Mention the name 5-Star Senior or Magic Clip and what comes to mind? Most likely it is the precision, power and ease of fading that barbers and stylists rely on from Wahl Professional’s 5-Star Series for their multi-cultural clients.

Now look again, because precision fading with the name Wahl 5-Star is taking on a new gold-star design. Every one of the tools will receive an update and be revealed over the next month.

“Each product will progress into the new 5-Star look at different times during the second quarter of 2018,” said Tracy Vock, Senior Product Manager, Professional Division, Wahl Clipper Corporation. “The completion date for the full line to be transferred over to the new look and feel is the end of May.”

As the new 5-Star look begins to unfold, each of the classic styles will be transformed by a consistency in look with gold color accents as the dominate design feature, along with easily identifiable Wahl logos that are laser cut into each tool.

“Think of it as an enhancement to the products,” says Jesey Nicholson, Senior Graphic Designer, Professional Division, Wahl Clipper Corporation. “The new look was designed with barbers in mind, providing the consistency of tools for the busy barber and stylist. Gold levers and switches throughout the line separates the 5-Star products from our other clippers and trimmers.”

The idea for the new gold-star look originated from discussions on the line in general and working with Wahl’s marketing team and design engineers to test samples and colors to finalize the style.

“I’m excited about the upgrade to the 5-Star Senior clipper that gives this product a lot of class,” says Nicholson. “The black and gold accents balance well together and give the product more of a high-end look that reflects the product’s performance.”

Barbers will also notice a color change in the attachment combs in some trimmer sets to help elevate the appearance of the line.

“There are not any new features for each product,” says Vock, “Each product is already unique, so we basically gave the line a face lift, so to speak.”

Just last year, a similar update to the Wahl Designer Clipper Family of tools was introduced, featuring a classic black color scheme to keep everything consistent in that line.

“We are focused on making the Wahl 5-Star Series look consistent and upscale,” says Nicholson. “Our customers love our products, so making the looks consistent as well as enhancing the packaging was an easy decision.”

The branded look of the new 5-Star packaging reveals a clean design on the front. On the back of the package, pertinent information easily identifies how each product differs, and printing enhancements to the package design make the products stand out when displayed on store shelves.

As for marketing the new line, Wahl Professional created first-class product videos to help show off the new looks, along with website updates and social media posts to reflect this new design. Those interested in learning more about the new 5-Star line can view the latest product improvements at http://wahlpro.com/products/5-star/.

The celebrity and multi award-winning barber Tom Baxter has been named the new Brand Ambassador of the professional haircare brand OSMO. This title arrives after many winning collaborations such as The Great British Barber Bash events, where Tom Baxter brought to the stage not only his impressive skills but also demonstrated how OSMO’s products helped him to refine and perfect his techniques.

Tom Baxter began his journey in the barbering world as a teenager, enjoying multiple successes and quickly becoming a YouTube and Instagram sensation. Recently, he achieved the title of 2017 British Master Barbers ‘UK Barber of The Year’.

OSMO immediately recognised a reflection of their own brand values when observing Tom’s style and his skill when using the grooming range. Sinéad McLaughlin, OSMO marketing executive says: “We are really excited to have Tom on board; we love his forward-thinking style of cutting and his unique use of the products. Tom’s inspiring work is an outstanding opportunity to share our philosophy and deliver a clear message on what the brand has to offer.”.

Tom Baxter continues “I am honoured to become OSMO’s Brand Ambassador. I have been working with the brand for a while now and I wanted to bring our collaboration to the next step. I am looking forward to see what we’ll be able to achieve together in terms of cutting, colour and styling”.

Celebrity and multi award-winning barber, Tom Baxter held a haircutting marathon to support the charity Tiny Lives Trust. The ‘Baxter Barberthon’ started at 8am on Sunday, 29 April until 8am on Monday, 30 April 2018 at Tom Baxter Hair salon (Newcastle upon Tyne).
The event ran for 24hrs with no breaks; the salon was constantly crowded with clients keeping Tom busy for the whole day and night. Friends and colleagues joined Tom to support him and help with his mixed clientele of men, women and kids. The team’s efforts were rewarded; the haircutting marathon raised £3000 that will contribute to buy special incubators/cots that will improve the living conditions of many young children.

