As clients demand an increasingly wide spectrum of haircuts and styles, it has never been more important to have a full skill set, embracing all hair lengths and textures. A great all-round barber will be able to turn their hand to anything a client desires and it’s this kind of dexterity that we’re looking for in the Modern Barber All Round Barber category, sponsored by BaByliss PRO.
There’s still time to enter this potentially career-changing category, with entries for The Modern Barber Awards open until Friday 16 February 2024.
Last year’s winner, Josh Lamonaca, said: “I never shy away from any hair type – it doesn’t matter if it’s Afro hair, long hair, short hair, fades, curly hair – and that really represents me. So, I’m really delighted to take this home.”
Meanwhile, Eleni Tsesmatzoglou, who won All Round Barber in 2022, knew about the Modern Barber Awards but recalls about not being confident enough to enter until speaking to her mentor, Nick Barford, in his shop, Nūdo. “Nick told me that I was going to enter and that I could do this. I wanted to stick to my personal style, so I tried to keep it clean because the focus was showing what I’m about and what I can do. It was important for me to show different categories and types of hair,” she says.
And to those who are thinking about entering the Modern Barber Awards this year, Eleni addsL “I would say do it. Be prepared before you do your collection, think about what you want to do and what you would like to showcase. Read the instructions and see what they are actually asking of you before you start doing anything. And be yourself. Try not to be anyone else because it never works.”
Entries should exhibit a variety of technical excellence and skills. We’re asking you to share four different styles to represent your breadth of skill. These images can be shot by you or someone else, and can be taken on a camera or phone – they just need to be a high resolution.
TOP TIP
- Make sure the images you supply are sharp and high res so that they really do your work justice. Imagine them being displayed on a huge billboard with your name on them – they need to represent what you are all about as a barber and make you proud, as well as impress the judges.