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North America News

SCurl host pop up shop at NBA All-Star weekend

The recent NBA All-Star game, held in Charlotte, NC, was not only memorable for the high scoring game between Team LeBron and Team Giannis, but also for the unique pop up barbershop which featured throughout All-Star weekend.

Luster’s SCurl created and hosted the barbershop specifically for the event, with many of the leading NBA stars of past and present getting involved in proceedings, including the legendary Artise Gilmore and Charlotte Hornets guard Malik Monk.

Visit www.scurl.com to view the full range of premium grooming products for men.

Wahl’s New Mentor Detachable Clipper Honors an Icon

The new Mentor Clipper honors the life, career and mentorship of Wahl employee and barber mentor Isadore Adams. Isadore Adams was a pioneer of barbering and a valued employee at Wahl. After opening his first shop in 1971, Isadore designed his first of many barber hair style charts, which are now commonly known to the industry as I ADAMS or Wahl Posters.

Isadore eventually grew to a vital role at Wahl, keeping the century-old clipper company deeply connected to working hair professionals. He regularly traveled to barbershops throughout the U.S., taking time to understand what barbers need from their Wahl tools. His experience and first-hand knowledge were critical in the development of the premier Wahl 5 Star barbering line alongside another Wahl legend, Bo Langley.

During his travels, Isadore held true to his passion for the craft by taking barbers under his wing, becoming a valuable mentor to many. He then led the charge to form the Wahl Education & Artistic Team (W.E.A.T.) and, to this day several current members attribute securing their places on the prestigious team to the support of and mentorship by Isadore.

“He worked the information into us, there was no option other than success if you were learning from him,” said Wahl Education & Artistic Team member Garland ‘G-Whiz’ Fox. “He met everyone at their level regardless of their gender, income, location or whatever – he was an awesome mentor.”

A reflection of Isadore’s passion for barbering, the Mentor Clipper is designed for the barber or cosmetologist who is serious about their craft. Excellent for achieving a seamless fade with using just one tool, and especially great for debulking course, thick hair.

The Mentor comes with a detachable four-blade system. Compared to other Wahl clippers, the Mentor has much more power; its brushless motor has a speed between 3,000 and 3,7000 RPM – faster than all other detachable blade clippers on the market. This extra power makes the Mentor better and faster to use on coarse or thick hair. It’s an ideal tool for barbers that work with quick turnaround clients. “The new detachable blade system diminishes the lines of demarcation when changing blades. This allows the barber or stylist to work faster at completing the haircut. A high RPM clipper and improved blade design is a winning combination” says Tracy Vock, Wahl Professional Senior Product Manager.

Ergonomic and light weight, the Mentor makes it easy to use for barbers and cosmetologists alike. Wahl increased the comfort and control to make sure it was perfectly balanced and reduced the vibration to a minimum. In addition, a long flexible cord allows for ease of movement for the barber or stylist. Plus, to prevent mistakes, there’s a locking mechanism that must be engaged in order to switch the blades.

Taking its cue from Isadore, the Mentor Clipper brings a new depth of opportunity to the professional hair industry by maintaining quality while pushing efficiency. A reminder that there is no other option than success and acting as an ode to every great barber who had a great mentor.

Visit www.wahlpro.com for more details.

Milwaukee Bucks and the Andis Foundation Partner Up

The Milwaukee Bucks and the Andis Foundation have partnered to host six “Barbershop Mondays” with Bucks’ community partner Safe & Sound and local young men.

Through the program, community rooms in Milwaukee neighborhoods will transform into pop-up barbershops, offering free haircuts to young men between the ages of 10-23. Facilitated by Safe & Sound, these six sessions are more than just a haircut as the barbershop chairs provide a casual setting for open communication and dialogue among attendees. The focus of these discussions is building social and emotional confidence, leadership and how youth can develop positive mentor relationships.

“The Andis Foundation is excited to partner with the Milwaukee Bucks for our new Barbershop Mondays, Powered by Andis program,” said Laura Andis Bishop, co-president of Andis Company. “Neighborhood barbershops have long played a critical role in their communities, providing a safe place for young men to gather and talk about issues with a positive role model – their barber. This innovative program is an extension of that important relationship.”

The first Barbershop Mondays program was held last week, with five more events slated through February and March. Bucks platers are scheduled to attend at least two of the remaining sessions. More details on those visits will be announced in due course.

Uppercut Deluxe – 10 Years of Staying Power

Australian men’s grooming brand, Uppercut Deluxe is stoked to be celebrating 10 Years of Staying Power. To celebrate this milestone, the team at Grounded Motion put together a rad piece documenting the story so far.

[vimeo id=”283859097″ width=”620″ height=”360″]

Uppercut Deluxe is introducing a limited-edition capsule including a Tee Shirt, Anniversary edition Tin Lid, Keyring and Patch, all of which stamped with the 10 Year Anniversary graphic, designed by one of the original Uppercut Deluxe founders. Check out the Tin, Tee, Patch and Keyring on the Uppercut Deluxe website.

Not your average Joe

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Williamsburg, a very hip borough in Brooklyn, NY with the longest bearded man I had ever met. Joe Loving (@beardspiration12), Managing Partner for Mean Beard (@mean_beard), and I had met on the phone a week previous and had agreed to meet up at Barbercon, one of the barbering industries premiere events. Joe has a great story behind his beard and brand. Several years back Joe’s son was diagnosed with hemophilia. He decided to raise awareness for the cause and grow out his beard. He called the charity fundraiser “Beards for Bleeders”. Three years later, Joe is still rocking the beard and is one year into his new start up beard care brand! His claim for success,“Don’t trim it!”

Lee Resnick started Barbercon in 2016 as the live networking event for @barbershopconnect, the first social site exclusively for Barbers worldwide. Barbershoppeconnect originally focused on the urban barber movement. Over the last couple of years Barbercon has morphed into one of the leading events for the men’s grooming industry worldwide. This years event attracted more mainstream vendors and cosmetologists then the previous two years combined. An education element was added which has taken it to another level, beyond a social networking event for barbers.

The evolution of urban barbering has come together with the lifestyle movement, high end mens fashion and old school traditional grooming, exploding onto the mainstream stage. There have been signs of this growth development over the last few decades, but the latest push is more then just a short term trend. Salons are feeling the need to up their game in the men’s grooming segment. We are only just beginning to see how the growth in men’s grooming has increased the need for gender specific brands on the professional product shelve space. Don’t be surprised to see traditional women focused beauty stores and online professional only e- commerce sites expand their offerings, and in some cases, change their names to attract the male shopper!

The mainstream acceptance of mens grooming has created a fundamental need for cosmologists to increase their skill set to offer expanded men’s services. Hot towel shaving, guard free clipper cutting and facial grooming are in high demand. While traditional barbering techniques has been somewhat of lost art throughout North America over the last few decades, there are regions on the globe where traditional mens grooming has stayed relevant, including the United Kingdom and the Middle East, where it never really went away.

Experts from industry leaders like the British Barbers’ Association (@BritshBarbers) have been very well received in North America over the last couple of years, as stylists and barbers alike, look to advance their men’s grooming skills. Traditional cosmetology providers including Pivot Point International (@pivotpointint) have recently launched a major foundation barbing program targeting cosmetology schools to start offering men’s grooming and barbering specific programs.

Guys are really into the latest grooming techniques and products. They are keeping their hair styles and beards well groomed and looking great. The average Joe is now more hip then ever!

Brian Gaum

bg@kreate.pro