Co-owner and founder of Ruger Barber, Alan Beak, has been announced as Creative Director for Wahl UK.

Alan is a world leading educator, often found on the main stage of many major international hair events, but is just as well respected for his down to earth and approachable nature.

Alan has featured on the front cover of BarberEVO on more than one occasion, and has always been a delight to work with.

All at BarberEVO wish Alan every success with this exciting new role.

Here’s the promotional announcement video…!

The Connecticut Barber Expo X and associated events will take place August 14 – 16th, 2021, and be held at the Mohegan Sun Casino.

Finally, after several reschedulings due to the Covid19 Pandemic, the tenth anniversary of CT Barber EXPO, organised by legendary Jay Majors, has finally arrived. As the official media partner, we at BarberEVO can’t wait to see what this weekend has in store.

On Saturday, August 14, 2021, the Expo will start off with the 2nd Annual International Barber Grammys / Pre-Party from 8:30 PM to 2 AM. This will take place in the Ballroom at Mohegan Sun, in Uncasville, CT. This is a dress to impress, black tie affair.

On Sunday, August 15, 2021, the Educational Seminars will take place from 8:30 AM to 2 PM. The Educational Seminars will be presented by some of the industry’s most respected educators. The Barber Battle and Expo will occur from 2 PM to 9:00 PM.

On Monday, August 16, 2021, the Educational Seminars will take place from 8:30 AM to 2 PM. The Barber Battle and Expo will occur from 2 PM to 7:30 PM.

Sharpen your skillset, and rub arms with some of the biggest barbers, stylists and educators in the industry, such as @ivanzoot, @vicblends, @andyauthentic, @kduncangrooming, @andyfademaster, @lici_ladybarber, @be.lechendary, @v.hugostyles, @micdamiano, @diego_djdgaf, @barber.josh.o.p, @bossiocuts, @iamtyrikjackson, @thebizlawyer, @rumbarber and @cutthroat.mike… Just to name a few!

Plus, visit BarberEVO at booth 407!

For additional information, please visit www.ctbarberexpo.com.

The BarbersRide barbers started the first leg of their journey yesterday, Sunday the 8^th of August, taking on the longest section of the journey, from Liverpool to Glasgow. The forty-odd riders gathered on the 7^th of August from all across the UK, in aim to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation, and to ride their motorbikes across the north of England and into Scotland, stopping at reputable barbershops along the way.

Having gathered at Cut Throat Pete’s Barbershop in Liverpool on Saturday, the barbers’ first full day of riding was nothing short of eventful. True to the Scottish reputation, the riders experienced nearly every variation of weather; including thunder, lightning, and torrential downpour.

Luckily, the night’s event was hosted at the lovely and atmospheric House Martin Barbershop in the City Center of Glasgow. Owner Stephen Martin was there to give all the riders a warm Glaswegian welcome, with high-quality whisky to warm up with! The night continued at the bar next door, the Howlin’ Wolf, where the riders exchanged stories and prepared for their next day’s journey to Fort William.

After their stop at Fort Williams Stag&Buck barbershop, the riders will continue on to Dundee, stopping at Hard Grind Barbershop. Wednesday, the barbers will visit Ultimate Grooming in Yarm, then finish their journey together at Lords’ Barbering in Leeds on Thursday.

BarberEVO was able to catch up with the barbers during their stop in Glasgow and hear a bit about their involvement and love for BarbersRide. One said: “To take on this ride, you have to be a little crazy, love bikes, and love being a barber. That’s what makes it so fun, and the long, wet days like today, worth it!”

Stephen, owner of House Martin said: “It feels great to be able to get involved in the fundraiser for the Make a Wish Foundation, and host members of the barbering community in the shop again. It has been a long time since we have been able to get together and hold an event like this, and it was an honour to be able to represent Glasgow in the BarbersRide event!”

We wish the riders the best of luck for the remainder of their journey, and applaud their efforts and bravery for weathering the storm to raise money for a worthy cause like the Make a Wish Foundation!

To learn more, or to donate to the cause, click here

If you missed Wahl Professional’s first leg of the Disruptour, you’re in luck. The nationwide educational experience is back at it this month with three more stops, beginning in Chicago. Attendees will learn two trendy haircuts, social media best practices, photography tips and the latest product information from the nation’s top educators.

