I hope you are all doing well. Hopefully, you’ve been able to start cutting hair again and are supporting each other during these uncertain times. Since I can’t attend any barber events during this period, I’m so happy I can use the phone and the online channels to keep in touch with my colleagues and stay up to date on the global trends and developments in our profession.
I began noticing a while back that barbers are increasingly using men’s hair colouring, both pastel and platinum tints and bold and striking colours. It’s one way we can give men a dash of colour during this ‘grey’ period. Colouring is also a great means for our clients to express their individuality. Autumn always heralds the kick-off of the new fashion season. So it’s the perfect time for a colour special. Therefore, this themed edition showcases the latest trends in men’s hair colouring and colouring products.
Hair colouring artists
We’ve got some incredible hair colouring artists within the barbering community. I’m proud that we’ve been able to give some of these artists the chance to be on stage at BarberSociety Live in previous years. One of them is award-winning Irish barber Paul Mac, who’s been called the David Bowie of barbering, and American barber Julius Cvesar. I’m always hugely impressed when I spot pictures of their hair creations on Instagram. So I’m delighted that we’ve interviewed them for this edition to find out more about their creative drive. Be sure to read their inspiring stories of their journeys in barbering. The key message: Stay true to yourself, create your own opportunities and persevere. I couldn’t agree more!
“Stay true to yourself, create your own opportunities and persevere”
Grooming in Indonesia
Hair artist Yudhekk from Jakarta has also racked up a massive number of followers thanks to his bold colourful hair artistry. I’ve been following him on Instagram for a while now, so I was thrilled to get the chance to meet him in person in Jakarta last year. It was nice of him to make a long journey through Java for our meeting. You’re sure to see and hear more about him as he takes the world by storm. We’re pleased to share a sampling of his fantastic creations in our colour trend pages. Also check out all the other hair colour creations we’ve received from barbers around the world. They’re super inspiring! So I’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to this edition. It’s amazing to see how barbers from the Netherlands to Australia and everywhere in between are working with colour.
Indonesia’s strong grooming culture is also highlighted in our ‘Barbers & the City’ section that places Jakarta in the spotlight. Last year, Oky and Fatsi, two pioneers in the field of barbering in Indonesia, took me on a tour of different barbershops in the country. It was a real privilege to visit some of the island’s amazing barbershops and meet such talented barbers!
Developments worldwide
This edition has an international flavour and provides a good picture of global developments in our fantastic industry. Be inspired by the moving stories of Spanish barber babe Eva Suárez, who shares her ambition to pursue lifetime learning, UK barber Anthony Komodikis on three generations of barbers, and Jim Shaw, owner of Toni&Guy Billericay, UK, on his trend predictions for the future.
Want to save a life too?
With Movember just around the corner, I would like to draw special attention to ‘The Lions Barber Collective’. It’s an excellent initiative from well-known British barber Tom Chapman. Many barbers have already joined this collective and as a result are genuinely saving lives. Like to find out more? Read more in BarberSociety magazine, take the free training course and become a ‘lion’.
In closing: Did you know that the type of emoji impacts the Facebook algorithm? Check out Chris Foster’s six hacks on this topic in his column.
I wish you a colourful autumn.
Marc van de Hare
BarberSociety Founder
PS You can read the Fall issue for free:
hair: Paul Mac (Ireland), photography: Ricky Mangala
