The Cutthroat Journal Issue #15

M e n ' s

c u l t u r e // B A R B E R

$14.95 AUD $16.95 NZD

ISSUE #FIFTEEN SUMMER 2019

T R A D E

J O U R N A L

global BARISTA C H A L L E N G E

Only the best HOSTED AT AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

update Melbourne | 14 - 17 March 2019 CONTACT CAFE CULTURE TODAY PH 02 6583 7163 E. INFO@CAFECULTURE.COM | WWW.CAFECULTURE.COM 2

SEAN EDWARDS - PUBLISHER OF T H E CU T T H R OAT J O U R N A L

Welcome to another year and a fresh new copy of The Cutthroat Journal.

We have gone with a vintage racing theme for the cover this issue as we prepare for The Australian Grand Prix.

C

utthroat will be joining up with Jimmy Rods and Barber Brands offering haircuts at this year’s Grand Prix in Melbourne with all proceeds going to charity. The start of the year is an exciting time for the Cutthroat team, visiting Barber events in New Zealand, China, Singapore and New York. Travelling is such a great way to see new ideas and experience the culture.

We are excited about New Zealand Barber of the Year which is held at Meat Stock by Mr. Barber in Auckland. The Kiwi barbers are still the best in the globe and are very innovative with their unique cutting and fading techniques.

We are very excited to announce our event this year in Brisbane aptly named “The Makers Expo”. The event will host a series of artisan craftspeople demonstrating their traditional skills. The Maker’s Expo will also host the heats and finals for the Barber Brands Barber of the Year Competition and showcase some of the world’s best barbers

in skills workshops. The event is held on the grounds at the famous Eagle Farm Race Course.

We are now calling out to barbers in all states to come on board and send in your submission to enter this exciting competition. We will be asking barbers from all states to submit a video with footage of work that will match the selection criteria.

There will be a panel of judges who will select two winners from each state to compete. The New Zealand winner will go directly into the finals in Brisbane.

There will be a Barber Expo at the event so if you are a supplier and want to contribute please get in touch with our team and we can save you a space. We are also encouraging sponsors to use the workshop space for tutorial sessions which will run over the two days of the event.

The Cutthroat Journal is always looking for interesting stories and amazing barbers

to profile. If you would like to be a part of our innovative industry magazine, please contact the editorial team and we can see if we can help bring your story to life.

One thing I have noticed on my Barbershop journey is that not one barber business is the same as another, and I love seeing the unique business models and cool ideas coming from this creative space.

A big thank you goes out for my last overdue post - Christmas trim from the guys at Mister Chop Shop in Bondi Junction. Dan and his team are great business mentors and are an amazing pool of knowledge for our industry and a much-appreciated supporter of The Cutthroat Journal. Please enjoy this issue and I look forward to seeing you all one day soon on my visits around the globe.

Sean Edwards Publisher

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JAMES HOLDER -EDITOR-IN-CHIEF T H E CU T T H R OAT J O U R N A L

JIMBO'S Ramble

If we choose to, we can go a long way ourselves in life without community. We like to think that we can do it all on our own, and we can to an extent, but the further we move forward as an individual, the more we can find ourselves completely lacking without community.

S

o the question I’m asking today is, what are we doing to create community for others?

Because when it comes down to it, if we create community for others, we are also creating community for ourselves.

A recent study shows the “ME ME ME” generation didn’t just spring up overnight. The shift toward total focus on self has been happening for a couple of centuries, as society moved from a rural one towards an urban setting, and with the rise of technology and the availability of education.

Friendship and community are so closely knit together, and the Barbershop, I reckon, is one of the best places to find friendship and community. I have so many close friends that I have worked alongside or have met as they

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have sat in my chair. So, the next time you're flat out in the shop and you think the next client is just the next client, remember you have the ability to create community, and that next person you meet may just be part of the community that you yourself are seeking. 'Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What!

You too? I thought I was the only one.”' C.S Lewis Well enough of my rambling.

Here we go again, another great year ahead for The Cutthroat Journal. We have some awesome stuff in the new mag to kick off the year. Barber profiles, Barbershop reviews plus lots more. Remember to email us if you would like to be featured! We get heaps of submissions, but give it a crack

anyway and you may just be appearing in an upcoming edition.

We'll be at the F1 in Melbourne (it's a hard knock life) with the guys from Cafe Culture magazine, who are running their Global Barista Competition. Our good mate Jimmy Rod will also be there with a pop up Barbershop. If you're there you should visit him and get your locks off!

We've also got Barber Brands International on board again for Barber of the Year. It will be held at the Makers Expo at Eagle Farm Racecourse on May 4th and 5th.

OK guys, strap yourselves in for another great year.

And remember, don’t be a stranger

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Bleeding Edge

ISSUE #15

EDITOR

James (Jimbo) Holder jimbo@thecutthroatjournal.com

REGULARS

PUBLISHER

06 16 22 28

Sean Edwards sean@thecutthroatjournal.com

Bleeding Edge Out and About Barber Banter Business End

SALES manager

Jeremy Wall jeremy@thecutthroatjournal.com +61 427 147 218

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Eat Street with Annette Dutton

Gr aphic Designer

Roxanna Chan roxanna@thecutthroatjournal.com Gr aphic Designer

Boni Lornie boni@cafeculture.com

Editorial assistant

Kathryn Kraska MEdia

info@thecutthroatjournal.com Cover

By Boni Lornie

Contributors Jimmy Rods Dan Dixon Brett Dickinson Sandy Chong Duane Thompson Charlie Edwards Matthew Jorgenson Annette Dutton

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Chat with Ryan Chisesi

S T A Y

C O N N E C T E D

No part of this publication may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written consent of the publishers.

DISCLAIMER: A large portion of original material is created by Cutthroat and its contributors, including text, fonts, photography, and art work - content used from public domain like social media sites we agree are not the property of the Cutthroat Journal, and in all cases media permission has been sought via electronic or verbal agreement.

The content and views expressed in this journal by individuals and the Cutthroat Journal are provided in good faith as information only. No guarantee is made of the accuracy of the information provided. The Cutthroat Journal takes no responsibility for any action taken by others as a result of the content of this site.

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Supplier in profile David Morton 5

+

+

S T A G S U P P LY Activated Charcoal is having a big moment in the beauty and grooming industry. Not wanting the men to miss out, Stag Supply have created the manly response to this ingredient-of-themoment: BLACK Activated Charcoal Beard Wash. Activated Charcoal is notorious for drawing out impurities, which is exactly what this beard wash does. It can also be used as a body wash and shampoo.

PRORASO The Single Blade Range by Italian favourite, Proraso, includes Colognes, Shave Creams, Pre-shave Creams, Beard Oils, Beard Balms, Beard Washes, and Aftershaves in three unique scents: Wood and Spice, Azur Lime and Cypress and Vetyver. The Aftershave is a clear favourite, with long lasting fragrance and soothing ingredients that leave the skin smooth and soft post-shave.

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O’DOUDS

OFFICE

SLICK GORILLA

Nomad Barber, Miguel Gutierrez, combined his love of barbering, travel, film and photography to create The Nomad Barber. Miguel has now created a line of styling products to reflect his travels that work for long haul flights, but also for the more common long work day... Inspired by the salt springs in the Atacama D esert, Nomad Barber's Atacama Salt Tonic, is a product best used for longer hair styles to create texture and movement. It has a low, natural shine with high hold and works well with heat to create volume.

BLEEDING

NOMAD BARBER

This self described gravity-defying styling powder by Slick Gorilla gives incredible lift with invisible high hold. The how-to-use instructions are simple; you can apply the powder straight from the shaker, onto the hair and work it through until you can no longer see the powder - then just style as desired. This office favourite, out of the UK, is quickly becoming a best seller.

OFFI C E FAVOU R I T E

Known for their responsible and eco-friendly ways, O’Douds have found yet another way to win your green, nature-loving heart: by creating a Shampoo Bar. The use of a Shampoo Bar minimises the plastics used for shampoo bottles, and is packaged in recyclable cardboard. It boasts Coconut, Olive and Castor Oil as well as Cocoa and Shea Butter, therefore it is very moisturising and perfect for everyday use to get rid of everyday grime.

EDGE

WWW.BARBERBRANDS.COM.AU 7

Are you

Barber of the Year?

ENTER NOW SAT URDAY

T H E

W W W .T H E C U T T H R O A TJ O U R N A L . C O M

4th May

SUNDAY 5th May 8

EAGLE FARM RACECOURSE

R E TA I L I N

IS RETAIL A LOST OPPORTUNITY FOR BARBERSHOPS OR IS THE MARKET, THAT WILL JUST NOT BUY? WE HAVE ASSESSED THE ACTUAL FIGURES FOR A NUMBER OF BARBERSHOPS AND TALKED TO THE OWNERS.

DUANE THOMPSON | SLIKR

B

arbershops have a captive audience with over 57% of men visiting almost 10x per year. This is equivalent of 25% of the population visiting your locations almost once a month. One leading barber made the comment, retail should cover your rent or overheads. The statistics from shops show less than 1% of clients will purchase a retail product. However, shops with focus on retail will have 5% of all clients purchasing retail at an average of $1,200 - $2,200 per month in extra revenue. Each of the shops in the 5% all considered their retail underperforming and with some additional processes or strategies could double to $3,000 - $5,000 per month. How do they achieve this and what can be done to make the barbering industry better?

IT IS A SERVICE, NOT SALES: Very few people want to sell. Changing the perception to educating a client on the product and how to maintain a great style should be part of each haircut. Asking each client if they are okay for product at the end is part of the service.

OUR DEMOGRAPHIC IS CHANGING: Young men are taking more interest in fashion, health and personal care.

This generation is also more brand aware and personal grooming products have high growth potential.

BRANDS THAT PROMOTE: Products with a strong brand and promotional marketing may appear more expensive but they do make sales easier at checkout. Brand recognised companies are the sales professionals and leveraging their marketing will help to move more product. Make active use of marketing material, posts and training but regularly update all materials to keep current.

CLIENT DATA AND PROMOTIONS: Client data should be collected, even by walk-in businesses. Client data can be used to track purchase history, incorporate staff reminders on checkout and generate promotions.

PRODUCT DISPLAY: While space is at a premium in any shop, they should consider the return on retail as a cost per m2. If displayed correctly a 1m x 1m or 2m x 1m space near the checkout area needs to have all the products on display with clear pricing. It should go without saying the displays also need to be dusted and presented well with good lighting.

STAFF ENGAGEMENT: The single biggest factor is staff. Getting products into the hands of a passionate staff member engaged in the full client experience is probably the single biggest factor. Set commission and bonuses with achievable goals. Regular reporting on progress will help to make sure goals are tracked daily and not forgotten until the end of the week. Break big goals down into smaller goals and achievable daily targets.

INCREASING PROFIT: Any business school will tell you it is more profitable to generate revenue from existing clients than to generate more clients and hire more staff.

It makes total sense to maximise the value in your existing investment.

Just asking the simple question “Do you need any product?� will result in an increase in sales, the % of success will depend on how well you incorporate all the steps into your shop. A consistent $3,000 - $5,000 still only represents a small % of your total turnover.

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FOTS U N | P O RT M ACQ UA R I E 2 0 1 8 | P H OTO G RA P H Y M AT T H E W J P H OTO G RA P H Y

W W W. M A T T H E W J P H O T O G R A P H Y. C O M . A U

MATTHEWJPHOTOGRAPHY/

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FOTS U N | P O RT M ACQ UA R I E 2 0 1 8 | P H OTO G RA P H Y M AT T H E W J P H OTO G RA P H Y

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FOTS U N | P O RT M ACQ UA R I E 2 0 1 8 | P H OTO G RA P H Y M AT T H E W J P H OTO G RA P H Y

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FA L LS F E ST I VA L | BY R O N B AY 2 0 1 8 | P H OTO G RA P H Y C H A R L I E E D W A R D S

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FA L LS F E ST I VA L | BY R O N B AY 2 0 1 8 | P H OTO G RA P H Y C H A R L I E E D W A R D S

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FA L LS F E ST I VA L | BY R O N B AY 2 0 1 8 | P H OTO G RA P H Y C H A R L I E E D W A R D S

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+ ABOUT

WITH SEAN EDWARDS

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YUKI KANO | TONI & GUY AUSTRALIA

I

nspired by culture and her love for traditional barbering, Yuki Kano is globally recognised for her unique approach in men’s hairdressing.

