On the weekend of the 4^th of July the barbers at Gee’s Clippers gathered to celebrate the life of their friend, Yosef Timms, also known as ‘Jay’ or ‘Jay Da Barber’ professionally, who was tragically killed outside his shop, Fade Lounge, on Thursday 1^st of July.

His friends gathered to lay flowers and light candles outside his shop to remember what has been described as “a highly infectious laugh” and endless pride in his work, paying very close attention to every haircut he gave.

Timms was in a fight with several unidentified people, when a member of the other group pulled a gun, striking him. He was shot not long before 12:30pm

Owner of Gee’s Clippers, Gaulein “Gee” Smith, was Timms’ ex-employer, having worked with him for six years before he left and started Fade Lounge, said that Timms was one of the very best he has ever worked with.

“What wasn’t he good at? Tapers, afros, fades, every hairstyle — he really didn’t have a weakness. He was like the Kobe Bryant of barbering. He had an unbelievable gift in barbering. He came to Gee’s already extremely talented” Smith said.

Timms was eager to learn from the best and wished to one day to start his own business and Smith took him under his wing.

Timms was also a father-to-be, and his mentor Smith was only informed of this after his passing “He was planning on surprising us,” he said. “He would have been a good father. He would have asked questions for what he didn’t know. He was inquisitive”.

There has been a massive online reaction to the news of Timms’ passing, with Smith making an impassioned plea online “Too many of us are leaving here too young, too soon”.

May he rest in power.

Session stylist and salon owner, Joe Mills, is offering someone the
opportunity to work as his assistant – giving them a rare and unique
look into the world of men’s grooming and session work.

Joe, who is in regular demand by fashion magazines, celebrities and
advertising campaigns, is offering one lucky person the opportunity to
work alongside him and learn what it takes to be the best of the best.
The role is available for anyone who is a master at multi-tasking,
confident in their ability, flexible with their time and preferably trained
to NVQ level 3. In return, Joe offers amazing session opportunities in this paid role with your own responsibilities.

“I have been working as a men’s session stylist for more than 10 years
and have been fortunate to be in demand for front cover shoots, TV
work, advertising campaigns and red-carpet events. As the UK starts to
get back to some sense of normality, I need an assistant I can rely on,
can turn their hand to any style and is calm under pressure.

“It’s a great opportunity for someone who wants to work in the
session world, and I’m looking forward to mentoring and seeing my
assistant grow.”

If you’re interested in this amazing opportunity, contact Joe at joemills1@me.com

Find out more about Joe Mills:
www.joemills.net
www.theloungesoho.co.uk
www.joeandco.net

Instagram:

@joemillshair
@joeandcosoho
@theloungesohohair

SUMMER HAS FINALLY ARRIVED, AND SO HAS OUR 27TH ISSUE OF BARBEREVO UK AND IRELAND! 

After a few weeks of manic panic, queues down the street, and 12+ hour days, it seems that the industry has reached its natural flow again… until all those back-to-school haircuts get booked. We are infinitely impressed by the way this industry has bounced back with grace and professionality. So, without further ado, welcome to our newest issue of BarberEVO, as always, filled to the brim with entertainment, education, and inspiring content! Enjoy. 

Education 

We open this issue, and our education feature with an interview with the one and only Sid Sottung. Sid tells us about his brand-new academy opening up in Edinburgh, as well as his barbering manual which is soon to be hitting to press. 

We also catch up with Adam Sloan of the MHFed, an instrumental figure in keeping up the standards of education, as he catches us up on the new traineeship programme that he is taken on, in order to help 19–24-year-old barbers become more employable.  

Barbering is still an industry heavily based on apprenticeships and mentors. So, it is always good news to us when we hear stories of mentor/mentees joining forces, becoming friends, and becoming a dynamic education team, like Cal Newsome and Jay Roberts have. 

Additionally, our own Vikki Harrison-Smith discusses how lockdown has changed education, and how to adapt when you can’t lean on visual cues, due to PPE

Summer 

After a year stuck inside planning all the ways to reinvent yourself once life returns to normal, guys are going bold this summer. Jonathan Andrew deems this summer ‘The Summer of the Alter Ego’ and gives his best tips for barbers to help their clients push the boat out a little this summer in terms of hairstyles and colour.

