WE SPEAK TO HAYDEN CASSIDY ABOUT HER NEW CAREER-DEFINING ROLE WITH DIOR AND FINDING SOLACE IN BARBERING...
YOU’VE RECENTLY BEEN ANNOUNCED AS GROOMING EXPERT AT DIOR – CONGRATULATIONS! WHAT HAS THAT EXPERIENCE BEEN LIKE FOR YOU?
Thank you – it’s been amazing. They approached me in January 2023 and asked if I would be interested in this new campaign for the Sauvage grooming range. They smartly identified that men look to their barber for their grooming tips and advice - so came up with this concept to have barbers being the experts and ambassadors for their new range. As soon as I got an email saying it was Dior, I was like “what the hell is this?”. I didn’t even think it was for me. When I first moved to London, everyone was calling themselves a men’s hairstylist because they were trying to get away from the word barbering, so for a luxury brand to recognise barbering and put barbers on a pedestal is incredible for the industry because it’s going to give a little bit of that respect that I think that we deserve. The opportunity to be one of the first barbers to be affiliated with a brand like that has been incredible.
DO YOU THINK THE INDUSTRY IS EVOLVING?
I’ve been in the barbering industry about 10 years and it’s evolved and changed so much. There was a period when I first initially got into the industry that the ‘boom’ started. We always refer to it as kind of the golden age of barbering. Everyone wanted to be a barber. Everyone wanted a barber as a mate. It was a cool career to go into, but I think because of that glamourisation of it people forgot that it’s actually a lot of hard work. I think social media has made it all about likes and viral videos - we’re losing part of what is the core of barbering. And that is very much the connection between you and a client. It’s more about the service than it is about the hype. I started as a junior barber. I started scrubbing tiles with a toothbrush. I did my junior apprenticeship. I worked hard. I stayed late. And I think people think there’s this quick, easy route to getting overnight success. We have to be honest with people and say, there’s a backbone and a foundation to this, and when we put that time in a lot of opportunities are there to be taken. People love to tell stories of how they just started barbering and then jumped on stage and got a million followers. It’s not really about that. Barbering is about the advice we can give our clients and how we can make our clients feel, the confidence we give them and that’s the most important part of our job.
DO YOU THINK THIS ‘SOCIAL MEDIA HYPE’ WILL FADE?
A hundred percent. A trend used to last six months - now a trend last six hours. We’re working in this fast-paced environment when comes to social media and marketing. If your real passion is for the clients and your training then that’s something that can never be lost. It will give you the security to have a really long-lasting successful career and that is going to go a lot further than any likes on social media. It’s an important part of the industry but I don’t think we should neglect the other aspects.
WHAT IS IT THAT YOU LOVE ABOUT BARBERING AND THE BARBERING COMMUNITY?
It didn’t take me long to fall in love with barbering. I think it has always been one of my biggest loves. When I started in the industry I’d come back from America after my soccer career ended because of an injury. I felt so lost because my whole idea of what I was gonna be and what I was gonna do for my future was gone, but I found a real solace and passion in barbering. It was like something clicked. I felt a warmth from the first barbershop I worked in – it was the atmosphere and the community. Part of what we do is very selfless. We’re giving someone the care and the love that they might not get anywhere else. When I get a client in my chair, they might have gone days working and not giving themselves any time for themselves. I’m the person that’s able to make them feel good and there’s something very special about that. What really inspires me in this industry is that every day is different, and every day is a learning day. There are so many opportunities and avenues we can go down, you can create your own opportunities, and you can create the excitement from that.
HAVE THERE BEEN ANY CHALLENGES OR EXPERIENCES THAT HAVE GOT YOU TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
When a challenge comes, I’m quite competitive. So, I’m like, “right, how can I get over this? How can I find a solution to this obstacle?” I remember the first time I was on stage and my hands were shaking so much. There was a massive screen behind me and all you could see was this shakiness. I remember getting off that stage, and there was one person who turned around and said, “Great haircut, but pity about the shakes,” and I walked away from that feeling so devastated but then I just decided not to let that person win. I’m going to be confident enough to speak and do a haircut and thankfully I’ve been able to overcome that. Any challenge that came my way was used as fuel to prove myself. Very early on I decided I am probably a minority in this industry but let me usethatandletmeuseitasawaythatIcanpush myself and also use it to my advantage. I’ve listened to people’s stories about how they’ve been treated in the workplace. I’m disgusted that it still goes on, but I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve always worked with people who’ve been my champion. When people tell me stories about the environments that they’ve been mistreated in, I tell them “You’re in control of where you put yourself. Leave. Don’t take it. Go and find somewhere else. There’s plenty of barbershops that need people. Find somewhere that will suit you.”
WHAT’S EXCITING YOU ABOUT THE FUTURE OF BARBERING?
This industry and barbering in general is so limitless, there’s so many opportunities out there. As long as we continue to respect ourselves and know our worth it’s going to be a beautiful future for barbering. Ultimately, we need to believe in ourselves because times have changed and times will continue to change, and as long as we’re true to what we do and the passion and hard work is there, it’s going to be an amazing future