Kano has the ability to blend both editorial and commerciality to her work.

Moving from Japan to Sydney in 2004, Yuki rapidly became a favourite among both her clients and peers – a result of her impressive skill set, warm hearted nature and consistently positive spirit.

Now her work is in demand and her creative vision has contributed to an innovative curriculum in which she teaches via powerful education sessions with her students.

Away from her work on photo shoots and education, Yuki has developed a unique philosophy on hairdressing.

“For me, style has no gender. I love to take inspiration from the world of barbering, and visualise across gender boundaries when I imagine and create styles for my clients.”

When it comes to global trend direction, Yuki keeps her finger firmly on the pulse and travels regularly to London, whether it’s to assist her hairdressing friends at Salon International, showcase her work at the Alternate Hair Show, or to attend education with some of the biggest names in the business.

“FOR ME, STYLE HAS NO GENDER. I LOVE TO TAKE INSPIRATION FROM THE WORLD OF BARBERING, AND VISUALISE ACROSS GENDER BOUNDARIES WHEN I IMAGINE AND CREATE STYLES FOR MY CLIENTS.” 20

PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN WARD

Fashion Designer : Warrawut Photographer: Ray Ranoa Make Up: Chisato Chris Arai Hair: Yuki Kano

Captain Fawcett Limited distributes, exports and sells Captain Fawcett's simply delectable range of first class gentleman’s grooming requisites to barbers, hairdressers, gift shops, tailors, independent department stores, ringmasters, explorers and other discerning customers with a sense of style and occasion. Captain Fawcett currently exports to over 42 countries from Alaska to New Zealand and has official distributors in USA, Canada, Italy, Holland, Russia, Norway, Germany, Australia, Ireland, Singapore & Spain. Captain Fawcett is a key sponsor of many national and international beard and moustache championships, UK tattoo shows and makes regular appearances at other gentlemanly gatherings: The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, The Tweed Run, the Chap Olympiad, Goodwood Revival and the Bearded Rascal, a UK Burlesque Pin-Up Show 21

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barber banter WITH JAMES O'BRIEN

2019 IS ALREADY PROVING TO BE AN EXCEPTIONAL YEAR FOR THE BARBERING INDUSTRY.

I

am excited to be teaming up again with my mates at The Cutthroat Journal, who have asked me to participate in The Maker’s Expo in May. The concept of this incredible event is to showcase a variety of trade skills, such as barbering. Whether it be a haircut, coffee or beverage, something that could be considered simplistic is actually so much more – a form of art: crafted, designed or executed with a pair of hands, high quality tools and passion. This exciting and innovative event was created for business entrepreneurs with a range of guest speakers accompanied by music and food stalls. The Maker’s Expo will also feature the 2019 Barber Brands Barber of the Year – crowning the best

barber and recognising industry leaders of the future. Due to some controversy about my role as judge last year, I have decided to step down from the 2019 competition however, I am equally excited to be working behind the scenes of this competition. The barber expo will be held over 2 days. Any barber educators wanting to do work shops over the weekend please contact me asap at: info@jimmyrods.com.au As I consider the notion of “the future of barbering”, I am left feeling frustrated.

Whilst positive growth has occurred and there is an abundancy of talent in this industry, there is a frequent pattern occurring in the form of staff poaching.

When I was an Apprentice Barber, it

was mandatory to remain loyal to your employer and obtain your Apprenticeship qualification from the initial business that invested a significant amount of time and money into your training and mentoring. In order to restore the original values of this trade and ultimately keep it alive, it is imperative that we focus on welcoming and hiring newcomers to the industry and bestowing these Apprentices with skills and knowledge. In order to do this, all members of the barbering community need to respect each other, remain professional and honest and cease looking for quick, convenient and unethical recruiting methods. Don’t steal other barber shops apprentices but train your own.

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RBER

VIEW

SPECIALIST BARBER 676 HIGH STREET THORNBURY 3071 03 9416 8000

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND HOW YOU STARTED IN THE BARBER INDUSTRY:

My name is Milad, born in Beirut, Lebanon and lived there for 23 years, moved to Melbourne, Australia to progress in life and start a family.

I've now been here for 24 years so many tell me I'm now Australian, which I've always felt I was, never forgetting Lebanon! I started off in this industry by walking down the streets of Beirut and seeing my local barber distressed outside his salon having just lost his only employee! I offered to give him a hand to clean the floors and wash the hairs of his clients until he got the help he needed, which only came when I progressed in my barbering career! I knew I fell in love with barbering when I saw myself working for free for the first six months and forcing myself to go to other barber shops for 'haircuts', only to see what skills different barbers posses! My boss decided to sell his salon after he had the opportunity to move to France where he was able to deal with the big boys. When he left I was able to double the business intake within the first six months of being on my own! I then knew, barbering was for me!

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HOW MANY SHOPS DO YOU HAVE?

I currently have the one salon which is doing tremendously in the heart of Thornbury!

HOW MANY BARBERS DO YOU HAVE?

I currently have 7 barbers working full time and most renting a chair, I have given them the opportunity to take it with both hands and make a name for themselves and set their life up!

FAVOURITE CUT?

My favourite cut would have to be a skin fade flat top! This is due to the difficulty of the cut which I have seen so many barbers struggle with over the years but I believe I have mastered this!

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING A BARBER?

The community has to be hands down the part of barbering I love! Being at this salon for over twenty years now, you are definitely a part of the community and people do infact become family! You get to see kids grow up, from their first day of school, to then becoming grown men working, buying houses, starting a family

and you have been there through it all! It's an amazing feeling!

TELLS US ABOUT YOUR COLLECTION OF TOYS AND MEMORABILIA

This has to go out to a very special client of mine, who is always on the hunt for antique barbering tools and equipment.

Vic has brought me countless amounts of barbering equipment and anything else he finds interesting! He has given me countless amounts of antique hand clippers, cut-throat razors and even razor blades that date back to God knows when! Another one of my favourite pieces is an old newspaper article that was found in the salon when renovating which was used for insulation, and coincidentally it was an article about barbering which dates back to May 23rd, 1925! Everything can be seen in the display cabinet at our salon!

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE READERS TO KNOW?

Just keep pushing hard and you'll get to where you want to be which should always be the top! And for everyone reading this, I would love for you guys to come down and pay us

W W W. T H E S P E C I A L I S T B A R B E R . C O M . A U

RE

@THESPECIALISTBARBER

BA

3 TIPS FOR FELLOW BARBERS & BUSINESS OWNERS

1) You must love what you're doing as a barber and have passion for it! There is no point doing things in life that you're not going to put 100% in!

2) Put in the hard work and effort! Being a barber takes a lot of sacrifice, but it's all worth it once you reap the rewards that follow hard work and determination!

3) Treat EVERYONE right! I see it so often barbers want to do what they want! It's not on! You can't grow and become the barber you want to be unless you treat you clients with 100% of effort and satisfy them to the highest possible standards! Also don't forget, kids are you future! Once they're comfortable with you why would they go to someone else?

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Our friends at e-Shave have also let us know that alongside the uptake of their shave products, double edge razors continue to be the most popular choice for those buying for gentlemen,

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and the gents themselves.

“For those not willing to completely throw caution into the cleanly-shaven wind, closely-clipped beards are also swooping in”.

These gentlemanly beards are being maintained by beard balms, more-so than the classic beard oils. This is largely because beard balms provide moisture through Shea Butter and other essential oils, as well as offering a gentle hold factor. Like beards, beard balms come in all shapes and sizes.

Proraso’s Beard Balm is in the featherweight category; its light moisture is ideal for closely clipped beards and early days of stubble.

W W W. B A R B E R B R A N D S . C O M . A U

T

his social movement has taken the world by storm, and I personally believe it is now leading trends in men’s grooming. What better way to show off your moustache growing skills than starting with a blank canvas? There has been a recent spike in sales in shaving care products across all international brands. This includes the full spectrum of a classic face shave including pre-shave oils, shave creams and aftershave balms.

WITH BARBER BRANDS INTERNATIONAL

BARBERBRANDSINTERNATIONAL/

BARBERBRANDSINTERNATIONAL

IT’S UNDENIABLE THAT SOCIAL MOVEMENTS CONTINUE TO LEAD TRENDS IN THE BARBERING WORLD. CASE-IN-POINT: MOVEMBER.

For a heavier hitter, Beard Hero Rescue Balm from Stag Supply offers deeper nourishment and control for all beards and the skin beneath them.

Beeswax offers a natural hold that will tame the hirsute without adding weight. When Captain Fawcett’s Beard Balms are warmed between your palms they can be spread evenly through the beard and moustache for ultimate lightweight hold. A big, burly birdie also told me that some of our favourite brands are working towards beard balms with colour tint in them, to give a beard a more cohesive colour, similar to Imperial’s Black Top Pomade.

The next trend is a little more difficult to link to Movember, but one that still definitely deserves a mention. Dry, texturized looks continue to dominate the barbering world, online and in brick-and-mortar shops. But there is now

increasing demand for sky-high weightless texture. Slick Gorilla definitely got in front of the bell curve for this trend with their Styling Powder.

Don’t let the name Slick Gorilla fool you though.

“This dry powder will create a style that is the embodiment of a matte finish”.

It is also easy to teach your clients how to use it and washes out like a dream. I highly recommend checking them out on Instagram @ slickgorilla.

Another way to get this weightless textured look is through hairspray. 18.21 Man Made have created a newly coveted hairspray that is perfect for texturizing. It is a layering product, so the hold factor can change depending on the style you want to create. It also has a faint aroma of sweet tobacco and is paraben-free, so really it is a win-win for you and your client.

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THE BUSINESS END | DAN DIXON

THE

Barber

@MISTERDANDIXON

SO, AS TIMES HAVE CHANGED, IT SEEMS THAT ADVERTISING YOUR SHOP, YOUR STAFF AND YOUR WORK HAVE BECOME RELIANT ON ONE MAIN TOOL, SOCIAL MEDIA.

A

tool that when used well, can create a great image and following, bringing customers and fans of your brand, through the door.

Facebook, the first real connector, led the way with great business tools to broadcast your messages, specials and events. Boosting became the new advertising ritual chosen by the small business and audience targeting was an exciting experiment of statistics. The savvy advertising boss became a barbering Bill Gates.

Gone were the days of yellow pages and classified ads. Then along came the pictorial beast, Instagram, joining the party with new social abilities and once again, everything took a new turn. With the new kid on the block, we could take awesome pics, add filters, then post it with links to our other media channels and tag whoever we wanted to see it. Shop marketing was a one step process.

Fast forward to today and lets look at what this direction has created? For our industry, it wasn’t long before the obsession to take more photos of haircuts was seeing client’s heads propped and turned, modeling and becoming an advertising specimen. Iphones made way for DSLR cameras and photo walls. Sadly, it seemed that the perfect haircut was not just being achieved for the client and with the addition of more photographic apps, the immaculate picture became easily achievable.

Once flawless, it is time to take these images to the world where in many cases creativity has become narcissistic. As if hoping to be discovered as a Kardashian of the barber world, posts get

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heavily tagged with clipper companies or other Instagram profiles that showcase barber work.

It wouldn’t be unusual to see examples where individual barbers were @ tagging 20+ profiles and adding 20+ # tags, whilst completely forgetting to showcase the shop, the client or the process that created the masterpiece.

At this level, everything that helped create that image, gets forgotten. Stand back and look at this situation for a moment. Is this about building a clientele, supporting the shop that employs you, being part of a team or helping customers with tips and techniques – or is it about building an ego and showing the world that you can do a ‘sick fade’? (even though the image has usually been enhanced or edited.) For the business owner, this also means that your staff are spending valuable time looking for notoriety amongst their peers and all on your dime. Now that’s not necessarily a bad thing…however…

Where is the customer experience? Where is the customer love? At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man, our industry is still about people and relationships with real human connection.