Last year’s ‘tour went on an unexpected hiatus due to the pandemic. But the desire to serve communities with an education-first mindset about how to best use tools behind the chair only grew stronger during the break.

“We sat and thought about how we wanted to relaunch in 2021. We wanted to see how we could reach people in a different way,” said Lisa Finucane(@lisafin1), Wahl Pro US Director of Education. “People were looking for a connection, not just to a brand, but to each other.”

To that end, the 2021 Disruptour is demystifying clipper cutting education by breaking down the barrier between the company and communities with a shared experience.

ENERGIZING THE EDUCATION

This year’s setup is different, but excitingly so. Every educator is assigned a table with at most five attendees, allowing everyone to feel a stronger, more intimate connection to the material being presented. And while the core group travels to every stop, each experience promises to be different.

“There are new people that join at each location, so you won’t get the same experience twice if you decide to go to multiple shows,” says Finucane.

For example, attendees will be able to earn Continuing Education credits in Chicago, purchase products in Atlanta, and party with a year-end celebration in Miami.

Attendees will feel at ease no matter which city they travel to. “This is one of the least intimidating experiences anyone will get. You’ll learn something no matter your skill level,” says Finucane.

GETTING BETTER IN EVERY CITY

The Disruptour has been to Austin, Boston and Nashville already, with noticeable progress at every stop.

“(Austin) was a little scary since we were still in the midst of Covid, but once we got there, everyone felt a sense of relief and a lot of healing came from this show,” says Finucane. “The team really started to gel in Boston and everything came together in Nashville. Communities were coming back into the light again after a dark time.”

MORE IS ON THE WAY

Plans are already being made for an evolved 2022 Disruptour.

In the meantime, barbers and stylists should be on the lookout for popups that include information about different tools and the 1919 haircutting system, along with a full-force, one-stop-shop for cutting, styling and finishing.

HOW TO ATTEND

Tickets for the Disruptour are available exclusively online. VIP tickets can be purchased and come with a limited-edition Disruptour Clipper, two mannequin heads and hands-on instruction.

A barbershop in Newport, Wales has been closed for two weeks and it was found in multiple breaches COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.

The not so aptly named ‘A Smart Barber Shop’ were given a surprise visit from the Newport City Council enforcement officers last week, and while at the shop they found that no member of staff was wearing any PPE, let alone the type II mask and visor set required by the Welsh government.

The close contact risk was so apparent that the client’s contact information also have to be taken for the purposes of Track and Trace.

Newport City Council has instructed the business to be closed for 14 days from the July 28^th, when the notice was issued, until August 11. This notice can also be appealed to Magistrates’ Court.

This is A Smart Barber Shop’s second offence regarding COVID violations, however their first offence was withdrawn after they applied the changes that was asked from the enforcement team.

Image: walesonline.co.uk

The Retail Mutual is seeking to help independent retailers grow their businesses and encourage the use of technology to adapt to the changes that have taken place in consumer’s behaviour.

The pandemic has accelerated the change in shopping habits with a dramatic move to online purchasing through both necessity and preference. Many independent retailers are thinking about how they can encourage customers back onto the high street and are also looking at how they can benefit from the new order.

Rob Gibbs, Marketing Manager for The Retail Mutual, says, “Thanks to modern technology, it has never been easier to access information from anywhere in the world. Businesses that do not embrace digital, or any type of marketing for that matter, will find themselves struggling to compete.”

To help, The Retail Mutual has launched its Stronger Business, Stronger Future campaign. As an independent business, it can be easy to feel like the underdog when competing with larger brands. The Retail Mutual have collaborated with marketing experts, Wonderful Creative Agency, to create an in-depth marketing promotion guide. This is to help independent business owners get the most out of their digital marketing to attract more customers and increase on and offline sales.

This guide includes information on:

1. SEO – How to improve your website so that it has a better chance of being found online
2. Google My Business – A free way for your local community to find your business online
3. Social Media – How to make the most of social media for your business
4. Paid search – What it is and how paid search can work for your business
5. Paid social – How advertising on social media can help you find new customers
6. Video – Use video to promote your business and engage your customers
7. eCommerce – How to use your website to sell your products
8. Reporting and monitoring – Find out if your marketing is working by measuring data
9. Bringing offline, online… Use traditional marketing to drive online sales

Jon Taylor, Mutual Manager for The Retail Mutual, says, “The Retail Mutual exists to support its Members. First and foremost, this involves protecting their businesses from risk.  Many independent retailers face commercial risks which may be addressed, at least in part, through greater use of the many digital channels now available to them. This guide seeks to arm them with the information to help on this journey’.

