Welcome to BarberEVO UK & Ireland Issue 38 and EVO’s 101^st magazine – can you believe it? Thank you to everyone who has been along on this journey, subscribing, reading, following, sending in your questions and sharing your wisdom. Where would we be without you?  

We kick off this issue with a feature on Grooming. For some, the word grooming is synonymous with barbering, but for our editor and the team, it’s not just about cutting hair and giving a shave, it is all about the transformative experience you give your clients. We feature a few shops and pros that excel in providing that unparalleled experience, with great technical skill. 

Next, let’s talk about education. There are so many avenues through which barbers can gain education, whether it’s at the beginning of their career, or years into it. In the post-pandemic world, there is now more access to virtual education than ever before. However, nothing can fully replace the efficacy of hands – on education. We cover all the options and their pros and cons in this feature. 

Do you identify as a tech-head, always getting your hands on the latest gear with the most up-to-date technology to make your work and home life easier and more efficient? Or would you say you’re more of a technophobe? Well, regardless of where you fall on this spectrum, there’s no denying the power of technology in this modern world, and if you can learn to embrace it, it can change your life, and your business for the better. 

Finally, to celebrate Pride month, we have a whole feature on Pride and Inclusivity. We talk to folks who are making waves in this industry to close the gender divide and create safe spaces accepting to all, where diversity can be celebrated. 

Also — we are celebrating that @barberevo has reached over 60K followers on Instagram. So, if you’re reading this and you’re not one of that 60K, go check out our page to make sure you are up to date with all of the latest and greatest content!

We hope you enjoy this issue! Order your beautifully presented print copy here. 

Calling all barbers! Do you want to level up your career? It’s time to prove it as entries are now open: https://www.wahl.co.uk/wbboy

The renowned Wahl British Barber of the Year competition is also coming to Barber Connect for the first time ever!

Now is your chance to celebrate your skills and show the industry how you deserve a place among the UK’s most talented barbers. This acclaimed competition gives you the chance to showcase your talents, receive recognition from industry experts, and become an ambassador for quality barbering in the UK. 

Not only will you get to lift the prestigious Wahl British Barber of the Year trophy, but you will also:

• Be fully kitted out with a prize bundle of Wahl tools worth over £1,000
• Get a year of free mentoring from our very own Wahl Global Artistic Director, Simon Shaw and his team.
• Get the chance to join us on stage at shows throughout the year. 
• Have the chance to land a lucrative spot on the Wahl Artistic Team

“Winning WAHL British Barber of the Year was the best thing to happen in my career for me personally,” says Carl Taylor, Wahl British Barber of the Year 2019. 

How To Enter 

To enter, you’ve just got to tell us why you believe you are worthy of the title Wahl British Barber of the Year. We want to hear how you plan to take the barbering world by storm, tell us about your ambitions for the future, as well as your most impressive achievements. You will need to submit up to three images showcasing your best work as a barber – make sure these are the best possible representation of your abilities. We want to be impressed!

The entry deadline is May 31st 2023, with 4 lucky finalists then battling it out in a LIVE Final on the Wahl stage at Barber Connect on Sunday 11th June 2023.

Wahl want to celebrate and recognise your hard work we see every day; one lucky person will be crowned Wahl British Barber of the Year 2023… will it be you? Enter the competition here: https://www.wahl.co.uk/wbboy

BarbersRide 2023 is thrilled to announce that Denman has agreed to be the official sponsor of this year’s ride which kicks off in August around Ireland.

Denman will be providing VIP toolkits for the riders and brushes for all the goody bags at each stage of the ride.

The charity of choice for this year’s ride, ‘Make a Wish Foundation’, has a special place in the heart of Denman Chairman John Rainey MBE. Back in 2000, Denman sponsored a child through Make a Wish foundation. That child was James Baker, a boy suffering from a life-limiting condition that causes tumours and a series of complex medical conditions. James had just one wish, which was to stay in a hotel in Belfast.

John Rainey wanted to do even more, so when he discovered that James had both a passion for the Belfast Giants Ice Hockey team and art, John arranged for VIP tickets to a Giants Hockey game and coaching from two local artists too.

James Baker is now 33 and has gone on to be a thriving artist as well as creating designs to decorate Denman brushes – he even has his own private box donated by the Belfast Giants Ice Hockey Team to protect him from infection.

Recently Xavier Berrell and seven riders dropped by for a visit to Denman HQ in Bangor to meet the team and say hello to James. James is pictured centre with all the bikers.

BarberEVO are proud media sponsors for BarbersRide and you can find out all about this year’s incredible event at www.barbersride.com/theride#full-ride-details

Vernon Jackson began Gifted Program haircuts at Noble Barber and Beauty after ‘hearing so many horror stories’ at other shops, reported the Guardian.