And always will be! A good haircut is about consistency and quality and it’s a great barber that delivers this time after time. Advertising your work should be about filling your chair and ‘paying it back’ to those who have given you a job and helped you deliver amazing results.

Customers are not searching professional hashtags to find their next haircut. Your client doesn’t care about what clippers you’re using on their haircut or whether you have 1000’s of followers. Yet with such dedication to these

long lists of target tags, it produces an almost embarrassing air of desperation directed at wanting to be ‘discovered’. Yes they are getting likes and yes they are getting followers but the majority of people that are interacting are within the industry, so the traction from these posts simply creates a barber jerking circle. Food for thought.

But I guess I ask – what is the end goal? What will this fabled insta notoriety bring?

What is the insta barber chasing? Are they hoping for free stuff from Wahl or just wanting everyone to stroke their barber ego? Whatever it is…without the customer, it doesn’t exist.

Education doesn’t come from Youtube and Success doesn’t come from a bunch of likes and followers.

Dedication to your industry and working alongside like-minded talent with a humble approach to improving your skillset will reward you a long-standing reputation. What happens after Instagram? What happens when you’ve put all of your profile building eggs in that basket and Instagram follows the footsteps of Facebook and dies off? Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a beat up on Instagram. I do believe it’s a great window to showcase work and there are definitely some talented guys and gals out there who are thinking outside the box. However, sadly I see people losing site of what it is that they do or have chosen as their career – and that is - to cut hair and be present in a customer service business.

There isn’t a short cut to barber success… pardon the pun.

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barber education BARBERLAND EDUCATION – GET YOUR FIX OF SKILLS, TRENDS AND INSPO AT HAIR EXPO AUSTRALIA 2019

JOHNNY GEORGIOU 30

Ht r e n d s

air Expo Australia has announced that its dedicated barbering education offering will return to the 2019 event in Sydney, following its huge success last year in Melbourne. The professional event for the hair industry is back in Sydney this year at the International Convention Centre in Darling Harbour from 8-10 June. Over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, barbers can check out the newest offerings from big brands in haircare and grooming including Andis, Excellent Edges, Wahl and Zen Master; as well as independent brands like The Groomed Man Co., and new gender-neutral brand, ANTI Collective.

Leading experts in men’s hair will take to the education rooms at Expo, with local favourite Jules Tognini set to bring his Lil’ Off the Top team to demonstrate tailor-made cuts that enhance the personality of your client in their Barberland session, ‘Dudes’.

South Australia’s The Barbery Artistic Team, including Johnny Georgiou, Anthony Staltari and Donny De Sanctis, will be showing why they’re running some of the leading barbershops in the country in ‘SWITCH’. The team will take the audience through an unplugged and intimate presentation of men’s high-end finishing techniques and fashion-forward looks.

For those who want to master their fading technique, Andis educator and Kings Domain barber Jordan Tabakman will take you through everything you need to know about executing a flawless fade.

There are plenty more Barberland sessions in the mix that will be rolled out over the coming weeks, so keep an eye out!

Tickets for Hair Expo Australia, including the dedicated Barberland education pass, will go on sale in early March 2019. Head to www.hairexpoaustralia.com to pre-register and get set for the Festival of Hair in Sydney!

J U L E S T O G N I N I A N D H I S L I L' O F F T H E T O P T E A M A T H A I R E X P O 2 0 1 8

BARBERY ARTISTIC TEAM

JORDAN TABAKMAN 31

Benny Marando creator of Doctor Bones started playing around with different concoctions of beard oil making a few years back.

He had started out just for fun for himself then realised he had come up with a really great product, gave up his job as a chef and took Doctor Bones on full time. Now a few years later he stocks his own beard oils, beard balms, switchblade combs and clothing label under the same name!

DOCTORBONES86@GMAIL.COM

FOUNDER DOCTOR BONES

@DOCTOR_BONES_

BENNY MARANDO

beard balm Doctor Bones has launched there Beard balms!

There are 7 scents to choose from Coconut Lime, Bubble’o’Bill’, Lychee Black Tea, Sandalwood, Captains Rum, Orange Chilli Pepper and Natural.

Helps shape and style your beard and has amazing scents to keep your beard smelling fresh all day long! You can purchase them online at doctorbones.com.au

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D E S I G N E D BY BA R B E R S F O R BA R B E R S

American Barber Haircare 34

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Mens Global Trends

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Barbershop systems that will help you profit

Shaving workshop

Head to www.thecutthroatjournal.com 35

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ROSS MACDOWELL | MASTER SHAVER

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MasterShaver THE

ROSS MACDOWELL | ROME

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IT’S 52 DEGREES IN THE SHADE, I’VE TAKEN A 9 HOUR DRIVE WEST OF MARRAKECH ALONGSIDE THE ALGERIAN BORDER.

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he barber shop is located on a tiny village road. Across the road are some goats and a sea of endless sand dunes. The Sahara Desert. The proprietor and barber, Zakaria, has Islamic prayer music cranked up to 10 from a boom box in the corner of his barber shop.

Zakaria doesn’t speak English and he is about to cut throat shave me.

Without doubt this is the most notable location I’ve ever been shaved. Zakaria peers at my whiskers through his spectacles which have lenses as thick as the bottom of an old glass Coke bottle. Zakaria’s two long lather ups should have warned me what was to come. His freshly stropped blade shaves every whisker, from every possible angle, again and again. My face is left red and raw. If there was a World Cup for closest shaves, Zakaria would win.

Shave completed, Zakaria liberally applies what feels like methylated spirits masquerading as an after shave. My neck and head instantly snap backward with the searing pain. Shave over, time for a quick photo with Zakaria and the 20 Dirham payment. Then it's a long drive south as the nearby Algerians cross the border, kidnapping westerners like me for ransom.

I’m Ross MacDowell, The Master Shaver and my passion is experiencing cut throat shaves from every continent on earth. My passion for cut throat shaves has taken me from London where I’ve been shaved by Prince Charles’ personal barber at Geo Trumper in Mayfair, to Tunisia in a tiny barber shop at the entrance to a hamman (mens steam rooms). It all started by accident, 32 years ago. While on a ski holiday in Colorado USA, a friend introduced me

to aerosol shaving gel which was not sold in Australia. The shave gel provided a much better shave than shave cream. America’s large consumer goods companies chose not to sell these shave gels in Australia, thinking our market too small and unimportant. This pi**ed me off!

Back in Australia, more research revealed the large American shave prep companies also sold razor blades. Seemingly a logical partner product… except their aerosol foams contain caustic chemicals that create lots of foam (which shavers believe looks good) but blunt razor blades (great for razor blade sales which are more profitable). What a conflict of interest!

Aerosol foams contain flammable propane or isopropane (BBQ gas) and butane, isobutane or isopentane (cigarette lighter fluid). Many also contain potassium & sodium hydroxide, the active chemicals in drain & oven cleaners, which cause the razors lubricating strip to go ‘stringy’.

These caustic formulations, with pH levels between 10 and 14 (the same as engine degreasers) degrade the sharpness of the razor blade, not to mention what it's doing to your skin, which has a pH of 7.

So, with a background in consumer goods marketing I decided to formulate and sell Australia’s first shave gel. The gel had to be free of the toxic chemicals and gases found in all aerosol shave products. Australia’s market leader was an aerosol cream, Palmolive Rapid Shave.

One night at an advertising agency party, after far too many beers, I stood on a

table and announced my intention to launch Australia’s first shave gel, calling it Fast Shave Gel, a parody on Palmolive's Rapid Shave, my way of ‘sticking it up’ the huge shaving conglomerates for ignoring Australia. By only selling shave gel, not blades, I had no conflict of interest. I could formulate my shave gel to have the highest slip factor, keeping expensive blades sharp for longer and a formulation that was pH neutral, protecting the skin.

My bank was intrigued by the tenacity of my idea and lent me the start up money. I then spent 2 years in a lab formulating a shave gel, not as easy as I thought! All the big supermarket chains gave Fast Shave Gel a 12 month trial alongside products from Gillette and Wilkinson Sword. I expected to be crushed by my huge competitors. Over the next 30 years Fast Shave Gel endured endless negative tactics from its huge corporate competitors in efforts to remove it from supermarket shelves. Yet today it is still available in Coles Supermarkets, as one of the longest serving brands in Australian grocery.

Realising it wasn’t just shave formulations that created a great shave, I developed a passion for cut throat shaves to learn more about varying beard preparation and shaving techniques, incorporating whatever I learnt into the Fast shave range. 30 years ago cut throat shaving wasn’t popular in Australia, so for 3 decades I’ve been travelling overseas trying as many cut throat shaves as possible.

The varied techniques and attitudes to cut throat shaving available outside of Australia is profound. Some shaving artisans have stood behind me, their eyes closed, gently rubbing their hands lightly over my face memorising the direction the whiskers take (which is different over the facial area) so the barber will always be cutting in the direction of the whiskers on the first stroke....perfection!

Beside Milan’s famous La Scala opera house, 84 yr old Franco Bompieri, the boss at Antica Barbiera Colla, possesses legendary shaving knowledge. He intervenes during every shave and haircut, keeping his 4 barbers on their toes in a barbershop exploding with 114 years of history. I absorbed everything his shaky English divulged.

In Turkey, a barbers shave is also about reducing nostril and ear hair. Imagine my fear during my first Turkish shave when the barber suddenly ignited a piece of cotton wool he was holding with forceps. The flaming cotton wool was then repeatedly banged into my open ear canal. This time honoured method burns all the outer ear canal hairs without burning the ear.

Cut throat shaving is now becoming increasingly popular in Australia. As in Italy, a weekly cut throat shave can be a social occasion with a group of friends after work on Friday to prepare for the weekends social engagements or as a regular treat to pamper oneself.

Australian barbers are realising the cut throat shave is a growing and profitable area of their business.

FRANCO BOMPIERI | BOSS AT ANTICA BARBIERA COLLA The Master Shaver will be introducing Australian cut throat shave reviews appearing in The Cutthroat Journal.

Our Instagram feed @thecutthroatjournal and the Master Shavers feed @razorcompanieshateus/ will carry previews where you can contribute your cut throat experiences.

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STORY & IMAGES BY ANNETTE DUTTON @ TAKE THE SHOT

EATSTREETMARKETS.COM

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NORTHSHORE

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Photography Annette Dutton

PHOTOGRAPHY ANNETTE DUTTON

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221D MACARTHUR AVE, HAMILTON QLD 4007

/EATSTREET/

STREET

W ON ANY WEEKEND THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AT A DISUSED AREA, ADJACENT TO THE RIVER AT HAMILTON, ON BRISBANE’S NORTHSHORE, YOU WILL FIND A VIBRANT BUZZING SPACE FILLED WITH OVER 180 BRIGHTLY PAINTED SHIPPING CONTAINERS HOUSING BARS, SHOPS AND AMAZING FOOD OUTLETS, PACKED WITH LOCALS AND TOURISTS ALIKE.

e arrived early expecting to beat the crowd but even at 6pm the place was buzzing. With families, singles and everything in between, drinking, chatting, listening to music and lining up for tasty meals at the food truck style purposed shipping containers, selling every style of food imaginable from trendy burgers, Thai, French, Brazilian, Greek, Vietnamese, pizzas and so much more! With the sun setting, the hot summer temperatures of the Brisbane summer day drop to a pleasant 28C and with a gentle breeze blowing off the river, sitting outside, eating great food and listening to The Baker Bros, a fantastic cover band that had people of all ages up and dancing, is a great way to spend an evening.

As there were four of us, we decided to get a variety of food to share, starting with Chicken Satays, followed by some steamed Pork Dumplings, Grilled Haloumi, Beef Tacos and Peking Duck wraps. We chose an assortment of beers and wines including Tiger and Asahi.

Dessert is a must at Eat Street, with the only problem, choosing what to have. There is Kombi Alley, dedicated to sweets as well as a French crepe place, Indian dumplings, cheesecakes, cupcakes, sticky mango rice, a Swedish sweet shop and flavoured popcorn. Kombi Alley is filled with repurposed Kombis selling Cronuts

filled to overflowing with flavoured soft serve ice cream, doughnuts and even Ponuts, a mixture of doughnuts and popcorn. They sell for almost the same as the meals but to be fair they are a meal in themselves and definitely not to be missed.

