Men are increasingly making an event of getting their wedding haircut just right – taking their cue from how women have prepared for weddings for centuries.

Wedding haircut events – where a barber is booked to set up in the groom’s home and good friends are invited around for drinks and food – are the latest wedding trend.

Giuliano Dore, who set up Get Groomed Mobile Barbers as a response to a surge in demand for home haircuts and beard trims following the Covid pandemic, has seen a huge rise in demand for wedding events.

He said: “There is a tradition in many cultures of brides gathering with their bridesmaids to have their hair done and make-up just before a wedding. But in the past in the UK, men and the groom simply queued at the local barber shop waiting their turn!

“Now, everyone wants to have memorable photos and videos and to look their best. Men also want to make more of the preparations with both same-sex and heterosexual wedding days now including a barbering experience.

“It is quite common for two grooms to want identical haircuts and getting them done together ensures they look just right. Heterosexual men now want to ensure the best man and other male attendants look just right. Throw in some drinks and music; it is another fun aspect of the wedding.”

Get Groomed Mobile Barbers are booked online and can set up anywhere, bringing with them everything needed to ensure hair is styled, beards are trimmed or shaves are perfectly smooth. But Giuliano Dore says planning is essential.

He said: “I would advise grooms to consult with the barber first about the style they want. A dramatic change for a wedding day may not always be the most sensible thing to do. In many ways, it might be better to have a restyle a month or two before so the wedding cut is just a tidy up and there are no shocks for any party involved.

“A buzzcut is stylish on most people and suits men who want to look good on a formal occasion, but there is a danger you can go too short too quickly. For those who want to look more stylish with a bit of panache and individuality, a pompadour may be the right answer, but everyone is individual and it is an important day, so take time to get it right.”

In the home and workplace barbering has grown in popularity with both customers and barbers. Many traditional barbers have been struggling with the overheads of shop premises. At the same time, the public appetite for crowded waiting rooms reduced during the Covid pandemic and people prefer to have a home visit rather than sit being watched by a room full of strangers as they have their hair styled.

Said Giuliano: “People shop online for just about everything now, rather than wander down the High Street hoping to find the holiday, music, or service they want. The first place they turn is their phone and we find people want to book a haircut on our website and fix it for a time to suit themselves. We also have a number of corporates who book our barbers for workplace events.”

Get Groomed Mobile Barbers www.gogetgroomed.co.uk have qualified and skilled barbers operating in London, Birmingham and Manchester along with Guildford, Surry with plans to expand to other areas of the UK.

Stephen Farrar, owner of Custom Belmont is joining a band of friends to raise money for the #justicefortommy campaign. Tommy Kneebone was a thriving seven-month-old baby who passed away suddenly. The Kneebone family are raising funds to help cover costs as they strive to obtain justice by challenging the hospital care he received.

Tommy’s father, Josh Kneebone is a barber from Kent who has Strops Barbershop in Crowborough and is a friend of Stephen. Having seen firsthand the devastating effect of losing Tommy, Stephen has decided to raffle off a Takara Belmont Dainty chair to raise funds.

A Takara Belmont Dainty Chair is a much-coveted item to barbers, as it is seen as the pinnacle of quality in barbershop chairs. This is the perfect chance to have this iconic chair in your barbershop for the cost of a £10 donation. They are worth in the region of £1500.00 and he hopes to draw the raffle at the Barber Connect event in June in Telford.

To enter the raffle, please donate what you can. The suggested donation is £10.00, please remember to add your name to be added to the raffle, and support the #justicefortommy campaign. You can donate at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/justicefortommy1?utm_term=eRbNx6XyWo,

Welcome to BarberEVO issue 37! Let’s talk about style, baby! This issue is all about finding your unique style as an artist, keeping up with trends, and ensuring your space matches your personal vibes.

