Barber launches mental health support for barbers: Care Behind the Chair

Oran Lasocki has launched a supportive network for those working within the barbering and hairdressing industry called ‘Care Behind The Chair’.

“We all focus on supporting our clients and providing a safe space for them to discuss their feelings and experiences of mental health, we rarely consider our own mental health as an industry. This network will facilitate informal sharing and conversation opportunities for those who have or are currently experiencing mental health illness in any form. Through coffee and conversation events held digitally, CBTC aims to be whatever users need or want it to be. I am keen to hear from readers about what this network could look like, what potential users might find helpful, and how shops and businesses could get involved.”

Our values:

• All welcome – everyone has a place in CBTC
• Confidential – when signing up to an event, everyone agrees to respect the privacy and confidentiality of their fellow users.
• No judgements – everyone in attendance will create a safe and welcoming environment for each other to share.
• Supportive – everyone in attendance will provide a supportive environment to their fellow users.

Oran is a 29-year-old from Aberdeen, Scotland, living in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, and now managing at Barber Barber UK in Spitalfields London. Oran has been barbering for eight years, managing to work in some of the best shops and companies in the UK.

“I have always poured my time and efforts into my work, which had been somewhat a cover for how I was feeling and how my mental health was. In 2020 and alongside the pandemic I was diagnosed with clinical depression and high anxiety, I went to work with meds and therapy straight away which has been a positive step in my journey.“

“I slowly started to tell friends, family and colleagues, which sparked a question, ‘why aren’t there any social or wellbeing networks for people in our industry?’. Which is why I wanted to start Care Behind The Chair. We put on a brave face and leave our issues at the door while we are at work making sure that every client gets the best experience possible, but now this will be a space for us to get together and voice our worries and talk about our mental and physical wellbeing.”

“I need your help to get this network off the ground, I want it to be created by us and for us. If you want or need anyone to talk to, please do not hesitate to reach out to me on carebehindthechair@gmail.com or if you are interested in helping and joining the network to help it positively grow.”

Email Contact: carebehindthechair@gmail.com

World-leading manufacturer of grooming tools for barbers and stylists, Andis Company, is delighted to announce that renowned barber, men’s stylist, educator and photographer Kevin Luchmun has joined the brand as ‘International Artistic Team Lead’.

INSPIRATION MEETS EDUCATION

In a newly created role that seeks to accelerate Andis’ international presence by building upon its global reputation for world-class tools, education and creative inspiration, Kevin will play a pivotal role in the development of educational programs and artistic directions for photoshoots. He will also be instrumental in the formation of new programs to continually develop the creative and editorial talents of Andis’ audience of creators.

BEHIND THE CHAIR & BEHIND THE LENS

As one of the UK’s most recognisable and respected men’s stylists, Kevin’s technical hair cutting skills have positioned him as one of the industry’s most inspiring barbers, men’s stylists and educators.            

A multi-award-winning stylist spanning barbering and men’s hairdressing, Kevin’s work on editorial photoshoots and collection photography, and the relationship between hairstyling, fashion and the visual presentation of technical cuts, has seen his creativity extend into a signature photography style. As passionate about photography as he is about hairstyling, both are approached and revered in equal measure with his work appearing on the covers and in the pages of international trade and consumer magazines, on the catwalks, online and across social media where Kevin has amassed a following of over 90k on Instagram alone.

According to Angie Perino, Andis Global Education Manager, it’s Kevin’s multi-faceted skills base, creative vision, technical precision and stage craft both as a hair artist and educator that led to the creation of this new role. “We’re so delighted to be partnering with Kevin as we continue to expand our outreach to barbers and stylists around the world. 

“We pride ourselves in providing world-class educational programs and inspiration that provide the road map to a successful career! Kevin will be working closely with our other internationally renowned educators, including Kenny Duncan – our North American Artistic Team Lead in the USA and Canada – to merge all strands of our educator network into a global vision that empowers barbers and stylists to express their individuality, maximise their creative talents and exceed their artistic potential through hair and imagery.” 

THE FIRST MISSION: FLUID VOL3

Following the worldwide success of FLUID Vols. 1 & 2 – a combined artistic hair collection and educational concept that integrates with Andis’ groundbreaking Virtual Education resource, Kevin’s first assignment will be to lead the creation of FLUID Vol.3.  Angie Perino: “This program will include educational videos, learning modules and a stunning look book with steps to teach our learners how to create the featured looks.  Kevin will be contributing to creating a vision for the collection, selecting models, orchestrating photography and video and finalising all details of the final edits. I can hardly wait to see Kevin’s inspiration come through in our very first Andis FLUID collection captured in the UK!”