Shaving 

The close shave is the one thing that sets barbers apart from the rest of the hair and grooming industries, so why don’t more barbers offer it as a service? We talk to some of the leading barbers in men’s grooming to find out how and why to add it as a service. Mike Taylor tells walks us through his close shave process while offering his best tips on sanitation as well as how to organise your time and upsell it as a service. 

Danny Di Giulio, owner of Sharp and Flask Barbershop, and fourth generation barber tells us about the importance of shaving to him, his Italian heritage, and why shaving is all about the experience you offer. 

Finally, our columnist Robert Rix chime in to give his tuppence on how to actually profit from a shave, and what are the most important elements to hone in on. 

Scissors 

As our final feature, we get to the point with a little insight on scissors. Alan Beak talks about the importance of scissor work and scissor skills in the barbering trade, and how you can find the right pair for you to integrate into your skillset. 

For Charlie Venn, of Lucky Sevens Barbershops, controlling your cut is all down to the right pair of scissors. He tells us about his essential set of Sakura scissors that can get him through any cut. 

Finally, we talk Scissor maintenance with the guys at Yoi Scissors, who not only retail the sharpest sets but have a mobile sharpening and maintenance unit, who will come to you, rather than making you send your precious pair away. 

Every hairdressing service should be warm and inviting for the client and ergonomically perfected for the stylist, and both of these essential attributes are perfectly embodied in the NEW Coff styling chair by Takara Belmont.

With a slimmer backrest, that lends itself perfectly to cutting longer hair, 360˚ lockable rotation delivered via three base options and removable seat cushions making it easy to clean, the Coff is fashioned around the needs and demands of every stylist. For the client, the Coff is extremely comfortable with a deep cushioned seat and padded armrests ensuring supreme comfort and luxury that is felt in every salon visit.

With performance reliability and durability assured, the Coff delivers consistently high standards of comfort and service whilst capturing the essence of modern hairdressing that can be configured to complement any interior design from a wide range of upholstery colours.

For more information, contact Takara Belmont on 0207 515 0333 email hairdressing@takara.co.uk or visit the contact page at www.takarahairdressing.co.uk

Prices: £1200.00-£1380.00 + vat

BabylissPro have pulled together a star-studded team for this year’s Connecticut Barber Expo, some would say their biggest and best to date!

For anyone who is unfamiliar, Connecticut Barber Expo is a two-day event that brings some of the biggest names in the barbering and hairdressing industry together for trade-shows, education, hair competitions and so much more.

The event this year is held from August 14th-16th, and you can find out more about this incredible and career-changing opportunity here, and receive updates via their Instagram, @connecticutbarberexpo.

BabylissPro have curated a team so perfect for their booth, we cannot wait to share the undeniable supergroup they have formed!

We have:

• Rob The Original – Babyliss legend (@robtheoriginal)
• Sofie Pok – Babyliss pro and STMNT Grooming Educator (staygold31)
• Joshua Hawkins – BabylissPro Educator (@thehawkvision_)
• Patty Regan – NFL Barber and BarberEVO cover star (@patty_cuts)
• Carlos Estrelaa – Babyliss Educator and NAHA Finalist (@los_cut_it)
• Andy Mendoza – Babyliss Educator (@andyauthentic)
• Vic Fontanez – Educator and YouTube king (@vicblends)

This year’s CT Barber Expo is going to be one for the books, make sure you don’t miss out and grab your tickets while you can – stop by the Babyliss booth and tell them we sent you too!

Today starts our competition with our friends at BarbersRide.

In association with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, BarbersRide assist in raising funds for critically-ill children to help them and their loved ones make lasting memories, along with helping the child cope with the illness.

BarbersRide gives you full access to some of the industries finest barbers with six exclusive events across the United Kingdom, before hitting the road again the very next day. All rides to date 2017-20 have attracted huge media attention, with video crews filming the entire ride for separate TV and film productions.