Gracing our coveted cover this issue is American Crew’s latest ‘AC-iD’ collection – a tribute to the style and music of the ‘90s, using AC’s iconic collection of styling pucks. We caught up with the AC Creative Team on the set of this shoot to see how the magic all comes together.

The man with style for days, Tariq Howes, kicks off our styling feature by sharing his experiences in the session styling world and as a BaByliss Ambassador. Gio Uktolsej based In Rotterdam talks about developing your own iconic style, and Liam Lovetts gives us the facts on short vs long styling. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Next, EVO goes ECO. In this feature, we talk all about how to eco-ify your barbershop, not only to help save the planet, but to save money, and bring in more clients too! You don’t have to go vegan, but maybe your hair products can. Food for thought. 

Finally, we take a peek into some of this season’s best barbershop interiors. How can you add style to your space? Maybe it’s in investing in the best chairs, customising your furniture, finding a theme, or investing in a new state-of-the-art technology? We love Jazzman Grooves barbershop, which boasts an eclectic mix of industrial furniture and artistic, street-inspired décor. RUGER give us a look inside their contemporary space, while Gents @ 27 tell us how to take your barbershop ideas from pitch to brick and mortar premises.

We hope you enjoy this issue! You can order your print copy here.

• 

• 

• 

• 

The latest issue of BarberEVO UK and Northern Ireland is OUT NOW.

Get your copy here!

LONDON CALLS FOR THE ALL-STARS 

The latest issue of BarberEVO is OUT NOW! This issue is headed up by a composite shot from American Crew’s outstanding All-Star Challenge collection.  

We were thrilled to be invited to get the chance to peek behind the scenes of the shoot, called ‘London Calling’ which included the work of the incredibly artistic talent gathered from all over the globe. Check out the full collection and a look behind the scenes in this issue. We are beyond excited to be working closely with American Crew in the future, watch out for more content coming up.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

Also, in this issue we are giving away Simon Shaw. Take him, he’s yours! Well, for one day only. Win Simon to come to your barbershop or take your team to the Wahl Training Academy… however you want to use Simon’s knowledge, he’s up for it… nothing weird mind, that’s his only condition! See pages 34-35 to find out how to enter.

TECHNOLOGY

Love it or loathe it, tech is now an essential part of a barber’s business. There are so many options now to make life easier, and you don’t have to be a tech whizz to get your head around them. Whether it’s booking apps, marketing, POS options, reminders, there’s so much out there that can streamline your day to day. Have a read and see if it’s time to trade up with tech

BEARDCARE

Beard services – how do you view them? A quick add on or an essential part of the barbershop menu? The beard remains on trend, and we talk to the barbers who are making the most of what is currently an essential service to many clients.

WELLBEING

The wellbeing of staff, clients and the ever-stressed owners, is more important than ever, and we look at ways the industry is embracing wellbeing practices into the barbershop. We speak to the Podbarber about how listening is as important as talking, and we investigate the spa type services that barbers are introducing to aid client relaxation. Sit back, relax and read all about it.

SCISSORS

The humble scissor is the tool you can’t do without. But how much do you value your scissors? We look at what’s on the market – from the budget options to the wallet busting top enders. It’s not all about cost, there are great options for all budgets, and we talk to Rum Barber about the best options for the beginner barber as Yoi Scissors talk about which performs best in each cost category.

We hope you enjoy this issue! You can order your print copy here. 

BARBEREVO UK AND IRELAND #33 – OUT NOW 

Get your copy here!

A summer of connection

The latest issue of BarberEVO UK and Ireland is OUT NOW. This issue is packed full of advice, features and trends to keep you up to date with what’s current in the barbering world.

Check out our front cover featuring two young barbers from Glasgow that are making their mark in the industry as they attract a celebrity clientele off the back of their work on textured hair. @exthebarber and @destacuts have ambitions for the future… keep an eye on them, they are going places.

