MAN the magazine reports on the business of men's grooming for the professional barber or men's hairstylist, including popular hairstyles, products and men's grooming services.
Issue link: https://manthemag.epubxp.com/i/703974
16 I M A N I P R E M I E R E 2 0 1 6 MAN on tap TALKING POINT CLIPPER OR SHEARS: WHAT'S YOUR TOOL OF CHOICE? Growing consensus among industry leaders and educators is that today's stylists need to be skilled at both. Andrew Carruthers, director of education for Sam Villa, worries about how increased clipper use could overshadow a time-tested practice. "There was a time when 'shear over comb' was a basic skillset that all hairdressers and barbers were taught at the outset of their career," he says. "As the electric clipper became a more widely used tool, the technique lost focus in many curricula and has been entirely forgotten in some salons." Carruthers goes on to assert that, although the fi nished looks from cuts performed via clipper versus shear over comb might look similar from a distance, a close look reveals key differences. "Because of its speed and precision, a clipper will leave a more mechanically defi ned edge to the shape," he explains. "The slower rhythm to shear over comb creates a more lived-in, softer fi nish. So it adds value to the guest's experience when a hairdresser or barber has ownership over both approaches." If you're just out of school and have shear over comb mastered but are still working on your clipper skills, there's a new resource for you. Andis has released Clipper Cutting 101: A Beginner's Guide to Haircutting as the fi rst component of its Master Barber School. The 70-plus-page, full-color book covers everything from theory and best practices to techniques and tool maintenance. The company developed the book in response to what many in the industry feel is a gap in traditional stylist training. "In beauty school, students have limited exposure to proper clipper- cutting technique and men's haircutting best practices in general," says Aileen Nunez, the company's international manager of education and style. "Ironically, these same students often start their careers at chain salons cutting hair for male clients. [This book] provides them with the skills needed to master the art of men's grooming." To order a free copy of Clipper Cutting 101, visit master- barberschool.com. GOOD SPORT Sport Clips Haircuts founder and CEO Gordon Logan marked the opening of his company's 1,500th location—in his hometown of Sumter, South Carolina—with a $15,000 gift for the area's youth.The donation to Toys for Tots will provide Christmas presents for 3,000 children throughout the state's Sumter, Lee and Clarendon counties. In a presentation ceremony that included Sumter's mayor and other local dignitaries; Sport Clips leaders; and guests and friends, Logan refl ected on the 23-year journey that led him to this milestone. "This is a special celebration for me… It's a homecoming to the place where family and friends taught me about life and hard work, and planted the seeds of entrepreneurship," he said. "The fact that the brand my wife and I started in 1993 has a sports theme likely took root when I was the sports editor here for the Edmunds High School newspaper. The Air Force took me to Texas, but I will always think of Sumter as home." Toys for Tots is especially near to Logan's heart because of the organization's close ties with military involvement. Sport Clips is the "Offi cial Haircutter" of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), offers veterans preferential pricing on haircuts and franchises, and was named "2016 Best for Vets: Franchises" by Military Times. REACHING A MEANINGFUL MILESTONE TOP, LEFT: GETTY IMAGES; BOTTOM, RIGHT: COURTESY ANDIS PERHAPS NO MEN'S GROOMING CHOICE speaks louder than the beard, especially in the past year. "Beards have become more than just a fad," says Hugo Hernandez, master barber for The Art of Shaving. "They're a statement of individuality because no two people with beards, even with the same style, are going to look the same." However, he is quick to add, that doesn't mean that facial hair isn't subject to trends. "Mutton chops are a big style—to leave in the past," Hernandez quips. "The same for beards without a mustache, such as a chin-strap." Instead, fashion is calling for well-groomed, well-maintained medium-length beards in which most of the face and neck is covered, says the master barber, noting that the look is "handsome and easy to maintain with beard wash and conditioner." And to those who say that the beard trend is ebbing? Hernandez has a different point of view. "The beard is here to stay," he insists. "With beards becoming more acceptable in the workplace, we're bound to see more men tinker with styles to turn them into their own—with the help of their barbers, of course!" Fear NO Beard