Partner of the event was the leading professional hair range OSMO, who provided the attendees with their hero products. Sinéad McLaughlin, OSMO marketing executive says, “It was an honour for OSMO to support the event; we work closely with Tom and we didn’t hesitate to help and knowing that with a small gesture, you can help improve many lives.”.

Tom Baxter continues “The haircutting marathon was a success! Time is the most precious thing we have and dedicating 24hrs exclusively to raise money for a good cause, it’s fantastic. I got a lot of support from my team and friends so it was also a good test for everyone.”

To keep supporting Tiny Lives Trust, the donations are open via the dedicated giving page.

Schorem training hits the UK! Schorem’s training courses in Old School Rotterdam are famous worldwide and are regularly sold out up to a year in advance.

If you have ever fancied experiencing the training but don’t have the time (or want to wait!), we have some very good news for you. We will be running a selection of courses throughout the UK and Ireland presented by our UK Scumbassador team Christian Wiles and Wez Jones. Master barbers in their own right, Christian and Wez have come through an intensive training program in the Old School to learn the unique skills that Schorem training courses are renowned for.

THE COURSES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TO BOOK ARE:

• Scumclass: This is a half day look & learn course demonstrating classic Schorem cuts and the old school craft of barbering. From Pompadours to Flattops, learn how to integrate the Schorem classic shapes into your everyday work.
• Classic Barbering – Level One: This is a great course to understand the techniques used as the foundation of all Schorem’s classic cuts. The morning will be a look & learn, teaching the Vanguard and Long Trim Pompadour, followed by an afternoon of hands on training using mannequin heads.

For more information of the courses, availability and prices, please contact Rianne at Reuzel UK head office on 01392 365177.

Leading professional hair range, OSMO, has been confirmed as 2018 brand sponsors for the Great British Barber Bash.

Founded by Garry Spencer, the Great British Barber Bash provides educational courses, workshops and live shows throughout the country in colleges, salons and cool locations. OSMO will be providing the organisers, presenters, and barbers with products from the OSMO grooming range, attending live shows to host educational workshops, and supporting the college events.

“The Great British Barber Bash events are about the people involved – both hosting and attending the various events. Our live events are affordable, social and held in cool locations. It’s a platform for barbers to share their craft and for brands like OSMO to share their portfolio too. We host around 4 main live shows a year plus workshops, seminars and college courses throughout the year across the country and it’s great to know we have the support of OSMO. It’s a range that barbers really respect and enjoy using to create their looks,” explains Garry.

Sinéad McLaughlin, OSMO marketing executive continues, “Our OSMO grooming products are fast become a cult essential within the barbering community. Continuing to support nationwide events like Great British Barber Bash is a great opportunity to share our philosophy and products with even more barbers. We meet so many inspiring barbers at the events and get amazing feedback too. It’s a win:win for us.”

You can still secure a ticket for the GBBB here.

With the new Reuzel Gravity Feed holders, your Reuzel Pomade collection is guaranteed to stand out amongst the crowd. Available for Pink, Green, Blue, Red, Clay and Fibre Reuzel Pomade now.

Each display stand holds six 4oz Reuzel Pomade tins making them the perfect size for your countertops, work station and window display!

Visit www.reuzel.co.uk for more information.

American Crew™ the leader in professional men’s grooming, is delighted to announce the country winners for the annual All-Star Challenge men’s grooming competition. The All-Star Challenge is an annual global competition that highlights world-class talent in men’s grooming. Men’s Stylists and Barbers are challenged to combine their expertise in art, style and technique to deliver their ultimate interpretation of the American Crew™ man.

The hotly contested final was held at The Bike Shed Motor Cycle Club on Monday 12^th March in Shoreditch and the guest list read like a who’s who of Men’s Barbering and Grooming. The atmosphere was electric as the finalists picked from hundreds of entries gathered on stage for their moment in the spotlight.

Surrounded by barbers, hairdressers and industry influencers, American Crew celebrated all of our UK & Ireland finalists and announced both country winners:

SAM WALL – HIDDEN HEIGHTS CREATIVE STUDIO – UK WINNER

Sam Wall Says, “ This is my fourth year entering the competition and I have been committed to American Crew for the last seven years. I made the final last year and it really hurt not to win but I took feedback on board learnt from my experiences and everything in to this years entry. I couldn’t be prouder to be the UK winner. American Crew All Star Challenge is the Men’s competition to win.”