We can’t not mention the UK event of the year, Barber Connect which certainly lived up to its name as the place to connect and forge new friendships. We feature a review of the show and a selection of the many hundreds of images we took in our exclusive BarberEVO front cover booth… it’s been a smash everywhere we take it. 

SUMMER TRENDS

Trends come and go but when summer hits, there’s always a style that makes its mark. And this year it’s all about the crop. We talk to some top barbers and ask about what they are being asked for in their chairs on the daily, and they share what the looks are, the techniques to create them and the products that keep them in place. 

TEXTURE

The skills needed to excel in textured hair takes time to master and we interview Tariq Howes, 5ive, Ex from EXStudio and SCurl, the biggest brand in textured hair, about how to tame the curls and create a silhouette to be proud of and what their advice is for those that want to be confident in this field.

EDUCATION

Barbers are always learning, and we talk to Vikki Harrison-Smith about her teaching techniques at her SB Barbering Academy about what she expects from her students and the level she wants them to achieve. Also sharing their knowledge is Skins and Needles barbering academy and we have a controversial column from master barber Rob Rix about how the education levels of today leave him feeling less than impressed.

HAIRLOSS

The solutions to hair loss have increased tenfold over the last decade and now is the time to invest in some training so that you too can be part of the solution to those that are suffering with it. We talk to the brands and practitioners that are giving back a confident future to men that are struggling with hairloss in this feature and see the incredible transformations that can happen. 

FURNITURE

Are you even a barber if you haven’t admired a classic barber chair and wish you had a line of them in your shop? We are exploring the world of barbershop chairs and what remains the classics, what’s new and the options for buying them… buy the best you can afford, and if you can’t afford them, then leasing is now an incredible option for barbers to have the shop of their dreams.

We hope you enjoy this issue! You can order your print copy here.

BARBEREVO UK AND IRELAND #32 – OUT NOW 

Get your copy here!

Take ‘pride’ in your business

The latest issue of BarberEVO is OUT NOW! This issue is headed up by a shot from the latest Kevin Luchmun Andis Fluid Vol.3 collection.

This inspirational and diverse collection headlines Andis’ new step-by-step educational resource for professionals to learn Kevin’s haircutting process. We also talked to Kevin about the process behind the scenes of shooting the collection and his inspirations on why he chose these styles.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

We are all looking forward to June and when Barber Connect brings together the UK’s barbering community and we have a list of some of the big names to look out for. Also, in this issue we are giving away Simon Shaw. Take him, he’s yours! Well, for one day only. Win Simon to come to your barbershop or take your team to the Wahl Training Academy… however you want to use Simon’s knowledge, he’s up for it… nothing weird mind, that’s his only condition! See pages 92-93 to find out how to enter.

PRIDE

Barbershops are all about a welcoming environment and that should mean for everyone. We highlight the barbershops that are embracing gender-neutral pricing and offering a chair to anyone who walks through their doors, no matter their gender or sexuality. Blacc + Blond salon shows us a perfect example of how to be leaders in knocking down barbering gender stereotypes.

We also feature lots of fantastic gender-neutral styles from a selection of top barbers who treat hair as hair, no matter whose head it is on!  

CLIENT COMFORT

How do you make your clients more comfortable… we don’t mean a padded chair! It’s about what other things you do to make the barbershop more welcoming. We talk to the owners of Rag and Bone about their beer vending machine, which has changed the atmosphere of their shop for the better and also to Paul Hewitt of Brislington Hill Barbers which has a coffee shop in-house for the clients and how both the barbers and clients love it.

SHAVING

Shaving services are always going to attract a new clientele and the more luxury you add to the experience the better. We speak to the shaving experts at Murdock about the benefits of having shaving on the menu and we also have a step-by-step from shaving supremo Kevin Vorley, we also have a look at the best shaving products on the market.

ELECTRICALS

The buzz of barbershop activity is accompanied by clippers, trimmers, hairdryers and all sorts of electrical paraphernalia and we have a close look in this issue at barber’s hairdryers with our friends at Rum Barber who pick out the best on the market.