The place is set up with different areas including Lane Way, Traders Square, Diner, Main Deck, West Wharf, Asia Street, Kombi Alley, East Wharf, Market Square and the Trawler Deck, all having a different character, as well as a number of VIP areas you can book for your own private function.

Each of the areas and lanes are lined with food outlets and packed with tables and a stage at each end, where a variety of bands perform.

There is also a number of bars and Asia Street specialising in Asian food and beer, a sprinkling of shopping outlets and an Open Sky Theatre.

Parking is free and plentiful and there is a City Cat ferry stop nearby. Entry is a more than decent at $3 per person, with children 12 and under free. Meals cost around $12 to $14 each, drinks reasonably priced and kids and dogs are welcome. It is open every weekend of the year from 4pm to 10pm Friday and Saturday and 12pm to 8pm on Sundays.

Annette Dutton www.taketheshot.com.au 39

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PHOTOGRAPHER GREG ANDERSON

competitions in Austria and the United States.

The World Beard and Moustache Championships is a biennial event in which some of the most outrageous, and highly styled facial hair on the planet is on display.

Two years ago, The Fellowship of the Beard NZ worked with Auckland Convention Bureau (ACB) – part of Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic Development – and Tourism New Zealand to place a bid to bring the World Champs to New Zealand. Successfully, they secured the event for Auckland. It will be the first time the event will be held in New Zealand. It is traditionally held in North America and Europe.

The competition will include the 16 traditional categories of judgment in The World Beard and Moustache Championships plus a 'Whiskerina' category - for women who create their style using realistic looking hair or materials of different types to be more artistic -, and 'Crowd Favourite', where attendees will choose the winner. Some of the categories are Full Beard, Partial Beard, the Dali Moustache, Musketeer, Fu Manchu, Verdi or Freestyle - a

category where style aids can be used to craft "facial art".

A number of criteria go into judging a beard including body, styling, and how the contestant's facial hair best enhances their overall appearance and personality.

"Maintenance is a big thing, judges are going to be looking after the beard, the outline of it, if it suits their face shape and personality… their whole look comes into play as well."

However, the road to growing a competitive level beard is not an easy one, with it being a full-time commitment and requiring “a large degree of effort and maintenance,”Cervio said.

"I need to wash it regularly, use products with no alcohol, condition it thoroughly and brush it using a special boar brush.”

With enough categories to suit any type of facial hair, The Fellowship of the Beard NZ looks forward to welcoming the bearded community to Auckland in 2021.

Stay tuned about coming to Australia to be part of the Beards and Moustache competition at The Makers Expo in May.

FELLOWSHIPOFTHEBEARDNZ

T

hey are bringing the Beard & Moustache World Championships to Auckland in 2021.

“For us, facial hair is not just fun, but a responsible way of life.” With numerous members spread across the country, The Fellowship opened the beard game in New Zealand by running the only National Beard & Moustache Competition in 2014. The event got bigger every year, gathering people from every corner of the country, and also visitors from other places such as Australia, Morocco and the United States.

“One of the main goals of our national competition is to raise funds for charity, with Lifeline Aotearoa, Child Cancer Foundation and the Mental Health Foundation being some of the organisations we have helped.” said Ygnacio Cervio, founder of The Fellowship.

In 2013, Ygnacio participated in his first competition - the world champs in Germany.

Cervio unexpectedly finished fifth in the full beard with styled moustache category, and since then, he became a regular competitor at the World Champs, travelling to world

N Z B E A R D A N D M O U S TA C H E

NZBAMC

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE BEARD NZ STARTED AS A ONE-MAN-DREAM AND BECAME A COMMUNITY THAT NOT ONLY ENCOURAGES AND SUPPORTS THE GROWING, STYLING AND GROOMING OF FACIAL HAIR BUT ALSO HELPS SEVERAL CHARITY ORGANISATIONS.

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WORDS | SEAN EDWARDS

WAYNE - BARBER WARS WINNER & JACQUI SPENCE - CEO OF MR BARBER TRAINING ACADEMY

THE ACTION WAS HOT OVER THE WEEKEND AT THE AUCKLAND MEAT STOCK EVENT WITH THE HEATS AND FINALS OF THE NEW ZEALAND BARBER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION AND BARBER WARS.

T

he event was held at the ABS Showgrounds as part of the first day of Meat Stock New Zealand. This was the third year of the Barber Wars Competition showcasing a full line up of competition barbers battling it out for the prestigious award.

Jacqui Spence, the CEO of MR Barber Training Academy honored her late husband Neville, with The Neville Spence New Zealand Barber of the Year Trophy. The award was won by Wayne Joubert, a long-term trainer at Mr Barber in Auckland. Jacqui commented that Neville would have been very proud to have seen Wayne win as he had a special spot in his heart for this talented barber. Steven Wise from Barber Brands New Zealand handed out prizes for first and second

42

place. Other winners included Ravi Kumar for the ‘Traditional Cut’ and Wayne Joubert for both ‘Razor Cut’ and ‘Creative Cut’ categories.

Meat Stock also hosted other hair related events including a Beard, Moustache and Mullet competition. The BBQ meat setting brought out the best of all three categories with many entrants flooding in from the crowds.

The event also saw local barber schools giving away free haircuts to the attending crowd, which was very well appreciated by those who took up this generous gesture. Meat Stock, now in its third year in Auckland, has worked hard to unite the best from a range of industries including butchery, barbering, hospitality, farming and music.

ON STAGE - NEW ZEALAND

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0431 707 443

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JIMBOSBARBERSHOP_NEWCASTLE

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279 HUNTER STREET NEWCASTLE

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BARBERSHOP INTRODUCING THE THIRD STORE WITH THE JIMBO'S BARBERSHOP NAME ON IT.

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e recently caught up with the co-owner of Jimbo’s latest shop, Ben Lyon. Firstly, a little bit about Ben's background.

Ben completed his trade with Jimbo and the guys in the Port Macquarie shop around 4 years ago. Ben then moved down to Newcastle to start his fully-fledged barbering caper in another barbershop. Ben stayed in contact with the boys from Jimbo's during that time and when the opportunity to work at Jimbo's second dip in the barbering pool in Beaumont St, Hamilton (Newcastle), came up, Ben was on board.

After a solid year and a half of the Beaumont St shop opening, a third Jimbo's Barbershop is now open in Hunter Street, Newcastle. The shop is more simplistic in both layout and style compared to the other two stores, catering to its inner-city address. It attracts a wide range of clientele, from young children to businessmen and the elderly, all of whom are welcome and made to feel at ease.

'One thing these guys have done well, having worked at all three shops in my time,' says Ben, ‌'is that these places feel as though they've been a part of the community forever. Everyone is always made to feel welcome when they walk through the door. It's not about being the coolest place around, it's about valuing each and every client. When people feel valued and included, they'll most likely want to keep coming back'. Ben says that obviously constant banter is another important tradition of the barbershop, and the Jimbo's crew have mastered the art of talking about anything and everything.

Jimbo's is also a great place for the ever-increasing number of guys and girls doing the Barbering course through TAFE, with work placement offered to hone their skills helping them to gain real-life experience so they can work professionally.

Cheers Ben, keep up the good work guys!

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SANDY CHONG CEO AUSTRALIAN HAIRDRESSING COUNCIL

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A R E W E A P A R T, A PA R T OR IN THIS

PRINCE STREET BARBERS. GRAFTON K E R R I E D I M AT T I A + T E A M

I know I have mentioned this before. Our industry, whether we agree or not, is made up of Barbers, Hairdressers, Beauty Therapists plus of course training colleges and product companies.

The Government and industry regulators see us as ONE industry. Now I know barbers are not beauty therapists, just like I am not interested in waxing or plucking someone’s eyebrows or adding fake eyelashes stolen from some poor mink.

But bureaucrats are not concerned about our US versus THEM mentality. They don’t understand why we have so many groups, organisations and associations that separate us all, yet collectively cite the same mantra of supporting and protecting our chosen careers.

We see ourselves as not part of each other’s industry and apart from each other. Some are aggressive and insist the opposition industry should BUTT OUT….is this how it should be?

Business is business and there are some savvy operators who embrace all of our industries with open minds, learning and ultimately planning for success in choosing to cross over the lines of US and THEM. I thought I’d ask them some 46

questions…like WHY?

WHY DID YOU OPEN A BARBER SHOP? I had never planned to extend into barbering. Our head barber Nathan is a family friend and he was looking for a career change from his current profession as a builder. I knew how rapidly the barbering industry was growing, so when he approached me to train him I thought, why not, let’s see where this goes.

Nathan turned out to be an absolute natural, so we renovated a small section of the salon to incorporate two chairs and Prince Street Barbers was born! It grew so fast that in 18 months we had to move the lads (by then we had two) out of our salon and into their own space.

WHAT PRODUCT SELLS BEST? Stag Supply for beards. We only use and supply Aussie owned and made products in the shop. Also Uppercut Deluxe & King Brown equally, each barber has a favourite.

HOW HAVE YOU SOURCED YOUR BARBERS? My barbers have all been home grown; they start as apprentices and we train them up. We now have four in all.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE INDUSTRY? 38 fantastic years.

U PSTA I RS B A R B E R CO . S A W T E L L KAT E , D UA N E A N D S A RA H J O N E S

WHY DID YOU OPEN A BARBER SHOP? Opening the Upstairs Barber Co. was a culmination of a few things.

We had some staff at our salon J Society that wanted to move away from women’s hair/colouring etc and more into barbering. A location came up for lease above our salon and the two barbershops were closing in Sawtell, leaving a gap in our community for men's hair. So we decided to expand our business and open a barbershop.

WHAT PRODUCT SELLS BEST? At the moment we stock King Brown Pomade and a selection of grooming products from Barberbrands International. KB’s new Heavy Hold Pomade has been flying out the door since it arrived last year and we are seeing a lot of Captain Fawcett products being popular with the more hirsute gentlemen - it’s the smell of it!

HOW HAVE YOU SOURCED BARBERS ?

As mentioned, the first barbers we had moved over from J Society to work in the Barbershop. Since then our barbers have really been sourcing us; professionals moving to Sawtell from Sydney or overseas looking for work in the local area.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE INDUSTRY? I’ve racked up 17 years in the industry. Sarah’s at 20 and Duane’s been a qualified barber for six months.

WHY DID YOU OPEN A BARBER SHOP? I have recognised that over the years the male client is actually hindering the salon turnover rather than filling gaps in the appointment book. I wanted to still cater for the male client, whilst freeing up valuable appointments for colour work and higher paying services in the salon.

WHAT PRODUCT SELLS BEST? The bestselling product at the moment is the Burley Fellow Sea Salt Spray. Guys are trending towards products that provide a more natural feel and look in their hair, whilst still giving body and hold.

HOW HAVE YOU SOURCED YOUR BARBERS? Initially we trained up some great staff in our salon to work in the

barbershop. We have advertised through various platforms for staff, but mostly we have had barbers dropping in resumes.

We are still looking for good barbers, but they get snapped up pretty quickly if you don’t act immediately. We have missed out on a couple of great ones as I didn’t have time to see them immediately.

Backpackers are great, even though they are only around for six months at time. They are usually really keen to earn some money and travel.

They will often recommend a friend to take over their position when they are ready to move on to farm work.

RAZORSMITHS. MELBOURNE TO M D O N ATO

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HAIRDRESSING? I started hairdressing the day before my 16th birthday in 1977, so on 16th of May 2019 it will be 42 years in this industry.

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movie review

THE

verdict { WITH BRETT DICKINSON }

Weird stalky Dan from Gossip Girl, graduates into full stalk psycho mode in this twisty turny stalky thriller. It's literally like a dark psycho continuation of the teen drama Gossip Girl, right down to the narrative, but it's great. The story of average Joe who becomes besotted with a rather miscast as “unbelievably beautiful” Beck, when she literally just says “hello” to him. He then proceeds to hatch a plan that takes out her dickhead boyfriend and stuck up mates and makes Beck fall into his crazy person arms. Bizarrely, I started to really dislike Beck and found myself routing for Joe, despite him being an absolute fruit loop. All in all, it's gripping, fun, dark stuff, and the series ends nicely for a 2nd outing. Think Dexter meets Gossip Girl.