The Making the Most of Digital Marketing guide is available to download on The Retail Mutual’s website (www.theretailmutual.com/downloads).

On July 15^th Senate Bill 803 was voted to be amended by The California Assembly Business and Professionals Committee. The barbering industry oppose these amendments, which lead to a protest at the capital.

The amendments were initially brought forward in February 2021, by Senator Richard Roth who represents the following constituencies in California; Riverside, Perris, Jurupa Valley, Norco, Moreno Valley, Norco, Corona, and Eastvale.

The bill severely reduces the number of hours training a student hopeful in barbering, or cosmetology, will have to undergo. The hours would dip from between 1500 to 1600, to 100.

The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of LaRan Professional Hair Care System, Lorenzo Griffin and his wife, Wanda, are among the frontline line of the opposition. Griffin has been in the industry for 35 years and believes the amended bill will eventually relax the entire cosmetology and barbering industry to a negative standard.

In a petition created to stop the amended bill it states “SB-803 doesn’t make cosmetology education any cheaper, it simply removes a third of the education. Buying a car for 33% off seems like a great deal until you realize that the car you bought is missing a third of its parts.”

You can read more about the petition here.

Due to the regulations in Tennessee, it is required for local barber and cosmetology students to obtain 1,500 hours of training before becoming fully qualified. This has led to certain career-paths in the industry to be financially unobtainable for a lot of people.

Furthermore, most monetary aids have year-long waiting lists, leaving the majority of people having to borrow from the government for their tuition, meaning they start their already challenging career in financial hardship.

However, with help of the ‘Tennessee Promise’, which was launched in 2015, this means there a whole new era of industry hopefuls that this cycle of near (or actual) bankruptcy will not effect.

Since the state launched the initiative, almost half the number of college students taking out government loans have stopped, at about 40%. Student’s debt load also decreased by about 32% on average reports the Journal of Higher Education, which was published in April 2021.

This has led to some capacity issues however, but overall, the ‘Tennessee Promise’ has had a massively positive effect regarding becoming a student locally.

Tennessee has spent around $80 million towards updating renovation public trade schools, which adds to the hope that this may solve the capacity issues in the future.

Commencing January 2022, licensed cosmetologists in Tennessee and barbers will be required to undergo specialised training to identify the signs of domestic violence.

State Board of Cosmetology, The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, and Barber Examiners, are aiming to train more than 50,000 licensed beauty and hair professionals to recognize the markers of abuse, how to respond appropriately and what resources are available to the victim.

“Tennessee’s beauty professionals are caring, compassionate individuals who are committed to ensuring the health and safety of all their customers, but may not know how to respond when confronted with domestic violence,” said Board Executive Director Roxana Gumucio.

He continues “Most domestic violence victims will not report abuse to law enforcement, but they will tell someone with whom they have a long-standing relationship, such as a cosmetologist or barber. Tennessee beauty professionals have a unique position to help identify domestic violence and assist victims.”

Starting January 1^st, this new law will come into effect and industry professionals will have to undergo an hour of training, either online or in person – this training is also completely free.

To assist, Barbicide teamed up with YWCA to offer the Shear Haven Domestic Violence Training.

This contemporary masterpiece posses all the strengths of the Cordless T-Outliner with next-level performance from the modified housing and new GTX-Z blade.

The features for this new model include:

• With classic performance you love from the original cordless T-Outliner® in an intuitive shape, enhancing visibility for precision detailing
• GTX-Z blade is pre-set with a tighter gap for fine detailing in a custom gold corrosion-resistant coating
• Powerful lithium-Ion battery delivers over 100 minutes of runtime on a single charge
• Extremely powerful, high-speed rotary motor delivers 7,200 strokes per minute with advanced Constant Speed Technology for ultimate blade performance through all hair types
• Cord/cordless operation for no downtime behind the chair and no waiting for charging

Andis have advised that the GTX-EXO can be used Cord/Cordless trimming and fine detailing of necklines, facial hair, dry shaving, designs, and hard parts. Rotary Motor; 100-240 V | 50-60 Hz | MAX 7,200SPM.

This model is now available for pre-order and can be shipped on August 16^th 2021, more details on the product can be found here.