KEVIN LUCHMUN – ‘JOINING ANDIS WAS MY DESTINY AND A DREAM COME TRUE’

For Kevin Luchmun, joining Andis is a dream come true. Unlike ambassadorships that hinge on commercial arrangements alone, Kevin has long-held a deep rooted respect for Andis and was determined to work with the brand from the outset. “Very early in my career I got the opportunity to work on the Andis stage at Salon International. From that moment I was passionate about Andis and I was always intent on working with the brand. For me there was never an alternative to Andis; I’ve waited a long time for this to come to fruition.

“Now I’ve reached this point in my career and have so many achievements and accolades, the timing and the type of position couldn’t be more perfect. I look forward to working with Angie and the global team to elevate Andis’ brand appeal and educational resource base, as well as highlighting the precision and performance of its industry-leading tools.”

Kevin officially joined Andis on May 1st 2021.

The first Monday of the month is a special day inside O’Neil’s Barber and Beauty Shop in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Children get a free haircut, and a unique opportunity to work on their reading ability, with books sprinkled throughout the shop. Indeed as soon as they come into the shop, they collect a book and become engrossed in the plot prior to sitting in the chair.

Once in the chair, the barbers assist with any difficult or hard to understand words, and enquire about the plot and story that the children have been reading.

Shop owner O’Neil Curtis created the Line 4 Line program in 2014 with volunteer Lucy Perera. Each year this program serves 200 kids aged between 3 to 16 years old.

You can find out more about this amazing program here: https://www.facebook.com/Line4LineBR/

Do not adjust your computer screen or handset… we bring you news of the Lahore based barber Ali Abbas…

Ali is, somewhat controversially, swapping his clippers and scissors, for meat cleavers and blow torches.

Sometimes pictures (and a video) speak louder than words… so watch at your discretion…!

and DO NOT try this at home, or in your barbershop!

Abbas charges $13 / 2,000 rupees for the ‘treatment’ and has seen his popularity and fame grow rapidly thanks to the hype around his unusual technique and tools.

Back and Booming!

We know it has been a manic few weeks back for those of you returning to your chairs, that’s why we have packed this issue full of exciting content, to not only inspire our readers, but educate, inform, and offer helpful tips and tricks from leading experts.

As we all know, adapting is the name of the game, during these unprecedented times. We speak to leading barbers Luka Chitty and Phil Jarman about how they utilised their time during the lockdown for the better, by retraining, and adding another notch to their belts. 

L3VEL3

Speaking of comebacks, featured on our front cover are Jay Nouri and A-Rod, Founders of L3VEL3 grooming. In this issue we chat to Jay about how the barber-owned and operated company, pulled together during lockdown to launch their impressive range of grooming products and tools. Now available in the UK, Jay told us of his goals to elevate the barbering industry and help barbers around the world level up their retail game. 

Finishing Tools & Products

In the barbering world, its all about giving your client that detailed, sharp and perfected finish. For that, you need the right tools and products. 

We chat to industry-leading barbers like Hayden Cassidy, JJ Savani, Pete Cranfield, and many more to find out what tools and products they depend on to ensure their clients are walking out that door with a look that could be only achieved by a skilled barber. 

Sustainability

We all know that there is no planet B. But did you know that adding more sustainable solutions and features to your barbershop will not only help lower your environmental footprint, but help increase your footfall? For many barbershops, green solutions have become their USP which has driven in more eco-conscious customers and in turn, brought in more revenue. 

We chat to barbers and hairstylists such as Ky Wilson, OS Barbershops, Damien Diablo who have made sustainability a priority in their shops, from utilising the recycling services of Green Salon Collective, reducing waste, incorporating refill bars, and using more eco-friendly products! Every little bit helps to create a big difference. 

Colour

Finally, have you ever thought about bringing colour services into the barbershop? The boundaries between what is being offered in salons and barbershops are becoming more and more blurred—and why not! Why let salons have all the colourful fun? 

In this issue we investigate the pros and cons of bringing colour and other alternative services into the barbershop, and what to look out for. We chat to 2020 British Master Barber of the Year Shaun Buckingham – known for his skill and creativity with colour about how to use colour in the barbershop, while balancing time and increasing revenue. Norman Boulton, member of the Crazy Color Squad talks haircare, and that you don’t have to sacrifice hair health for vivid colours.  We also catch up with Bridey Jo, of Bridey Jo Barbers, who shares all the additional services she offers to pamper both her male and female clients. 