The list of dates and cities for 2021 are as follows:

• 7th August: Cut Throat Pete’s Barber Store, Liverpool
• 8th August: House Martin Barbers, Glasgow
• 9th August: Stag&Buck, Fort William
• 10th August: Hard Grind, Dundee
• 11th August: Ultimate Grooming, Yarm
• 12th August: Lords’ Barbering, Leeds

To celebrate their incredible and kind act, we have partnered with them for a very exciting give away!

Starting from today, Monday 28th of June until Friday 2nd of July, we are launching an Instagram competition. The prize package includes 2 full access BarbersRide tickets worth £360 and some very special goody bags!

For a chance to win:

• Follow @BarbersRide on Instagram
• Follow @BarberEVO on Instagram
• Comment on either of our posts/reply to the stories why you should win and which city you would like to attend (can be done once a day)
• Share to your story (can be done once a day)

Winner will be picked midnight on the 2nd of July 2021 (GMT), so good luck!

Some of the biggest names in the barbering industry have all grouped together to bring one of the most exciting and most anticipated barbering competitions to date!

We have already done a small ‘meet the judges’ on our Instagram but in case you missed it, we have;

• Sid Sottung – Global Andis Educator with over 30 years in the industry
• Baldy – Owner of Baldy’s Barbers and Lead Global Educator for Andis
• Simon May – Founder of Dapper Dan and owner of Wolf & Co Barbers
• Brandi Lashay – Owner of The Barber Doll House LLC and Babyliss Barberology Platform Educator
• Colin Petrie – Founder of Hard Grind and part of the American Crew Elite Team
• Tyrik Jackson – CEO of Premier Barber Institute & Sharper Image Barbers

The prizes for the winner promise to be career changing; a cover shoot with us, BarberEVO, a DSLR camera to make sure your photos are always sharp as your cuts, £500 voucher from Barber Blades, a five-day training course from Sid Sottung himself, and £400 credit from Nearcut!

Submissions open July 1st 2021, so make sure you’re following @probarber_worldseries on Instagram for all the updates!

Business consultant Phil Jackson from Build Your Salon, offers these tips for getting the most from your goals.

It used to be rare to encounter a salon owner who had any kind of plan for their business, much less tangible action plans to get those goals achieved. But not anymore. I guess we have had to get to grips with the business side of salons – the competitive market is too fierce, our finances too precarious to leave these things to chance. But it’s not all good news. As much as I welcome seeing owners taking their business goals seriously, that has brought a huge amount of overwhelm.

The danger is that we still don’t make the progress we need to for our businesses to thrive – not for want of planning, but for want of a meaningful way to implement those plans.

Some goals, particularly those well within our comfort zone and areas of expertise, are easy to plan. But of course, for exceptional results we need to set goals outside that comfort zone – and that means we don’t always know where to start.

Let me help you with a few questions which can get a sticky goal moving, reduce overwhelm and perhaps encourage you to set more goals that stretch your current abilities and

knowledge. In short, it’s OK to set a goal that you don’t quite know how to achieve yet. In fact, I would encourage it. But these prompts might help you get started or unstuck when you do.

Get clear on the WHY

It’s perfectly natural for your enthusiasm to wane a little over time. That’s when you need to get back to why this goal is important to you. Spend some time journaling what your life or business will look like if you hit that goal. Will you have more time?

Money? Freedom? Self-respect? What will your friends or family say about you? How will things improve for you? The more emotionally bought into this picture you are, the more effective the exercise will be, so focus on how you will feel once this goal is achieved.

The second half of this exercise is less pleasant. Spend some time exploring what happens if you don’t achieve the goal you have set yourself? Is it simply a case of ‘nothing changes’, or are the repercussions more serious? What is the impact on your longer-term future? How does failing affect your family? Your finances? Your self-esteem? Again, really connect with

the emotion behind this exercise. It may not feel pleasant, but turning back to these thoughts will help you keep going if your commitment or enthusiasm starts to wane.