CHRIS O’RIORDAN – ST4MEN (SEAN TAAFFE GROUP) – IRELAND WINNER

Chris O’Riordan Says” I wasn’t expecting to win at all, to get this recognition from my fellow professionals is amazing. It’s my first time entering , I saw Ciaran O’Sullivan winning for Ireland last year and it inspired me. I am really interested in the photographic element of this competition and my look is an old time masculine look interpreting what American Crew is for the modern man. “

These two country winners now go on to the next round of selection where the 15 best images from across the globe are chosen to compete in the Global All Star Final held in Barcelona in June.

About the American Crew™ All-Star Challenge:

The American Crew™ All-Star Challenge is about being recognized as the best stylist for men in the world. The cut. The model. The photograph. Bring it all together to create your ultimate interpretation of the American Crew™ man. We want the best stylist on the planet. One with a truly unique, artistic vision. One who understands what it takes to create a masculine, modern edge. And one who captures their masterpiece with professional-level art direction and photography. If you’ve got what it takes, start perfecting your style, because the American Crew™ All-Star Challenge is bigger and better than ever.

About American Crew™:

American Crew™, a professional leader in men’s grooming, is the brand that defines men’s style, hair care and grooming trends, distributed in more than 30,000 salons across 50 countries. The American Crew™ family of grooming products delivers everything needed to create and care for men’s styles including products in the hair, body, shave, style and fragrance categories, available exclusively in salons, barbershops and authorized retailers. American Crew™ has an ongoing commitment to elevating men’s style and enhancing their personal image, and provides education, marketing and imaging support to help stylists communicate the brand’s vision of men’s grooming and fashion – classic style, reliability and confidence – to the marketplace. For more information, visit https://www.americancrew.com/.

Male grooming brand TABAC has expanded its product range once again, with the addition of a new Beard Oil; building on the success of its fragrance range and shaving products used widely by barbers in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. The full range of shaving products is now being exclusively stocked at trade prices for barbers by Barber Blades.

TABAC was established in 1959 and is most widely known for the nostalgic scent of its signature fragrance. After the success of the fragrance, a collection of male grooming products was launched by the brand, including a shaving range; which rapidly became a favourite amongst barbers.

The full range has been created with barbers in mind and has just become available to purchase at trade prices through www.barberblades.co.uk; the latest stockist of the products. Although previously focused on a male fragrance and traditional, tallow-based shaving products, TABAC has now launched a Beard Oil to meet the demand from barbers for such a product; given the beard trend that has swept the nation in recent years.

Following the success of Shave The Day in December, a campaign by TABAC in collaboration with Age UK that encouraged barbers to offer free wet shaves, haircuts and other treatments to older members of their communities to combat loneliness, the brand is now working to increase awareness of its product range amongst barbershops in the UK; to build on the success the brand already experiences in Germany and the Netherlands.

Having Barber Blades as a new stockist and addition to the product range is the start of a busy year for TABAC, with more announcements and activity planned throughout 2018.

The full TABAC range can be found here: https://barberblades.co.uk/tabac-shaving-cologne

Ruth Morgan-Evans, Marketing Manager of TABAC, said the following:

“Barbers have been so impressed with the range of products TABAC has to offer, because they bring a really premium feel to the shaving and male grooming experience. Barbers tell us how much they love the shaving cream in particular, because it doesn’t crack like so many other brands’ offerings.

“The nostalgic scent of all the products is one that the modern man has come to love, thanks to this retro revival that we’re experiencing.  With bold facial hair being a current trend that shows no sign of slowing down, Beard Oil was a natural progression for the product range. We’re so pleased that barbers will now be able to purchase the full range of TABAC products from Barber Blades. After the success of Shave The Day and TABAC being more widely used by barbers, we can’t wait to see what the future holds for the range.”

Luke Dolan, Barber and TABAC Ambassador, said:

“Since I started stocking TABAC products, we’re doing more shaves than ever in both of my shops, so I really feel that wet shaves are going to continue growing in popularity. However, there are plenty of lads out there who are proud of their facial hair and have no plans to get rid, which is where the new Beard Oil comes into play for us. As a barber, it’s often hard to come across products that our customers really love as much as we do, but the nostalgic scent and familiarity of TABAC really keeps them coming back, so it’s been great from a client retention perspective.”