experience. Ensuring our clients have a barber who can meet any requests from skin fades to beards, long hair and of course shaving all our staff specialise in different styles meaning we can handle any request. Our website also has a short bio on all our staff to ensure that customers can get to know their barber before they come in. Finding a new barber can be daunting experience especially when all you see is a name on a booking system, we give the clients an opportunity to pick a barber who has similar interests or can relate to their answers.
What products do you use love and recommend to your guests?
All our products have been carefully curated to ensure we use only the best, using our wealth of experience in the industry using products that complement our services. We currently use Sacha Juan for most of our styling range such as curl cream, ocean mist and ocean cream, shampoo & conditioner. We have an extensive range of Floris aftershaves and facial products we love their rich heritage. Our top selling product is our friends at Brother Wolf’s matte paste, crafted by barbers for barbers!
What is your signature service?
Our signature service is our luxury shave that promises to indulge you with only the finest men’s’ grooming products from London perfumer ‘Floris’. A process honed and perfected in London by founder of Tate & Lyle®. This luxury shave includes a facial mapping, gentle facial exfoliation, two hot towels, two passes with the open blade. The service is finished with moisturiser, facial massage, cold towel and a splash of handpicked cologne from Royal Perfumer and owner of 2 Royal warrants first granted in 1820. We stock an extensive range of Floris which we feel compliments our brand ethos a brand that has a long association with the British Royal family and celebs such as Marilyn Monroe, Sir Winston Churchill & David Bowie.
We offer a wide range of refreshments, all complimentary, from bottled sparkling and still water, to limonata and blood orange soft drinks and full fat coke to nurse those hangovers, Peroni beers (we used to have Red Stripe till covid impacted imports) Gin, Tequila, a huge selection of whisky and bourbons and coffee and various teas of course English breakfast tea! We also have nibbles for any clients who are a little peckish. All our services are finished with either a hot or cold flannel to refresh!
What’s next for Tate & Lyle?
We want to continue to cement our place as one of Sydney leading barbershops! We’ve got a few projects in the pipeline developing my own product range J A C O B, adding new services to our menu to further enhance our customers experience at Tate & Lyle and finally looking into providing education in Sydney drawing on my extensive contacts in the UK by bringing over some big names as well as our friends in Melbourne to help build a more inclusive barbering community here in Sydney!
Tate and Lyle are situated at Shop 1, 167 Macquarie Street Sydney 2000@tateandlylesyd