You – Netflix Series

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The Verdict: You…must watch this series

@THEVERDICTWITHBRETTDICKINSON

A Star is Born The 4th time remake of the classic tale of a has-been alcoholic rock star that falls for an up and coming struggling artist and helps her realise her dream, whilst battling his own demons.

Bradley Cooper is at the helm, both acting and directing in his first outing behind the camera and co-starring Lady GaGa in her first big screen role (other than the odd cameo).

I was blown away by this film, you must have found it hard not to hear the songs, or hear about this movie from all the marketing and advertising hype behind it, but it truly lives up to the hype.

GaGa is outstanding, a born natural that fills her role perfectly. Cooper went through vocal training, voice altering, and worked with many musicians to own the role of Jack, and he is amazing. All the songs were written for the film by GaGa, Willy Mason’s son and other musicians and they are perfect. As a musician myself, I always get worried about movies that are based around music and the musician’s life, but Cooper absolutely nails it.

As a bottom line, it’s a love story, a magical journey of a love story, in the vain of Lady and The Tramp, it has its ups and downs, and slows a little in the middle, but I have not been as mesmerised by such a take on this genre in all my years in music and film.

The Verdict: A Film Star is Born in GaGa

Bird Box

Social Media blew up recently with talk of Netflix’s Bird Box. Hailed as a masterpiece by some, and full of plot holes by others; Bird Box tells the story of a woman trying to raise a young family in a post-apocalyptic world, where strange demons cause whoever sees them to go mad and commit suicide. Therefore, leaving survivors to walk around with blindfolds on so that they can’t see said demons and subsequently top themselves.

Obviously.

I’m in the latter camp, this film is not a triumph, it IS full of plot holes and contradictions, and Sandra Bullock is not “outstanding” in any way, she mopes her way through the entire debacle with a marginally confused look on her face.

It’s like a cross between M Night Shyamalan’s rather average “The Happening” mixed with the outstanding “A Quiet Place”, only difference being, Bird Box is utterly shite.

Bohemian Rhapsody “is a foot stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury” – at least that’s what IMDB says. I could not agree less.

Foot stomping maybe, in a few iconic moments. Yes, the Live Aid concert was captured perfectly. But the film itself is inaccurate in a lot of areas, I'm a huge Queen fan, I have been since I was a kid, but I found Bohemian Rhapsody to be a clichéd corny pile of mess that it pained me to watch the whole way through.

The Live Aid scenes were for me, the only part of any relevance and interest, despite the facts around the event and Mercury’s involvement are in complete contradiction to what the rest of the band had revealed.

Rami Malek in the lead role of Mercury was good, but only good. Yes Mercury had big teeth, but they just seemed to fill Malek’s entire face, and the accent was ridiculous.

Did he deserve an award? Does this film deserve best picture? HELL NO!!! It's just average, and only just.

If you want a foot stomping celebration of Queen, watch “Queen – Days of Our Lives” – 2 hours of some of the most memorable moments of Queen, told by the band themselves.

The Verdict: Far from Bohemian

The Verdict: Shitbox

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I N T E RV I E W | RYA N C H I S E S I

W W W. R YA N C H I S E S I . C O M

@ R YA N C H I S E S I

C H AT W I T H

CHISESI BARBER | VIDEO | PHOTO | THOUGHT

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF HOW YOU GOT INTO THE HAIR INDUSTRY:

I actually have been cutting hair since high school, even before I was licensed. I grew up playing music and always had crazy hair, so, I cut my own hair and the hair for all my bandmates. After college I went to an awesome hairdresser who worked for the Paul Mitchell School system. I asked him what it was like doing hair and after a tour of the school, I was hooked. It was as close to being a rock star as I could find even if I wasn't playing music, haha.

The ability to be yourself and be creative but also GIVE BACK & HELP people was just priceless to me.

ROAD TO BRICK & MORTAR:

The band I was touring with was based in Portland.

After it all fell apart I went back to cutting hair full time as opposed to on the side, which is what I was doing during my music career.

After touring I worked at a couple of other local Portland OR shops, but they weren't a good fit, especially after the last one went out of business after the owners decided to skip town with everyone's money, haha! I met the owner of BM, Mikey Denton (@mikeydenton) shortly before that shop closed down because he also used to work for them, however had left to open BM. He asked me to join, and as soon as my old shop closed, I was calling Mikey back asking if the position was still available. I’ve been there ever since. I even helped 50

him install some of the things that are still in the shop to this day.

WHAT LED TO THE INJURY AND THE RESULTS OF SURGERY?

I tore my right shoulder (the labrum) in January of 2017 while training for a men's bodybuilding competition and working probably too much at the same time, ha ha. I tore the labrum in 3 places and have multiple screws holding it all back together.

I can’t stress enough the importance of good mobility practices while cutting hair and good recovery practices on your time off.

After the surgery I was unable to cut hair for almost 5 months and now, well over a year later, it is still too much strain for me to cut full time. I cut 3 days a week on a split schedule to allow time for healing and to not end up worse in the future.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO GET INTO FILM/ PHOTOGRAPHY?

I actually got into video & photo work because of BM. I started running the shops social media accounts (@brickandmortarpdx) a little while before the surgery. After the surgery I had nothing but downtime while I recovered and so I went head on into learning as much as I could.

I spent ALL my free time taking pics, learning video, and watching tons of youtube tutorials on

how to get better at all of it.

I have always been a creative ad went to school for art. This has been another media for me to express myself and I took to it well since I have a background working in music studios and music engineering as well.

HOW DID YOU MEET SOFIE (STAYGOLD31)?

I met Sofie because of Instagram & a little courage.

I had always been a big supporter and fan of her work in the hair industry from her cuts and to her videos. She posted one night about needing help making videos due to her hectic travel schedule.

So, I wrote her, told her why I thought I could be of help, she sent me some videos to edit, and I crushed it. We have been working together ever since. It’s been a really rewarding experience and I have learned so much from her in every aspect of the hair industry. The best part is that we are now friends due to our progressive and work heavy mindset.

WHERE HAS IT TAKEN YOU?

All over! Since the start of all of this I have traveled to Russia, Toronto, and LA more times than I can remember, haha. This new year I have a lot more travel coming up and am preparing for a lot of overseas travel. I’ve also been able to shoot music videos for big record labels, pop stars, and even major fitness corporations, haha.

WHAT’S NEXT WITH VIDEO/FILM?

A lot of big projects. I am currently working quite a bit with Schwarzkopf Professional, and also doing a lot of music videos & freelance work.

It’s amazing because I have a lot of opportunities to work with very influential and inspiring people.

Nearly every other day I get a call or email asking me to go somewhere new. I love it. My current goals is to do a lot more work for all the major hair brands and tour with some of my favorite motivational speakers and musicians. I know it’s only a matter of time before I work with them all.

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HAIR EXPO AUSTRALIA ANNOUNCES 2019 AWARDS AND EVENT SPONSORS

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air Expo Australia has partnered with leading professional brands for its prestigious Hair Expo Awards and 2019 event in Sydney. As part of a new multi-brand sponsorship model, Hair Expo is delighted to welcome leading Australian scissor brand Excellent Edges, heat-styling brand Hot Tools, and haircare and colour brand Original & Mineral (O&M) as its special partners this year.

“We’re elated to be joining up with such amazing brands for Hair Expo and the Hair Expo Awards this year” said Cory Watson, Event Director for Hair Expo Australia. “These prestigious professional brands aligning with us in 2019 is a powerful statement on the value of Hair Expo and the awards to the Australian and New Zealand industry; and the unique platform that we can provide brands for exposure to the right audience”.

The brands are exclusive category sponsors in 2019, with Excellent Edges the official scissor partner.

“Hair Expo has played such a significant role in the branding and success of Excellent Edges over the years, so it is incredibly exciting to have the opportunity to sponsor Australia’s premier hair 52

event for 2019”, said Pete Walstab, owner of Excellent Edges.

Hair Expo welcomes Hot Tools as its official styling tool partner, with the brand now distributed in Australia by Rogue Beauty.

HAIR EXPO WELCOMES HOT TOOLS AS ITS OFFICIAL STYLING TOOL PARTNER, WITH THE BRAND NOW DISTRIBUTED IN AUSTRALIA

BY ROGUE BEAUTY

“The Hot Tools brand has been firmly on our radar since we established Rogue Beauty in 2014, having led the way in innovative design for heat styling tools in the USA for the past 25 years.

We are thrilled to be working with Hair Expo as the official styling tool partner as part of the brand’s 2019 Australian launch, where we plan to showcase a special selection of the multi awardwinning Hot Tools products”, said Jared Fisher, Managing Director of Rogue Beauty about the

partnership.

And Original & Mineral (O&M) is the official Colour partner for Hair Expo and the Hair Expo Awards in 2019.

“We are thrilled for O&M to be the official colour sponsor for Hair Expo 2019, O&M was born in a hair salon in Australia and hairdressers are at the heart of the brand. Our O&M tribe is growing around the world; this is a very exciting time and we are very happy to be part of Hair Expo and celebrating hairdressers”, said Jose Bryce Smith, founder of O&M. Hair Expo Australia’s 2019 event takes place in Sydney from 8-10 June, with the Hair Expo Awards Gala on the final night of the show (Monday 10 June).

Exclusive awards and event sponsorship opportunities remain available for interested brands seeking unparalleled exposure to a professional hairdressing audience.

Enquiries can be directed to Rosie Mitchell: rosie. mitchell@reedexpo.com.au Ticket sales and Hair Expo’s full program will be released in early March, with pre-registration now open at www.hairexpoaustralia.com

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WWW.CROOKSLIKEUS.COM.AU

SALES@CROOKSLIKEUS.COM.AU

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LIER IN FO C S

S

PP

U

U

NO SUCH

THING AS

LUCK

WE MANAGED TO STOP DAVID LONG ENOUGH TO GET A STORY OUT OF HIM. WE CHAT BUSINESS, BARBERS, AND THE FUTURE OF OUR GLORIOUS INDUSTRY.

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obody likes to fail. Especially in the business that everyone told you not to open. But the harsh truth is that more than 60% of new businesses fail within the first three years of opening. There is a glimmer of hope though kids and it comes in the form of the barber industry’s David Morton - who in my view is a legend of the industry. David, owner of Barber Brands International (BBI), had a vision. He took a huge risk, and a new Australian business was born.

David retired from the Health and Beauty Industry in 2006 after almost 32 years in the business, running a multinational cosmetics company. He was the quintessential corporate guy. Six months into his retirement David was living it up in London, New York and LA. The everthe-entrepreneur noticed a new wave of what

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he calls, “Cool Barber Shops”. These operated outside the world of mainstream hairdressing salons. Instead they focussed on creating a safe haven for men who were happy to pay a bit more for a high-quality barbering experience.

Back home in Australia the new wave of barber shops was beginning to build, but international professional brands for barbers were scarce. The haircare industry’s focal point was on women.

Distributors only tacked on men’s ranges as an afterthought. The only significant imported brands at the time were American Crew and the Italian classic Proraso. If a barber shop wanted anything more unique, they received the response - “tough luck buddy, import it yourself”.

David saw the burning platform and jumped. He created the first company in the world to focus purely on suppling high quality, unique men’s

ranges. At his core David wanted to serve those barbers and retailers who wanted to offer great brands to great blokes.

“I had worked 70 hours a week for most of my career, and was well paid for it, so continuing those work hours to bring great brands to Australia, and help new generations of barbers get established, was worthwhile. To be brutally honest, it was a much tougher ride than I expected.”

It took five years of hard work to establish rapport with a small number of shops. Another three years and the company reached critical mass. Every dollar Barber Brands made in those first eight years was re-invested into the company to help continue to build the industry, “yep no salary for eight years”. To this day, David still doesn’t believe in luck. He does believe

DAVID RACING FOR THE AUSTRALIAN TEAM

DAVID MORTON IN HIS ATHLETE DAYS

IN NEW ZEALAND

I JUST LOVE THE BARBERING INDUSTRY, AND I HAVE MADE A HUGE NUMBER OF FRIENDS IN IT

in passion, determination and a lot of hard work. David happily admits, “I just love the barbering industry, and I have made a huge number of friends in it”.