Even on his days off Vernon Jackson goes in to work at his barbershop in Cincinnati – it’s because that’s the day he has set aside to give free haircuts to children with special needs.

The kindness which Jackson offers at his Noble Barber and Beauty shop earned a profile from CBS News this week. Jackson told the network he began his Gifted Program haircuts in 2021 after “hearing so many horror stories that parents were going through with … barbers or stylists having no patience with their [children]” at other shops.

Academic research suggests that the reported lack of patience for parents struggling to buy haircuts for their special needs children poses a real dilemma for them. Studies have shown people typically feel more confident and in control in both social as well as professional settings with good, fresh haircuts.

Jackson resolved to sacrifice his day off and open his shop only to children with special needs who were looking to get a proper cut. And what’s more, he tells the children’s parents that their money’s no good there on those days.

“There [are] no other barbers or stylists in the shop, and I [can] give them the full attention they need,” he said in the CBS News report.

Jackson found that at least some of his off-day clients who are sensitive to unfamiliar environments and sounds find the empty shop comforting. His goal is to get the children acclimated to barbershops in general so they can eventually feel comfortable going in for haircuts when there are other patrons around.

Friends and other benefactors sponsor the haircuts that Jackson gives on his day off through donations to an online GoFundMe campaign, according to what he told CBS.

Gifted Program parents “would pay any amount of money just for their child to be able to have an experience like any other person”, he said to the network. “And at the end of it, I can tell them, ‘It’s covered.’”

Those parents often try to tip Jackson a gratuity, he says, but he tells them: “No, trust me … this is a gift from the community, myself – please receive it.”

Instagram users flood Jackson’s account on the platform with encouragement and compliments whenever he posts videos of him cutting the hair of Gifted Program clients.

“I have happy tears,” one user wrote in the comments of a video that Jackson posted showing him lining a Gifted Program boy up in March. “You are truly doing amazing things.”

The Fellowship for British Hairdressing’s Project Men Team were delighted to spend the day with Gary Machin from RB Training at the RB Training HQ in Stoke on Trend learning all about shaving.

The Fellowship’s Project Men education programme is the ultimate education aimed at hairdressers and barbers looking to develop their skills in the ever-growing men’s grooming market. The mentoring programme will open up the world of barbering and hairdressing.

Gary Machin, Director of the Rogers Barber Shops, Founder of RB Training & Chairman of the Barber Council has been a barber for over 30 years.  His recent work has taken him around the globe representing the British Barbers Association as lead educator, judging competitions, educating & supporting major companies.

The Project Men team, alongside Team Leader, Simon Shaw, were delighted to spend the day with Gary learning all about shaving, including the traditional wet shave, the products you should use and the steps you should be taking.

Commenting on the day, Project Team Member, Elettra Guggeri, said, “The day with Gary Machin was absolutely brilliant. I really enjoyed learning how to execute a professional wet shave on a client. He’s been very explicit about the whole process from start to finish. It’s something that I’m looking forward to mastering, which hopefully will broaden my clientele and will get me confident with beards.”

PROJECT MEN TEAM LEADER: Simon Shaw
PROJECT MEN PHOTOGRAPHER: Alex Burt
PROJECT MEN TEAM MEMBERS:

• Rees Bryla, Sarai Hair & Beauty
• Thomas Griffin, Nashwhite
• Kyle Dodson, Beasley’s Beards & Barnets
• Elettra Guggeri, Richard Ward

Brand Partners: Wahl Professional, Matakki Scissors, Captain Fawcett, BarberEVO, The Barbers Arms, Barber Connect

The Fellowship for British Hairdressing are on Instagram as @fellowshiphair

Get your copy here!

The newest issue of BarberEVO North America is OUT NOW! We have the latest in product launches, marketing, event updates, and new year trends. Packed full of ace designs and awesome features that give you everything you need to know to reach success in 2023 and beyond.

IN THIS ISSUE

It’s always our pleasure to feature the industry’s biggest brands – keep an eye out for gorgeous shoots and the latest incredible looks from American Crew and JRL’s Victor Lopez collection.

ON THE COVER

As seen on this issue’s front cover we are delighted to announce BaByliss Pro’s Influencer Collection. The latest group of barbers who will be the faces of the limited-edition Influencer Collection are Nicole Renae, Van Da Goat and Andy Authentic. What a line-up!

BaByliss has been busy! We also share the details of BaByliss’ latest set of UV Foil Shavers with new UV-Disinfecting Lid and a host of new technological innovations.

STYLING

The industry’s best and brightest barbers reveal their styling secrets in this special feature. David Marulanda, stylist to sports stars, shares how he has incorporated color into his styling repertoire. 

STMNT co-creator Julius Caesar, and ambassadors Jovan Figueroa and Zach Ignacio explains the challenges that creating low maintenance, live-in looks throws up. Patrick Butler from Floyd’s 99 tells us why longer hair should be viewed as the barber’s playground of creativity.

FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT

Investing in comfort should be the priority for your guests and as Sofi Pok explains, choosing Takara Belmont as her chair of comfort has been an awesome decision.   

Grab your copy of the magazine to see Chris (CJ) Foreman talk about his Instagram account that features standout barbershops all across the country – if you need some interiors inspiration, he’s your guy. 

SUSTAINABILITY

Challenging the throwaway society we have become, Danny Larry, the Salon Chair Guys, talks about how his business provides eco-friendly salon and barbershop equipment repair and maintenance products, with an aim of promoting sustainability in the barbering and beauty industry.

Read how Uplift Provisions Co. has produced a product line that is clean, fresh and perform well – all in the name of producing products that are clean and safe for the skin.

NEWS

As always, you can count on us to give you the latest news in the industry, from event calendars and product launches to business updates and inspirational stories. 

In this issue, we give you the industry updates on the plans for Wahl Clipper Corporation’s Barber Academy, and Elliot Chester’s big-hearted mission to give back to his community by hosting a day of mentoring to give back to kids in the foster care system. Hats off to Mr Chester!

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

For the first time ever, BaByliss PRO is bringing complete customisation to their hero grooming range in the UK. Introducing CustomFX: three tools with endless possibilities.

Barbers will now be able to take creativity into their own hands like never before, and design their own unique products to fit their signature style – from flashy metals to cool pops of colour.

Tools available for customisation will be BaByliss PRO’s hero grooming range: the Cordless Clipper, Super Motor Skeleton Trimmer and Titanium Foil Shaver.

Each tool is made up from different customisable parts, available in ten different colours, totalling millions of possible combinations, allowing all barbers to add a sense of individuality to their kit. BaByliss PRO also offer a brand new exclusive feature for the UK, taking customisation to the next level with the choice of complimentary personal engraving on each tool.

As well as having full aesthetic control, barbers and stylists now also have the opportunity to select their own blade type to completely suit their needs. New blade types are available for the Super Motor Clipper and the Super Motor Skeleton Trimmer, and includes the popular new Black Graphite Fade Blade.

HOW IT WORKS:

1. Head over to babyliss.com and select which product you would like to customise. Choose from the hero range: the iconic Super Motor Clipper, Skeleton Trimmer or Titanium Foil Shaver
2. Begin your customisation by choosing from ten different colours for each component to create your unique design
3. Add your own personal complimentary engraving to your kit, choosing from five different scaleable fonts
4. Share your creation with the world and use @babylissprouk on your social posts for a chance to be featured

Colours available: black, white, gun metal, gold, rose gold, green, red, blue, purple and pink.

CUSTOMFX CORDLESS SUPER MOTOR CLIPPER

The original hero product, the Cordless Super Motor Clipper, is engineered with power, strength and precision in mind, and has become a popular ‘go-to’ clipper for its high-torque motor and super sharp Japanese steel blades.
RRP £225.00

CUSTOMFX CORDLESS SUPER MOTOR SKELETON TRIMMER

BaByliss PRO’s Skeleton Trimmer is designed for detail, with an exposed extra wide Japanese steel T-blade edge, giving 360 degrees of sight and control when outlining or detailing, and the new zero gap function gives a closer cut than ever before.
RRP £200.00

NEW! CUSTOMFX TITANIUM FOIL SHAVER

The Titanium Foil Shaver is a heavy duty shaver with dual foils designed for precision and blending, in a robust metal design. Hypoallergenic foils give close cut and irritation and bump- free fade finish.
RRP £180.00

Hosted on youtube and the Andis Company website, Hayden’s 12 step-by-step tutorials offer easy-to-follow guides on some of the most popular cuts and styles.

 Andis® Company, a leading manufacturer of professional and at-home grooming products has teamed up with Andis Global Educator and renowned barber Hayden Cassidy to provide twelve, in-depth hair-cutting tutorials that can be accessed online. Featuring some of the most popular and timeless hairstyles, these tutorials are shared as part of Andis Company’s commitment to barber and stylist education.

WHO: Hayden Cassidy and Andis Company 

WHAT: 12 haircutting tutorials by renowned barber Hayden Cassidy 

WHERE: The full-length videos will be housed on the Andis website, as well as the official Andis Company YouTube channel for free 

WHEN: The tutorials are available indefinitely as a resource for barbers and at-home stylists.    

To learn more about Andis® Company, follow them on Instagram,TikTok, and Facebook.

Barber of 20+ years, author, speaker and educator, Mark Maciver (AKA @SliderCuts) has just been announced as an official Fresha Brand Ambassador. Already a trailblazer in the industry, Mark has used Fresha’s state of the art and user-friendly platform to enhance his business and find even greater success in the industry. 