For over ten years, Erik Zaiatz, owner of the two locations of Bostonian Barber Shop, has been trying to buy the space at 500 Liberty St. in Hanson, where his grandfather Don Botieri had run his barbershop for decades.

Finally, when the location re-emerged on the market a few weeks ago, Zaiatz saw the chance to buy the space, as a way of keeping his grandfather’s legacy alive. “I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to open there,” he said.

Botieri, a Hanson native, ran Don’s Barbershop from 1950 up until 2008, and passed away a year after his retirement. A staple in the Hanson community, Botieri was known as “Mr. Hanson,” and even has a ballfield in town named for him.

For Zaiatz, most of his childhood was spent in Don’s Barbershop, either getting his own hair cut, or just hanging around after school. All this time spent with his grandfather inspired Zaiatz to get into the barbering industry himself. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be in this industry,” he said.   

When he set up to open his first shop, Zaiatz teamed up with his sister Kayla and best friend Matt Penardi, who are both master barbers.

As his third location, Zaiatz made an effort to pay homage to Don’s, in terms of both style and services. With a traditional barbershop feel and design, the now Bostonian Barbershop, offers all the same old school styles and services, such as hot towels, and straight razor shaves.

Now, some of Boteiri’s former clients have returned to the Hanson location, to get their hair cut by their former barber’s grandkids.

Barbers in London are being trained to test the blood of customers to help combat high blood pressure.

Run by London South Bank University, the project was set out in order to raise awareness of high blood pressure, specifically in Black and Asian men, who are statistically more likely to have undiagnosed high blood pressure.

So far, eight barbershops in South London, Croydon, Mitcham, Thornton Heath, Bromley and South Norwood, have signed up to provide on-the-spot checks for customers, which began on Monday.

The idea came from a similar project that took place in Los Angeles between 2016 and 2018. The US project ran from 2016 to 2018 and 68% of people found to have high blood pressure ended the study with healthy levels.

High blood pressure affects more than one in four adults in England, accounts for more than one in 10 visits to GPs and contributes to 75,000 deaths every year – but millions of people are thought to go undiagnosed.

Hugh Benain, from Finishing Touches in Mitcham, said the project could help save lives.

“We’ll be offering our customers on-the-spot blood pressure tests and health information for them to take away,” he said.

“High blood pressure is a silent killer and providing tests and information from our barbershop could save lives.”

Nicola Thomas, an LSBU professor, said: “Sadly, millions of adults in the UK have high blood pressure and half are undiagnosed which can lead to strokes or heart attacks.

“It is the trusting relationship that customers have with their barbers that is so important – we need to take healthcare out into the community.”

Put your technique & talent to the test. Capture the trendsetting-yet-timeless spirit of the American Crew man.

Spend time with top grooming experts, perfect the American Crew Menswork method of styling, and show off your craft with the best stylists in the world.

This year’s challenge will consist of individual in-country judging panels to select their national winner, who will then move forward to participate in the Global competition. For the first time ever, a student edition of the competition will also be hosted in the US.

The Global Committee will then name (5) top competitors as the All-Star Challenge 2021 Winners. A Local Committee will select the student winner.

Looking for inspiration? Want to find out how to enter?

Visit: https://allstarchallenge.americancrew.com for full details!

ENTRIES CLOSE MAY 15 2021!

The NHBF is calling for a prolonged period of stability in order for hair & beauty businesses have a fighting chance of recovery, following the results of its latest State of the Industry survey.

The sector remains divided about the future with 46% of respondents unsure if their business will survive until the end of social distancing. Under the requirements in place prior to the most recent lockdown (Nov/Dec 2020):

• Almost 1 in 4 salons (23%) were not earning enough to cover outgoings such as rents, overheads, staff costs and stock etc.
• 38 per cent were just about breaking even.
• only 2 in 5 of businesses across the entire hair and beauty sector were making any kind of profit.

Throughout the pandemic, the NHBF, working with partners in the sector, was able to secure further reliefs and financial support for personal care businesses in each of the four nations. Despite this, fixed outgoings and a lack of ability to diversify and generate income during lockdown has left businesses with no cash reserves, growing debt, and at the brink of closure. In fact, Local Data Company statistics indicate that ten per cent of the industry had been lost to the crisis by December. 

Successive lockdown closures have also had a dramatic impact on employment:

• 1 in 6 business owners (16 per cent) have made redundancies as a result of the pandemic, with only 2 in 5 able to rule out further redundancies when furlough ends.
• 59 per cent have cut staff hours in order to save costs.
• More than half of businesses have had to cut apprenticeships during the pandemic (55 per cent). 
• Only 11 per cent are likely to take on new apprentices in next three months, despite recent government incentives.