We hope you enjoy this issue! You can order your print copy here. 

Robert Eaton has been welcomed as the new President for the Fellowship for British Hairdressing at a star-studded event in London.

Ken Picton, who has led the organisation for the past three years, handed over the reigns to British Hairdresser of the Year Robert Eaton in front of industry peers at the President’s Night.

Held at the Brewery in East London, Ken relived some of his favourite times as President – and the challenges brought with the pandemic. But before he could leave there were a few surprises – he brought his Drinks with the President live to the stage with some of his favourite guests including Sally Brooks, Mark Woolley and Michael Douglas, while a video highlighted just some of the things he has implemented during his reign.

The F.A.M.E team presented their first show, Evolution. Alex Cook, Darrel Starkey, Jessica Hau and Lydia Wolfe – a showcase of their skills learnt so far this year, with stunning 5ft colourful ponytails, precision cuts and dynamic shapes.

Ken recalled: “When I took over as President in 2019 we had no idea what was ahead of us. But we have worked hard to modernise the Fellowship for a new era of hairdressing. It’s been a privilege to lead the Fellowship through these turbulent times and I look forward to being part of the future.”

Receiving his regalia, Robert added: “Today is very special for me, when I started my journey in the family business it was about networking and making friends. My whole career has been shaped by the Fellowship; I was part of the 2003 F.A.M.E. Team which was incredibly special and instilled in me the importance of nurturing the next generation. Now, it’s my time to give back and help young people in this industry. I want to work with as many people as possible to evolve the industry and continue the heritage the Fellowship has always had.”

The team at Aaron Michaels barbershop in Livingstone in Scotland were treated to a morning of education from Reuzel educator, Paul Taylor Clinch @pirate_paulus.

Paul was showing the team some of the expert techniques he has perfected over the years following his training at the world-famous Schorem barbershop in Rotterdam, home of the Reuzel brand.

The team asked him to demonstrate the specifics of side parting placement. Paul spent the morning showing them how he approaches a haircut by using varying shape patterns, and by starting on the top of the head first, perfecting the style and then finishing with the fade, if required.

Finding the baseline, working with precision, how to make the client feel relaxed and the importance of the final silhouette was all discussed.

Paul is a great advocate of letting the head shape and hair dictate the finished style using his experience and knowledge as a barber. Also, he taught the importance of working efficiently.

He finished the session by going through the Reuzel product range he recommended and what particular product to use to get the best hold for the specific style. He encouraged the barbers to use the product in the hair before the blowdry, as there is no point in finishing a cut, then having to misplace the look by adding product later.

Paul finished by showing the silhouette of the pomp he created, saying “This cut was designed based on the style the client asked for, the growth pattern, and the shape of the head.”

Aaron Michaels, owner of the barbershop said: “We were delighted to host Paul here today, I’ve been following his work for some time. We have all learned new techniques, loads of tips and tricks and it has given my team a new level of confidence. It has reiterated some of the techniques they already knew but Paul has explained them in detail showing them exactly why they are doing them and the results they can get.”

The event was part of a Reuzel tour, and the team has visited Rum Barber barbershop in Glasgow the day before to educate on specific techniques as well as Reuzel product use.

BARBEREVO UK AND IRELAND #31 – OUT NOW 

Get your copy here!

FROM ECO BARBERS TO ENVIABLE CHAIRS

The latest issue of BarberEVO UK and Ireland is OUT NOW. This issue is packed full of advice, features and trends to keep you up to date with what’s current.

There’s no mistaking the quiet confidence the RUGER . team are radiating from the front cover. The barbers may be female in an industry that is still very male dominated, but they are making their own statement through their work, and we are delighted to be able to showcase their latest collection.

Also, BarberEVO in collaboration with Wahl UK are buzzing to announce the chance to win a money-can’t-buy competition that will give you a full day’s mentorship with one of the members of the Wahl Artistic Team. Check out entry details on pages 46-47. It’s not to be missed.

