CUTTING EDGE

American Crew has announced its previous All Star Challenge winner Chris O’Riordan will be joining the American Crew Team Crew programme. 

Team Crew is the first step to becoming a member of the elite American Crew All Stars. Chris will be trained by the Global All-Star team, including American Crew creative director Paul Wilson and director of global education Phoenix Thomson and will be mentored in the UK by

All-Star members Ian Harrold, Nick Taylor, Izaak Brading and Ian Tucker. Chris and Team Crew will assist the UK & IE All-Star team delivering education across the UK at both the American Crew Academy as well as dedicated education in American Crew salons and barbershops.

Matt Horder, Revlon Professional UK & IE commercial director said:

“Chris’s devotion and commitment to American Crew over the past three years has been exceptional. As the 2018 and 2019 All Star Challenge winner for Ireland he has shown drive, incredible technique and enviable creativity.”

“When buying furniture and equipment, take the durability, reliability, performance and service back-up on board – not just the price. Downtime, lost service revenue and the cost of repairs or replacement can make less expensive chairs more expensive in the long run. It’s better to invest in the right equipment first time.”

Katie Wrighton, national sales manager, Takara Belmont (UK) Ltd.

Chris said: “I am so excited to get started with the team, having met so many of them over the past few years at different events. I can’t wait to train with them and eventually to educate alongside them.”

Wahl is launching Team Talk: Live with Wahl to support the barbering industry.

The initiative offers salons and shops a free one-hour personalised session with an industry expert from the Wahl UK Education & Artistic Team. Attendees can ask questions about the industry, hair cutting techniques, learn about products or seek advice on building a business.

It’s also a chance to motivate the team and reconnect with each other.

“The idea behind Team Talk is for me and the Wahl team to meet all the wonderful barbers and hairdressers during this difficult time. The goal is to share some knowledge, raise a smile and feel united together,” says Simon Shaw, Wahl global artistic director.

Go to wahl.co.uk for more information on how to get involved.

The Modern Barber Awards 2021 is open for entries until 5pm on Friday 23 April. The Modern Barber Awards celebrate success and give recognition to the talented individuals, teams and businesses that are defining the future of the barbering industry. The categories range from Best Team to Best Business Leader and there is a new category for 2021 – Community Hero. The awards are scheduled to take place on Sunday 4 July 2021 at Patterns, Brighton.

Modern Barber has also announced tickets are on sale for its first interactive event on Monday 5 July 2021 at Hilton Brighton Metropole Hotel. The event will feature two live stages, live competitions and the latest barbering launches.

Go to modernbarber.co.uk to submit your entries for the Modern Barber Awards 2021 and to book tickets for BarberFest.

The ‘Lets ‘Ave It’ professional styling range for men is being reintroduced in honour of its founder men’s stylist, Sam Wall, who passed away last year.

The profits from the range will be donated to the Lions Barber Collective, a charity which trains barbers in how to recognise the signs of mental ill health.

Sam’s products will be sold from Hidden Heights Studio.

The latest batch of products have also been donated by their supplier free of charge to help raise more vital funds for the charity.

Marie Harkness, owner and founder of Hidden Heights and her team Aimee McPherson and Hayley Crone said: “We hope this will enable Sam and the amazing work he did to be remembered in the most fitting way.”