Richard Lambert, NHBF chief executive, says: “Financial stability will be the key to returning to profit and stability.  Hopefully most hair & beauty businesses who have been able to return to work in the last few weeks will have enjoyed record income. However, they need the chance to get their head above water.  As things stand, they’ll have to start repaying rent arrears and the debts and loans accrued over the last year just when business rates relief and furlough come to an end.

“Tackling this tsunami of financial obligations under long term social distancing requirements will scotch any chance for the industry to be profitable. It will be even less likely that businesses will have the resources, capacity or financial ability to take on or keep apprentices, putting the future skills of the sector in real jeopardy.”

The NHBF recommends that the most beneficial policy measures over the next six months would be:

• Social distancing measures and operational restrictions within close-contact guidance should be phased out as soon as it is safe to do so if the sector is to return to profit.
• A temporary reduction in VAT
• Easier access to support grants should businesses struggle to recover
• An extension to the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) should the economy have failed to recover after September.

As featured in the April edition of BarberEVO North America

Looking to rewrite the standards of grooming and fuelled by the knowledge and artistry from leading barbers, the STMNT brand looks to go beyond the product. We caught up with the co-creators of STMNT to find out a little more about what their brand has to offer.

The STMNT brand is a product of the collaboration between some of the industry’s most innovative and cutting-edge artists: LA based, Julius Cvesar and Sofie Pok, as well as Miguel Gutierrez aka Nomad, from Liverpool, UK. Between the three, they have more than 50 years’ experience in the barbering industry, as well as a wealth of knowledge in hair education, visual arts, fashion and editorial.

We asked the group, how did STMNT come to be?

Miguel said: “STMNT was born out of a vision between three creators who all hold the same standards yet have completely different styles to add into the mix. We originally got started after being approached and slowly realized a dream team was being created, that’s when we all got onboard and decided to fully immerse ourselves into developed the brand to what it’s become. Our whole direction was to become a grooming brand that was performance driven, bold and premium in packaging, fragrance and ingredients.”

Talking to the team, it is so clear how well the three get along and fit together creatively. Julius said: “I believe we were specifically chosen to co-create STMNT because of our multi-faceted roles as not only leaders within our industry, but with the already diverse background in visual arts, film, photography, fashion, and education. We all are still active barbering professionals with clientele in our chairs, yet we’ve truly brought a whole new perspective to being a well-rounded image consultant. I believe my connection to raw imagery inspired by metropolis cityscape and brutalism, alongside my visual delivery that takes a lot from my genuine love for art and fashion made me a standout artist to collaborate with my two fellow co-creators.”

So, what makes STMNT stand out amongst the crowd?

“The beautiful thing about STMNT is that it can work for the girl on-the-go, the guy getting ready for a formal event, the couple at the gym, or the family on vacation. STMNT promotes individuality and acceptance. Barbering has been known as a male dominated field, but we knew how important it was to build a brand that would serve the stylists, cosmetologists, and barbers all the same” says Sofie.

Miguel added that the brand is completely gender neutral, and all of their products are cocktail-able: “We are truly set far above any barber brand in my view for versatility and range of types of product.”

In terms of creative process, unlike other brands that just stick a well-known name to a product, the STMNT creators were involved in every part of the process.

Julius continued, “In creating STMNT, it was important that myself, Sofie, and Miguel as the professional co-creators not only put our combined knowledge and expertise to use in creating the line, but truly worked in unison with our brand development team’s strength to bring the line to full fruition. The storytelling and vision had to be vividly clear across the board with every department.”

The question on everyone’s minds? What statement are they aiming to make?

“STMNT is bold, it is demanding, and it’s the definition of how we all choose to live our lives. We hope to inspire others to find their purpose and share their gifts with the world and to get specific! Stand up for who you are and the changes you are trying to make” said Sofie.

“We are really aiming to rewrite the standards of men’s grooming” adds Miguel. “The industry has been and will always be in a transition state from one thing to the next, but I believe what we’ve created will live on way beyond any other trends currently out there.” 

“When co-creating STMNT, one message (or statement) I really wanted to purvey is that being a barber is more than just a hair service – we are so much more. These products were developed with not only acknowledging the core essentials in product styling with the line, but also innovated new iterations of product attributes that can notably be standout to professionals and clients alike.  Bridging the gap between Barbering and Salon ecosystems, the acknowledgement of gender-neutral aesthetics, and a focus on professional grade to lifestyle driven performance were all key points in making our statement.”

To find out more, read about STMNT in our April edition of BarberEVO North America or go to https://www.stmntgrooming.us/