Joining us for the first time as a columnist is BaByliss ambassador Pete Cranfield, he has a wealth of information to share from his two decades in the business and he opens up with some advice on how to prolong your clippers and trimmers rather than replacing them, in the name of sustainability.

BARBERCHAIRS 

Every client wants to feel like they are sitting on the Rolls Royce of barber chairs, but every barber has their own view of what that chair is. We have spoken to those that go for the classic, the vintage, the refurbished… all still amazing chairs that add a particular aesthetic to the barbershop as well as giving your client the comfort they deserve.   

SUSTAINABILITY 

The question is now why be sustainable, it’s why not be sustainable? The excuses no longer hold weight with so many eco options available. Coterie Barbershop and Noose & Key are just two barbershops that are flying the eco flag in every way. They have found solutions to every challenge, and we tip our hat to the effort they have put in for a more sustainable industry.  

HAIR ART 

With unlimited inspiration online, and advances in trimmers and tools, the talent in hair art has never been bigger. For some barbers, a fade is a fade, but for others, it is a blank canvas for patterns, designs, and masterpieces. We spoke to some of the UK’s finest hair artists about their inspiration, the tools they need to create those sharp lines and the trends they are seeing rolling back around.  

We hope you enjoy this issue! You can order your print copy here.

The latest issue of BarberEVO UK and Ireland is OUT NOW.

Get your copy here!

Firing into 2022

The latest issue of BarberEVO UK and Ireland is OUT NOW. This issue is packed full of advice, features and trends to keep you up to date with what’s current.  

Gracing the coveted front cover is a talent in the ascension, Dean Gleeson, who has recently been named Professional Barber World Series Barber of the Year, and brand ambassador for Dapper Dan. Dean has some great advice on how to elevate your career. First thing to do is enter competitions.  He is proof that his advice works as he finds himself on stage and being featured in the barbering press.

Also, in this issue we are hugely excited to introduce Simon Shaw as our new columnist. Simon is known for his expertise, knowledge and incredible stage presence. As Wahl’s Global Artistic Director and now the team leader of the Fellowship of British Hairdressing Project:Men, Simon has plenty to report in his column ‘Shaw Times’.

Also joining the BarberEVO columnists are Rum Barber’s Paul Montgomery and Joseph Goss. Known as the go-to duo for impartial reviews on any new tools and tech that hits the market, they are perfectly placed to offer advice and direction to BarberEVO readers on what’s living up to the hype.

Events

They are back! We feature an update from the organiser of Barber Connect, Europe’s biggest barbering show that is scheduled for June 2022 in Telford. He tells us what to expect after two years of absence, and how now is the time to book FREE tickets for the event.

New year trends

A new year brings new looks, and we have the views of the industry’s top barbers about what trends we are likely to see in 2022. There’s an overall consensus that longer hair is back, and the mullet is making a comeback, albeit with an updated look.

Marketing

How you market and brand your business is up for discussion, and we talk to Octane Hairdressing for Men, which has an amazingly strong brand about why that matters. Also, we talk to Where’s It App, a specialist app company that can help nail down your brand with a bespoke app that makes customers lives easier by integrating your own brand into your booking app. 

Additional services

Cutting hair is your bread and butter but what about all those additional services you are missing out on. Shaving, facials, and colour, to name just a few. Have a look through our additional services feature and see what you could easily implement into your service menu. 

We speak to Colin Petrie (Hard Grind) who has taken additional services to a whole new level by adding coffee shops, cafés and apparel to the Hard Grind brand. He has some great advice on what works as additional services in the barbershop.

Clippers and trimmers

We can’t work without them, but what works for you? Everyone has their favourites, and the choice is vast. We speak to industry pros about what clippers and trimmers are their go-to’s and we have the expert view of tool reviewers Rum Barber to help make your mind up.

Get your hands on the latest edition here.