David’s recruitment philosophy has also played a large part in the growth of Barber Brands. He saw a group of hard-working and educated women that were “school moms” that were being left out of the workforce. By implementing flexible working options and shorter work days, he grew the Barber Brands team into a staff of 14 amazing women.

David loves his team and laughs as he warns guests, “Watch out at 2.20pm. It is like watching the start of a F1 Grand Prix as they race off to collect their kids”.

As for the future, David says the barbering industry will only continue to grow and improve in the coming years. For BBI, David says that he hopes to focus on the improvement of the quality of service, and to involve product and barber training within the business. David is also focused on sustainability. Cruelty free and vegan products from brands that embrace the eco-conscious barber and consumer, are high on the list of his supplied, quality products.

David’s ethos is, “If you are honest and fair with everybody, most people will be honest and fair with you.” Or to summarise – don’t be a dickhead, work hard and seize those opportunities others are too scared to go for.

(Summary Sean Edwards) I still have a great time when I catch up with David and chat the Barber world. I love his honesty about the industry and I respect somebody that has spent most of their life in it.

There are many newcomers that are throwing a whole new spin on things, which is great, but there is nothing better than talking to the old blokes and getting the real insights on how we got to where we are today. Thank you, David, for being the start of our Success Story Project, and we look forward to your regular product reviews.

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The THE MAKERS EXPO

Makers Expo SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY The Makers Expo is an annual innovative event for the entrepreneurial maker.

We are now looking for sponsors to join artisans, craftspeople, innovators and entrepreneurs over 2 days at the historic Eagle Farm Racing Club in Brisbane, for The Makers Expo, being held this 4th and 5th of May. Included in the event will be the annual 2019 ‘Barber Of The Year Competition’ - a national skills competition, as well as demonstrations and speaker sessions from various industry leaders.

The 2 days will be fun-filled entertainment, packed with music, food stalls, and artisan crafts-people demonstrating their traditional skills.

There are a limited number of exclusive sponsorship packages available, please contact The Cutthroat Journal for further detail.

CO N TACT T H E CU T T H R OAT J O U R N A L

02 6583 7163 | email info@thecutthroatjournal.com

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One location.

Two events.

Multiple Opportunities.

Largest Barber Competition The

CO M P E T I TO RS W A N T E D

T

he Maker’s Expo will host the heats and finals for the Barber Brands Barber of the Year Competition and showcase some of the world’s best barbers in skills workshops. We are now calling out to barbers in all states to come on board and send in your submission to enter this exciting competition.

We will be asking barbers from all states to submit a video with footage of work that will match the selection criteria. There will be a panel of judges who will select two winners from each state to compete.

The New Zealand winner will go directly into the finals in Brisbane. Contact The Cutthroat Journal for more information.

CO N TACT T H E CU T T H R OAT J O U R N A L

02 6583 7163 | email info@thecutthroatjournal.com

T H E

hosted by

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THE COLLABORATION // MODERN PIRATE X CROFT

BEHIND THE

MELBOURNE STREET STYLE AND BARBER CULTURE HAVE INFLUENCED TWO HOMEGROWN BRANDS TO COME TOGETHER AND CREATE A LIMITED EDITION BARBER TRADE INSPIRED SHOE “THE FRASER BOOT”.

MODERN PIRATE

Inspired by Australian barbering, tattoo and surf cultures and the people who surround them, Modern Pirate encapsulates a free and easy approach to individual style and expression through high quality Australian made hair care and lifestyle products.

CROFT

Our Australian design team travels the world to source the finest leathers and textures, as well as observing the latest trends in footwear. Of course, comfort is never sacrificed to style. It’s reassuring to know that tried and true shoemaking techniques still have a place in our modern world. Because no one has time for a bad fitting shoe. Croft. Style, integrity and soul.

Modern Pirate products at his local barbershop and Kent was a long-time fan and supporter of Croft Shoes. With both brands emerging out of neighbouring creative hubs, Fitzroy and Collingwood, overflowing with incredible art, barbershops, brands and bars. A friendship and brand synergy formed which inevitably evolved into the concept and design of The Fraser Boot.

style, and quality a major priority throughout the design and development process. The end result is a lightweight super comfortable and supportive boot that evokes effortless street style and appeal. On a stylistically level “The Fraser’s” clean design allows the wearer to adopt the boots as part of their own individual and distinctive style.

The collaboration was inspired by a chance meeting between Kent Mulligan, founder of Australian barber brand Modern Pirate and Croft Shoes founder Paul La Rosa. Paul discovered

Under the creative watch of Croft and industry feedback from Modern Pirate the co-branded design concept began to take shape. Long days behind the barber chair made comfort,

The release of “The Fraser Boot” in February 2019 signals exciting times for Modern Pirate who is fast becoming one of the most sought after brands in the barber space globally.

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Recently securing extensive distribution throughout Europe, Russia and established markets in China and South East Asia, the Boot launch has gained a lot of interest. On the local front, the brand is launching the styling range nationally into Tommy Guns Australia and is available at hundreds of barbershops across the country, so expect to see “The Fraser Boot” behind a barber chair near you. Boots sold online/wholesale and at selected retailers nationally.

Wholesale pricing and enquiries please email:

0439 472 509 W W W. M O D E R N P I R A T E . C O M . A U @MODERN_PIRATE INFO@MODERNPIRATE.COM.AU

“THE FRASER BOOT” IS OFFERED IN BLACK LEATHER AND RANCH SUEDE. A TRADE DISCOUNT OF 15% O F F E R E D T O A L L B A R B E R S W H E N P U R C H A S I N G O N L I N E . U S E C O D E : B A R B E R 1 5 A T C H E C K O U T.

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THE

lea di ng i n d u s t r y in n ovators | l ive de mons trati ons and speaker sessi ons | i ndustry comp et it io n s

Join The Makers expo barbers | brewers | craftspeople | specialty coffee

hosting

The Largest Barber Competition

LIMITED EXPO SPACE AVAILABLE BOOK TODAY 60

MAY 4TH & 5TH | EAGLE FARM RACECOURSE | FOR MORE INFO EMAIL JEREMY@THECUTTHROATJOURNAL.COM

IAINDESIGNS.COM

@IAINDESIGNS/

THE

IAIN FINLAY

O ME? I AM AN INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER, AND A MAKER. I LOVE LEATHER AND CANVAS, AWESOME FACIAL HAIR, OLD MOTORCYCLES, SAILING TALL SHIPS, HOPPY BEER, PEATY WHISKY, STINKY CHEESE, MIXED METAPHORS, GETTING OFF THE BEATEN PATH, WILDERNESS, AND MUSIC. LOTS OF MUSIC.

ver the last few years I've gained an appreciation for all things Mexico.

In particular (but not in order!) mezcal, mole, Oaxaca, my wife, her rescue pup.

Why leather and canvas? I can't tell you when I first fell for them, but it was a long time ago. Recently my father showed me a school satchel his grandfather (my great grandfather) had made him over 60 years ago.

It was a gorgeous piece of craftsmanship with hidden seams, metal buckles and a crossover shoulder strap that is as functional today as it was so long ago. Longevity is one of the greatest things about leather and canvas gear. Then there's the smell, and the touch; soft at times, but firm when it needs to be. I hadn’t known the satchel existed, but clearly this connection to well-made things runs in the family.

As it turns out I have a long family history manifesting in these designs I love; farmer, sailor, engineer, mayor, accountant, librarian, saddler, artist, musician, and on and on. It certainly explains a few things about me!

Materialising ideas through my hands and these media gives me an old fashioned sense of accomplishment, of creating a uniquely elegant and simple solution to a problem, or answering a need, customised to do just what it needs to, nothing more, nothing less.

In his book Wind, Sand and Stars, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote “perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away”, a philosophy I admire and apply to every project I tackle.

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CARMEL DEBREUIL

I HAVE BEEN ARTISTIC ALL MY LIFE, IT’S ONE OF MY EARLIEST MEMORIES. I HAVE HEAPS OF DRAWINGS FROM THE AGE OF THREE AND ONWARD.

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he theme then was princesses with big hair and big dresses! I continued through my teenage years with my dad who was my art teacher. I feel really lucky that I had such a great teacher! He taught me everything from the skeleton to perspective to the colour wheel and portraiture. When you have the fundamental basics, the classic skills, then you can do whatever you want. I have studied enough that I know I’m painting what I want to paint. I want my work to make people feel good, to show the strength and possibility of children and to let your imagination run free.

Eventually I worked as a portrait artist in Paris for a couple of years, in the big square in front of Le Centre Pompidou, with my sister and my dad, which was a really neat experience.

After that I did some painting, but eventually I had two kids and the painting and art kind of fell to the side.

My dad passed away about five years ago, and it was really devastating. He came to me in a dream just after he died and talked to me about being an artist and what I should do. It was really full on and very, very real. So not long after I returned from my parents’ home in Canada I started painting again. I was looking at a lot of family photos too. I came across one

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of my brothers when he was a kid wearing a striped shirt, horn-rimmed glasses and cowboy boots. It made me laugh because he was such a character. I wished I had more photos of him, but then I realised if I put the same glasses on my youngest son, I had the perfect model.

I paint on wood, so the first part of the story involves me going to Bunnings and pulling down a stack of ply and going through the sheets one by one to try to find ones that have great knots and patterns. Then I go home, cut them, sand them, and put the back frame on. I seal them, and then they are primed and ready to go.

I find inspiration for the stories through the kids’ personalities, stories, animals, and colours. I love pulling from cultures around the world too. I travelled a lot and so often there are references in my work to countries I’ve visited.

Kids don’t tend to have all these hang ups that we pick up as we get older. They love a kimono, a Viking helmet and cowboy boots because they are open to the beauty of all these lands and cultures. They can be anything they want to be. Life is like a magical fairy tale.

I always think of my work now as mash potatoes for the eyes. It’s bright and colourful and easy to digest. There are always stories

behind the pieces that are deeper and sometimes darker, but I love that little kids can look at my work and enjoy it as much as anyone. I remember doing my first painting of a little bespectacled boy riding a giant squirrel, and I felt like I had come home. It just felt right. That one sold within minutes of putting it online, so it obviously felt just right too for the client!

I am doing several commissions at the moment, which is always great fun. I get a lot of people who get portraits of themselves as kids or paintings of their own children.

Everyone has a story, and I love the idea of creating heirlooms that will be passed down for generations. It’s really special to think that the painting you do of someone will be loved and cherished by their grandkids and further. It’s so much more significant to get personalised art than just buying a print from Ikea or somewhere similar. Also, because they are telling a personal story it’s almost like a visual time capsule for a point in life.

The best way to find out more about my art is via my website: www.carmeldebreuil.com or on my Facebook page: Carmel Debreuil Artist.

W W W. C A R M E L D E B R E U I L . C O M

CARMELDEBREUILARTIST/

THE

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NEAL WEBB

W W W. E N E R G Y E N T E R T A I N M E N T S . C O M . A U

/E N E R G Y E N T E R TA I N M E N T S/

THE

YES I STILL HAVE MY EYEBROWS BUT THEY HAVE BEEN SINGED A FEW TIMES.

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y hair has caught fire twice and my chest hair went up once, but it’s all perfectly safe for the audience, it’s more the entertainer that’s at risk!

I hold a 100% safety record after performing worldwide for 13 years. From performing fire at the beach with friends to organising the fire team at the Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony, it’s been an interesting decade of growth.

So what has my company, Energy Entertainments been up to for the past decade?

Mostly staying creative with fire in videography, photography and creating performances worldwide.

After leaving Ibiza, Spain where Energy Entertainments was created, I brought the concept to Australia and boy did it grow!

I have created high-energy performances for events such as the GC600 Supercars and Redbull. I managed to put a half-pipe floating in the middle of Currumbin Creek where we set the BMX bikes on fire and watched them backflip into the creek as part of the show. Thank you Buskers By The Creek for being an amazing festival and running with my ideas.