As someone who has built his own authentic brand and become a role model and leader in the barbering industry, Mark told us that he isn’t likely to partner or represent just any brand. He said: “I understand the influence that I have in the barber community so want to ensure that the brands I work with are genuine, authentic, and bring real value to barbers lives and businesses. For me, Fresha’s software passed that test. It has incredibly high standards and is a brand I’m happy to put my name behind, and to recommend to my community.” 

For Mark, the barbershop should be a pillar of its community, and he works to ensure that his shop helps his local community thrive and grow. One of the ways he does this is through a youth mentorship scheme. He explained: “We have a handful of local boys who come in every Saturday. We mentor them, pay them for their work, and offer helpful life skills, like teaching them how to do stock counts and counting the till. Giving them responsibility and accountability encourages a higher confidence, helps them think independently, and apply these skills to other aspects of life. We also teach them to cut hair and are here for any other help they need.”

Mark told us that one of the boys he mentors is currently going through his GCSEs, and was struggling in one subject in particular. So, Mark paid for a tutor to help support his mentee to get through this subject. He said: “Paying for the tutor for a few months might cost £700, but if that better grade can help his life forever, then of course it’s worth it. I want to show him that you don’t give up on something just because it’s difficult.” 

Mark believes that more barbershops should be engaging with their communities, giving back, and offering support. He said: “I can’t think of any other sector that has people from all walks of life working harmoniously. In the barbering world, there’s no cloth divide. One day, you could cut the hair of a heavyweight boxing champion, the next a judge, then a lawyer, an accountant, a tradesman, a troubled young kid… You name it! Why not use that diversity to uplift each other?”

So, what stood out to Mark about Fresha, and how does it differ from other platforms? He said: “I went to their office in London and liked that they had strong engineering and customer service teams in one place. It gave me that reassurance that if anything goes wrong, there is a team locally based, right there, ready to help you. Better than being outsourced to a call centre where you can wait hours to speak to someone.”

We asked Mark how he believes this partnership will lead to elevating the Fresha brand. He told us: “Meeting with Fresha’s owner showed me that my thoughts and input will be listened to and considered. He explained how much thought, consideration and testing goes into every feature and element of the Fresha platform, and how much they value the feedback from industry professionals. For me, a software platform like Fresha should be all about making life easier and taking work off barbers’ hands to make their work life easier and more efficient.” 

For Mark, the key to success and growth is being open to new opportunities that spark your creativity. We asked Mark – how can Fresha help unlock potential and allow barbers to take advantage of new opportunities? He said: “Not only does Fresha allow you to better organise your time – which is key to allow you explore new ventures, opportunities and creative ideas – but it also offers so many business resources for free to its users. This can be so inspiring and valuable when it comes to taking the next steps as a barber or business owner. Fresha is so much more than just a software.”

 

Using a premium selection of Andis company’s premium barbering tools, celebrity stylist Anissa Salazar crafts a timeless look for everything everywhere all at once star, Ke Huy Quan.

HAIR BY: Celebrity Stylist Anissa Salazar for Andis Company

TIPS/TECHNIQUE: To achieve this look I began with the Andis reSURGE Shaver for a smooth and clean shave. The titanium plates are flexible and set you up for a tight shave, where the head of the shaver can hug the contour of the face. This amazing feature is key in not missing any straggling hairs!

Next, I began removing bulk quickly using my cordless reVITE Clipper, then trimming with my shears. Afterward, I cleaned up the nape and around the ears using the beSPOKE Trimmer, using a point-cutting motion to take out any additional weight and then using the reSURGE Shaver on the neck and nape for a clean finish. These trimmers are great to get a precise, razor-sharp line.

Then, I prepped the scalp using Tecuane Esperanza Scalp Tonic. This tonic provides instant hydration and acts as a nongreasy primer. I complete the look by blow drying the hair 70% dry using the flat wrapping technique, and round brushing to over-direct in the opposite direction to achieve height and volume. Finally, I polish the look with lightweight and matte pomade! – Anissa Salazar

PRODUCTS: Andis reSURGE Shaver ($110), Andis reVITE Clipper ($200) Andis beSPOKE Trimmer ($250), Tecuane Esperanza Scalp Tonic ($66)

You can purchase all Andis Company products from andis.com, amazon.com, and authorized Andis® dealers. To learn more about Andis® Company, follow them on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

About Andis® Company

Andis® Company is a fourth-generation, family-led business and a market leader in barbering, styling and animal grooming founded in 1922. Its industry-leading clippers, trimmers and styling accessories are used by both professionals and DIYers across the globe. The #1 preferred brand for textured hair, Andis remains committed to leading the category while ensuring quality, durability and innovation. Andis believes that creativity makes the world a better place and takes pride in developing tools and educational resources that help everyone create their way. To find a local distributor or retailer, call 800-558-9441 or visit www.andis.com.