Three questions to get you unstuck

Occasionally when we’re setting a goal which is outside our comfort zone (and after all, that’s where the magic is, right?) it can be hard to get started. We get past the initial

excitement of stretching ourselves and succeeding in a way we haven’t before, then hit a wall because it’s not immediately clear what we need to do next – how we can break that big, exciting goal into tangible action.

Asking these three simple questions in relation to your goal have helped me and my coaching clients immensely over the years:

First, what do I need to START in order to hit this goal?

Are there new habits I need to start? Research I need to do? People I need to reach out to? Skills I need to master?

What do I need to STOP in order to hit this goal?

Are there patterns I keep repeating that aren’t helping me here? Relationships I need to end or contain? Spending I need to curtail or projects or work I need to let go of?

What do I need to CONTINUE in order to hit this goal?

What am I currently doing that is helpful? What has worked for me so far that can help me achieve even more? What methods and strategies are still working for me? So any time you’re feeling like you don’t know what to do next, think, Stop, Start and Continue to clarify your next move.

A mid-goal sanity check

With goals you are trying to turn into habits, or where bigger shifts in your routines and behaviours are needed, it can be handy to stop and take stock of what you’re doing in the moment. Try to get into the habit of bringing your attention to what you’re doing in the moment at regular intervals throughout the day. You can even set a reminder or alarm on your watch or phone to make checking in a part of your daily routine. For example, let’s imagine you have a goal to lose a little excess weight. When your alarm tells you it’s time to check in, ask the following question:

Is what I’m doing right now bringing me closer to or further from my goal.

If you check in and you’re sat binge-watching Netflix or opening a second bottle of wine, stop and replace the behaviour with something that is more helpful. Take the dog for a quick walk, fix yourself something healthy to eat or switch off the TV and take 10- minutes to meditate instead. If, of course, you catch yourself in the moment doing something that will help you towards your goals, congratulate yourself and wear a cheeky, smug grin. You’re doing great!

Tenzin Khenrab has been awarded a scholarship of $1,000 to help him finish his course in barbering and be one step closer to achieving his dreams.

This award was given for UN World Refugee Week and will help Khenrab the opportunity to complete his course in barbering at the Canberra Institute of Technology.

He and his family fled Tibet and settled in India, where he was born and worked as a barber without the qualifications. He is now well on his way to rectifying that, being one of 49 refugees and asylum seekers in Canberra to receive this grant to help cover the cost of tuition.

Khenrab was one of 6 students that Canberra Institute of Technology awarded this grant to, students who showed a commitment and excellence to the education. His Teacher, Tegan Riley, even went on to say “Tenzin goes out of his way to help other students and it’s a pleasure to have him in the classroom“.

He works as a barber part-time currently to help him pay for his education but he said “I hope to complete my course within a year and eventually run my own salon”.

Wahl Professional has named Stephanie Polansky as its new Global Director of Education. Polansky brings 27 years of industry experience, beginning as a stylist to most recently serving as Global Director of Education and Shows for Sexy Hair while heading two sister brands, STMNT and MyDentity, under the Henkel umbrella. Prior to that, she served as Head of Global Education Innovation at KMS and managed education development for Pureology and Redken. 

In her new role, Polansky will work closely with Wahl’s education leads around the world to create consistent, sharable assets via a global knowledge hub, strengthening the company’s position as a global brand. She will drive content creation including product knowledge on all of the Wahl tools in each country’s native language, as well as create virtual academies featuring Wahl educators in countries around the world.

“What drew me to the brand is the fact that they are family owned and have an entrepreneurial spirit. The Wahl brand itself is just so amazing, and to be a part of it is huge,” Polansky says. “Being able to help barbers and stylists become stronger at what they do is a big draw, as well as creating new content to help them better understand the Wahl tools. There is so much potential for education that can make them stronger.“

Polansky’s background as a stylist combined with her experience in education management makes her ideally suited for the position, both in developing curriculum and teaching proper technique in using Wahl tools.

“We are very excited to see how Stephanie will leverage all the education work Wahl performs around the world and funnel it all in a way to grow our overall brand, and flat-out teach the professional hair industry how to cut hair even better,” said Lance Wahl, Global Vice President of Professional Products for Wahl Professional.