I produced two creative BMX movies with Chris James. ‘Bring the Heat’ was the first and ‘Ignition’ was the second. They keep getting better and a lot more dangerous!

I also made a documentary called ‘Heart of Fire – Polynesian Warriors’ where I flew a production team to Hawaii and trained and fought with the best Polynesian Warriors in the world.

has grown into a Specialty Act Agency, offering a variety of fire, circus and stunt shows Australiawide. The Elements Show, which combines the best circus performers with the best fire performers, is reaching new heights and venues, so keep an eye out.

Along with running corporate team-building workshops and active kids programs to promote fun, flow and movement into everyone’s lives, I have many clients emailing me different concepts and themes to cater for. It’s busy but it’s creative and I love it!

Stay tuned by visiting: www.energyentertainments.com.au

Over the past year Energy Entertainments

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DEAN & ASHLEY BUTT

W W W. C O R T J E W E L L E R Y. C O M . A U

CORTJEWELLERY/

THE

CORT JEWELLERY IS THE PASSION & HEARTBEAT OF GOLD COAST HUSBAND AND WIFE TEAM, DEAN & ASHLEY BUTT.

All Cort pieces are hand made to the highest standard with everyday wear in mind.

"We are dedicated to making unique pieces of jewellery that not only connect with our customers but also last the test of time."

Cort specialises in creating Signet Rings to break the mould of the traditional, and bring an edge of unique style and modern mastery.

"We love the entire process - from a concept in our minds to execution of a finished piece. Hearing from our customers is probably the most rewarding though!"

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S U S TA I N A B L E S A LO N S | PA U L F R A S C A

W H AT D O YO U K N O W A B O U T

ALOPECIA?

“AFTER 54 YEARS OF HAIRDRESSING I THOUGHT I KNEW A LOT ABOUT ALOPECIA – BUT THERE WERE SOME AMAZING THINGS I STILL DIDN’T KNOW!”

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his from our friend Sharon Blain who was one of four industry professionals who bravely jumped in front of a camera recently to let Sustainable Salons quiz them on how much they knew about the condition.

What on earth for? So glad you asked! When we collect ponytail donations at Sustainable Salons, they’re distributed to charitable organisations that make it possible for people suffering from medically-induced hair-loss conditions to receive a wig.

As a barber, you probably don’t have that many clients coming to you with a 20cm ponytail they want to cull and donate in favour of a short back and sides. But bear with me here because I want to leave the ponytail donations aside and dive into the nitty-gritty about this condition – it’s having an equally profound impact on males as it is on females.

We’ve been spending some quality time with our friends at the Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation (AAAF) recently – they’re one of the organisations who receive ponytails from us – and we’ve been blown away by the facts they’ve shared and the people we’ve met who are living every day with this condition.

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Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss to the scalp and body. It can range from a single small bald patch to total loss of all hair on the scalp and body, including lashes, brows and sometimes ear and nose hair too! The condition occurs in roughly 2% of the population (more than 490,000 people in Australia are living with it right now) and it can affect anyone – men, women and children of any age and any nationality (even animals get it… say, whhhaaat?!).

Typically for men with Alopecia Areata, they may often experience hair loss in their beards as well, which is called Alopecia Areata Barbae.

I was chatting to our AAAF friend, President Chel Campbell about this recently, and she mentioned that there’s often a misconception in our communities that men find the condition less confronting than women. It’s actually not true!

“For a male, who will often have shorter hair, the appearance of Alopecia Areata is immediate,” Chel told me. “They often cannot disguise patches of hair loss through styling, as many women can, so the emotional adjustments to the change in appearance is also immediate. To men, their hair can represent their virility, so when they

experience a bald spot or thinning hair, they can feel they aren’t as manly, powerful or attractive anymore. If they do struggle with their selfimage, men can also have a harder time seeking help. How men react and accept Alopecia can also depend on their age, race and relationship status.”

A few other interesting things you should know – it’s definitely not contagious, and it isn’t caused by stress. No one actually knows what causes it and you can’t predict when it might pop up.

So, it’s understandable then that for any client who sits in your chair with a new and unexpected bald patch on their head or patchiness in their beard, it can be a pretty uncomfortable conversation for you both.

And that’s exactly what we started asking our industry mates. After some interesting chats, we discovered that not many hairdressers or barbers really know that much about Alopecia even though we could all probably think of an example where we’ve had a client sit in front of us with clear signs. At the time, did we know what to say or how to help them? I didn’t.

We could see then that there was a huge gap in the salon industry for more education on this,

right from the minute you sign up as an apprentice.

As an industry staring at people’s heads all day, aren’t we literally in the best position to spot the signs? And given the personal connections we tend to make so easily with our clients, doesn’t that give us the perfect bond to support them through a potentially tough journey, while also offering our expertise? Definitely!

With that in mind, we joined forces with the AAAF and created an awareness and education video that lays it all out on the table… and we mean all of it.

This video is circulating right now – you can check it out on the Sustainable Salons Facebook page or at www.aaaf.org.au. We want to give Alopecia Areata a

spotlight in our industry to normalise the condition for salon professionals, and give you guys the confidence and tools you need to feel prepared and supported when one of your clients needs you.

If you can think of a few guys right now who might be struggling with the early signs, we encourage you to be brave and start the conversation! A good place for you to send them to for info and support is the AAAF – they have a team of awesome male support ambassadors that your clients can connect with, along with a Facebook group called ‘Men’s Alopecia Support Group – Australia Wide’.

If we’ve learned just one thing along the way, it’s that even though Alopecia may not be life-threatening, it's definitely life-changing.

Keen to join the Sustainable Salons movement?

Register your salon details at www.sustainablesalons.org!

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y first experience with a my early days doing crew cuts and barber shop was two years watching the pros. Things progressed ago when a friend took me quickly however and less than two to the Jimmy Rod’s Shave Saloon for months in I was under the cool, keen a haircut and a beer; I found myself eye of company educator, Jeff, who has enjoying the monthly visits there and spent many an hour teaching me his now here I sit with the pleasure of trade secrets. In addition, I am trained writing an article for a leading industry by Matters in Gray Training Organisation publication about my experience as an professional, Jenelle, who oversees my progress and that of my fellow apprentice with the company.

Training with Jimmy Rod’s is both apprentices’ qualifications.

Headway does not go unnoticed demanding and rewarding; on a day like today, where I accomplished an either; I was fortunate enough to elaborate haircut I had never seen receive a ‘Best Newcomer’ award at or attempted before, it can be quite the Christmas staff party in 2018; more fulfilling and that is a feeling I’ve yet to than anything I find this gesture as great EDWARDS representation of how supportive tire of. { SEAN } At the start of my journey, Jimmy a network of people I have around me and Co. made it exceptionally easy who are all aspiring towards excellence. for me to source my tools and I spent 70

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GOTAFE is now offering regional students access to the latest in men’s hair techniques, with their brand new Barber Shops set to open in Wangaratta and Shepparton.

The skill of barbering has been revitalised in recent years, with modern trends influencing a rise in the popularity of well-groomed facial hair and clean cut hairstyles. With this increase in demand, there is a strong need for trained professionals who are up to the task, particularly in regional Victoria.

Working closely with Aaron Chan from Kings Domain Barber Shop, GOTAFE Trainers are keen to pass on their skills in men’s grooming to the next generation of Barbers.

“We are so excited to open our new Barber Shops,” explained GOTAFE Industry Consultant Wendi Bourke.

Go Ta f e

P: 1300 GOTAFE (468 233) E: enquiries@gotafe.vic.edu.au W: www.gotafe.vic.edu.au FB: facebook.com.au/gotafe LI: /company/goulburn-ovens-tafe/

“You can complete your training as an apprenticeship, or you can study your qualification with the non-apprentice option of learning in the classroom with paying members of the public as your clients. If you're already a hairdresser, workshops make it easy for you to upskill while still working in your business.”

Hairdressing Apprentice Joel Edwards from Craig’s Creations in Kyabram is excited about the prospect of specialising in Barbering.

“I started my career in the dairy industry, and after 10 years I was looking for something new, I saw a Facebook ad and here I am”, said Mr Edwards.

“Just do it; that’s the best piece of advice I can give people considering Barbering.”

Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) offers a nationally recognised qualification in barbering!

CIT has an impressive 90-year history providing technical and further education in the ACT and surrounding area.

Today, CIT trains around 20,000 students each year in a wide range of courses.

The Certificate III in Barbering (SHB30516) at CIT will provide you with the skills and knowledge to perform a range of tasks including head and face shaving, freehand clipper designs, carving and track design. You will become competent in communicating in the workplace, consulting with clients, recommending products and services, and designing and applying a broad range of technical skills.

Canber r a in st it u t e of technology

CIT is a fully accredited Pivot Point school enabling us to use state of the art resources on campus, off campus and online. Our salons replicate a commercial barber/salon environment – working on clients – which makes the learning journey more enjoyable and practical to barbering clientele.

P: (02) 6207 3188 E: infoline@cit.edu.au W: cit.edu.au/courses/creative/hairdressing

Already working in the industry? Get your skills recognised! CIT’s Skills Recognition is an acknowledgement of the skills you have learned from your work, life experience, or from any previous training. Undertaking Skills Recognition means you can gain either a part or full qualification without having to re-learn things you already know.

Be ar d Mat e

P: 0432 541 200 E: info@beardmate.com.au W: beardmate.com.au FB: www.facebook.com/BeardMate/ IG: www.instagram.com/beard_mate

At Beard Mate, our only job is to make your beard feel nourished, shiny and simply majestic.

Hand Made right here in Australia with express shipping available. The oils are designed to: • Nourish your facial fuzz • Hydrate your skin • Improve health from within and therefore growth Our Beard Oil is made only with premium carrier oils and essential oils (no synthetic fragrances) nourishing from within.

Our Shampoo is designed to cleanse without stripping all your natural oils away.

Our Balm is an uncomplicated solution to controlling those fly-aways, hand-made with natural products including beeswax and nourishing hemp seed oil.

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@JACOBXATKINS

PROFILE

jacoB atkins BARBER TRAINING: STUDIED CERT 3 IN BARBERING AT TAFE

trends

WHY BARBERING?

I started getting my haircut in barbershops about 5 years ago, that’s where my passion began I guess. I always like the chilled vibe and I loved walking out of a barbershop feeling like a million bucks. So, I thought that I'd love to be a part of making other people feel the same way.

FAVOURITE PART OF THE JOB?

I have always been really interested in men’s fashion and style. To me, the way a person dresses and their hair style says a lot about who they are. I’m really stoked to be able to help people find that self-expression.

BEFORE BARBERING?

I worked as a machine operator for the best part of 10 years. It was always just a job so I could pay the bills. I never really enjoyed it.

HOW DID YOU MAKE THE LEAP FROM MACHINE OPERATOR TO BARBER?

It was really hard at my age to drop everything, secure employment etc, and to start a three year apprenticeship.

I never really thought I'd be able to pursue barbering. Then I found out that TAFE had started doing a fast track course, so I signed up straight away, handed in my resignation, and have not looked back since.

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A

W W W. B E A R D M A T E . C O M . A U

booming at the moment, and everywhere you go you’ll see a bloke stroking a majestic beard. And in our hearts, we are proud to know that we may have helped that bloke do that!”

Beard Mate was established by Ms Sam Bahbah, who believes that all men should do their damnedest to cultivate a full, fine beard and wear it with luscious pride. Coming up with the recipes for the oils, the shampoo and the balms was simply to further this objective and to give men a weapon to employ in their grooming arsenal. With her passion for scenting with natural essentials oils, Sam dedicated much of her time to finding just the combo of fragrances that would appeal to both men and women.

Sam believes that with a great beard comes great responsibility and looking after it with healthy products is crucial. She also knows that for these women that may not be all too happy about having a potential caveman around, they would be more inclined to love their man's beard when the right grooming habits are followed.

For more information about the company, including wholesale options, please visit their website at www.beardmate.com.au/.

/BEARD_MATE/

ustralian facial hair fanatics Beard Mate are delighted to present a range of beard care products, created to boost the skin and enhance the soup strainers of Oz’s male species.

Beard Mate have a range of beard oils, beard shampoo and balms dedicated to enriching the beards of the latest converts to the facial fuzz revolution, as well as the old timers who’ve been cultivating one since time immemorial.

The company’s prime offering is their handmade beard oil. Made right here in Australia, it comes in numerous guises, including the macho Bushranger, the evocative City Ranger and the refreshingly minty Urban Growth. Not to mention the surprisingly ever popular Naked Truth unscented oil.

All the above are designed with carrier oils and essential oils (with no synthetic fragrances) that specifically enhance beards by injecting lustre, fuelling beard follicles without any excess greasiness. In a nutshell, Beard Mate oils are a balanced diet for your facial hair.

Beard Mate’s moisturising shampoo – available separately or in a beard oil gift pack – is detergentfree and cleansing while adding lustre to the beard.

A Beard Mate spokesperson commented: “It’s an exciting time for everyone here. The market is

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BOYS ON THE GO

H E A LT H Y S N A C K I N G

MICHAEL AVO, CHEESE & TURKEY TOAST

DJ LENTILS & TUNA

FAV We couldn’t go past showing you some of the smoko options that the boys are whipping up in Melbourne.

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PEANUT BUTTER & CARROT STICKS

J E R E M Y WA L L S H A R E S H I S T R U S T Y FAV O U R I T E S

KALE AND ARUGULA SALAD W/BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients: 2 cups of baby kale 2 cups of baby arugula 2 celery stalks, diced 2 oranges, chopped 1 cup roasted cauliflower 1 cup whole wheat couscous The morning of: add protein of choice (feta cheese, fish, almonds etc.)

Balsamic Vinaigrette: 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon maple syrup (or honey)

Salt and pepper to taste Instructions: Pour the vinaigrette into the Mason jar. Add celery, cauliflower, then the oranges in that order. Add the couscous. Fill the rest of the jar (leaving room for proteins) with kale and arugula. Seal and refrigerate.

Recipe adapted from MJ and Hungry Man www.mjandhungryman.com

Tired of the boring, soggy “lettuce, tomato, cucumber” salads you’re eating at work? Playing around with different ingredients can quickly and easily transform the mundane into an exciting flavour and texture adventure. Put your salads in a mason jar for some extra visual flair and you’ll be the envy of the rest of your workplace. Just make sure you layer your ingredients with wet (dressing etc.) at the bottom and leafy ingredients or ingredients you want to keep fresh and crisp at the top.

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5 INGREDIENT GRILLED SALMON

So you’ve invited a special someone for a romantic, home-cooked dinner and you want to impress. But how do you stand out when you’re up against the dramatically rising standards set by the explosion of food television? You don’t have a restaurant-level kitchen at hand or a pantry stocked with everything from artichoke to zucchini. Well don’t stress because here’s a grilled salmon recipe that tastes and looks a million bucks, yet only uses 5 ingredients!

Serves 2 Ingredients: 2 portions of salmon, boned with skin on 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard 1 1/2 tbsp. good soy sauce 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1/3 tsp. minced garlic *Optional* 1 tsp. chopped parsley (for garnish) Instructions: 1. Lay salmon skin side down on a baking dish 2. In a small mixing bowl whisk together soy sauce, mustard, garlic and olive oil until mixture fully comes together.

3. Set aside about 1/2 Tbsp. of the marinade mixture then spoon and spread remaining 78

mixture over salmon, let rest at room temperature for at least 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile preheat grill over medium-high heat to about 210 degrees. Clean grill grates and brush with oil.

5. Place salmon on grill skin side down and cook about 4 minutes, then carefully flip and continue to cook another 4 minutes or to desired doneness.

6. Remove skin from salmon then plate and spoon the reserved marinade on top 7.

Serve warm with a side of steamed vegetables, garnished with parsley if desired.

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten www.foodnetwork.com

SMASHED AVO ON SOURDOUGH WITH SCRAMBLED EGGS

Sunday’s are for sleeping in & "stuff", followed by a coffee and avo toast. But you don’t have to spend $30 at a busy café, you can cook yourself the perfect Sunday brunch at home. Here’s how:

Ingredients: 2 fresh eggs Approx. 150g mixed mushrooms 1 half avocado 2 slices of sourdough 1 squeeze of lemon juice 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 knob of butter 1 pinch of chilli flakes 1 pinch of mixed dried herbs (basil, thyme, oregano, parsley) Sea salt Black pepper *Optional* grated cheddar cheese *Optional* hot sauce

Instructions: 1. Mash avocado in a bowl with salt, pepper and a touch of lemon juice.

2. Pre-heat a frying pan to a medium-high heat. Toss mushrooms in olive oil, salted, black pepper, herbs and chilli flakes until well coated and fry until soft.

3. While the mushrooms are frying, beat 2 eggs in a bowl and begin toasting your sourdough.

4. Remove mushrooms from the pan, wipe out with paper towel or grab a fresh pan and turn to medium-low heat.

5. Coat pan with butter and add the eggs. Gently stir to create nice, smooth curds. *Optional* If you’re a cheese lover like myself, grate a touch

of cheddar and fold into the eggs just before they’re fully cooked.

6. Once the toast and eggs are cooked, prepare to plate.

7.

Spread the avocado evenly across the sourdough; place the eggs and mushrooms on top. Garnish with a touch of hot sauce to taste.

Recipe by Jeremy Wall

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H E A LT H W I T H T R A V I S E WA N

6

EASY DAILY STRETCHES TO HELP AVOID RSI, CARPAL TUNNEL & TENDINITIS.

1.

4.

HANDS & FOREARMS ‘THE BIG GUNS’

NECK Rotate Side bend

One palm on table, fingers towards body. Lean back on stretch.

A. Pulse biceps.

B. Lift 1 finger at a time, up & down, separating each finger muscle in the forearm.

5.

Tug-of-war arms parallel with fingers pointing up A. Side bend head.

B. Rotate head, both sides.

2.

S H O U L D E R A N D B AC K ‘ LATS ’

S H O U L D E R R OTATO RS

Palms on table, straight back, 90° bend in hips. Body at a right angle. Keep arms straight & rotate 1 shoulder down & push that hand into table, suck belly in, Swap.

6.

Arms parallel, 1 palm down, other up. CORKSCREW ACTION hands, elbows, shoulders. Alternating palm to shoulder rotations.

3.

C H E ST A N D T H R OAT

Interlace fingers behind you. Squeeze palms and shoulder blades together.

Look up, lower hands down, push chin up.

A. Open mouth wide, hold.

B. Scrunch face up.

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80

SHOULDER SHRUGS ‘UPPER TRAPS’ Lift shoulders, squeeze shoulder blades together & hold position where muscles cramp.

Then push directly down.

Repeat until cramps no longer.

Solo: A Star Wars @ H I S W A Y _ M A L E GStory ROOMING

@B E N I C K YA N D S O N S

Oceans 8 Oh Yay. Another member of the Ocean family cooking up an elaborate plan to get revenge on their ex, whilst getting rich stealing diamonds, only to have some amazing reveal that you didn’t see coming in the final 20 mins.

Just what we need. Oh wait, this time the crew are all women, how woke Hollywood is!!!

Sounds amazing doesn’t it? No, no it doesn’t.

The Oceans series needed to stop with the just-about bearable remake of Oceans 11. It was witty, classy-ish and fun. This hack taped on pile of wank is a complete mess.

To be honest, the opening 10 mins are great, and I was actually very excited to see where this movie could go, but then it just falls apart drastically and fails on every level.

Some people will like/love this film. Personally, I don’t know why they had to stick the Oceans label on it. It would have worked better as an all-female heist movie in its own right, sticking the Ocean tag on it just seems lazy.

With all this in mind, Sandra Bullock and Helena Bonham Carter put in a great performance, Cate Blanchett, not so much. Probably the worst performance of her career.

The Verdict: Oceans Shite

Rampage OH DEAR DWAYNE, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?

@MONTSWORTH

I remember playing the Rampage computer game on my Amiga500 when I was a kid. I had no idea what the game was about. Something to do with giant gorillas and wolf beasts climbing buildings and smashing 7 shades of shit out of them. Fast forward 30 years, and some bright spark in Hollywood has decided it would be a good idea to make a movie out of said computer game.

I still have no idea what it’s about. Some half-cocked back story about DNA manipulation going wrong, and then a white gorilla, a wolf and a terrapin suddenly growing to the size of buildings and smashing up the place.

Yep…it’s as bad as it sounds. But don’t worry, The Rock is here to save the day. Oh dear Dwayne, what the hell were you thinking? In the last issue of The Cutthroat Journal, I mentioned how much he had grown as an actor and how I could just about tolerate him after Jumanji. I take it all back, with this absolute turkey and the Fast and the Furious nonsense, he just needs to go away.

This has got to be one of the most ridiculous, pointless, out and out shite movies of recent years.

The Verdict: Shitpage

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Another Disney franchise cash in. Han Solo the younger years, the film that nobody asked for.

The much-troubled production, script and direction of this film had fans worried if it would be a complete cluster fuck. In steps Ron Howard, and everything is at peace in the galaxy again. But is it any cop?

It’s not half bad actually. The story follows a young Solo on his adventures from escaping the crime ridden slums of his home planet Corellia, to falling in with a band of thieves, meeting his lovable Wookie companion Chewbacca, and of course the famous kessel run in the most well known space ship in movie history, the Millennium Falcon.

It’s a typical paint by numbers picture, with all the Star Wars references you could want thrown in.

Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian is absolutely outstanding, and whilst Alden Ehrenreich doesn’t look anything like a young Harrison Ford, he does pull off the mannerisms of what you could imagine in a young Solo. If you take this film for what it’s meant to be, i.e a bit of fun, with some of the most iconic Star Wars characters and events, then you should enjoy this movie. If you view it as a cracking sci-fi adventure, that just happens to have Han Solo, Chewbacca and the Millennium Flacon in it, then you will love it.

If you are a die-hard Star Wars fan that wants to whine about whether or not the gun holster was on the right side or some other mundane nonsense, then avoid.

Personally, I thought it was great fun, and would watch again. I still think Disney are in a state of flux with these movies, and it will take them a little while to please everyone. Rouge One it ‘aint, but it’s worth a watch.

The Verdict: Rip Roaring Star Wars themed Sci-Fi Romp

@MALONEYSBARBER

PERSONALLY, I THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT FUN, AND WOULD WATCH AGAIN....

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D E A R S E AT T L E DEBUT ALBUM OUT FEBRUARY

Dear Seattle are the melodic, sing along,

W W W. D E A R S E A T T L E . C O M . A U

DEARSEATTLE/

beer-in-the-air, headbanging-with-heart

of years honing their signature sound. Having

punk rock band you’ve been waiting for. One

now evolved their style into something truly

part mosh pit, and one part love letter - with

distinctive and powerful, the band are seeing

a dash of VB the band have created a truly

incredible traction following the release of

unique and powerful style of songwriting

their singles "Afterthought" and “Cut Your

that’s connecting with fans across Australia

Deep”, as well as break out single "The

and the rest of the world.

Meadows" from their sophomore self-titled EP.

Their recently announced debut album

No strangers to the live scene, Dear Seattle

DON’T LET GO has been a gradual process,

have shared the stage with the likes of Citizen

starting eighteen months ago with no plan

(US), Emarosa (US), Trophy Eyes (AUS), and

for what it was to be based on. Each track in

Balance and Composure (US), Tired Lion, as

a way can be a single in its own right, but the

well as supporting Columbus on their national

album as a whole is a holistic spectrum of

tour, and recently completing a massive 30+

what Dear Seattle can be, with no filler tracks

date national tour with Kingswood - all of

and a depth to last for years worth of listens.

which has led to their ability to deliver an

After releasing their debut EP WORDS ARE OFTEN USELESS and a split-release with Melbourne based act Fresh Nelson, the

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Sydney four-piece have spent the last couple

impressive and energetic live performance.

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AC/Rechargable Professional Hair Clipper

Automatic Universal Voltage

(03) 9555 1533 | sales@muimports.com.au | www.muimports.com.au 8 4 662 South Rd, Moorabbin Victoria 3189 Australia