When I sit down to reflect on the evolution of our industry, I see progress and growth, but I have some reservations. After working in the hair industry for 16 years, I experienced at least a major economic decline without feeling stuck (but also without feeling exceptionally rich), I switched to a men’s hairdresser, although not considered well by the industry as a whole (I had been barber for 8 years), and I saw shaving rise from the ashes when men attach importance to their appearance again.
Step
When I see how shaving comes to the fore, I find it interesting to look back on some of the steps that brought him there.
I imagine that a marketing company coined the term Metrovenereal in the mid-90s to sell the idea of the modern man taking care of himself, although I definitely remember the term that became popular when it was used in South Park in the early 2000s.
The Mad Men TV show glorified and venerealized the idea of the well-dressed and well-groomed gentleman of the 60s, in such a sharp contrast with the T-Shirt and skinny jeans worn by Urbanite that we had transformed.
To this is added the Hipsterization of the mustache by the Movember movement, followed by the reintroduction of the beard, the canonization of the “Lumbervenereal”.
Against this background, forward-looking people around the world began to open hairdressing salons, taking up the idea of a robust and masculine man, based on the memory of our grandfathers who shaved carefully every morning and entered a new modern era. In this movement, there was a fascination for the unprotected razor blade, the Pompadour, the Slickback, the side part, the Collegiate Cut and so many other classic styles.
Include a host of smart retailers and hairdressers that offer water-based ointments and fat-based ointments specifically designed for men, which have become stratospheric sales in the male beauty industry.
Let’s not forget that the beauty industry quickly discovered that the men’s market had been underserved for years and began targeting products for men, buying small emerging pomade companies and developing them into global brands and hiring trendy hairdressers to market these products to other hairdressers.
Black and Hispanic culture have incorporated their Flair into the mix of never having left the hair salons, often the cornerstone of the neighborhoods. These stores have introduced fuzzy transitions, sharp alignments, high transitions, blowouts, conical transitions, twisted sponges and much more into the mix.
Add to this the interest in Hip-Hop, R and B, the beginning of sneaker culture and the introduction of the Hypebeast.
Take all the information and add a mixture of hairdressing practices such as blow-drying and product application, and you have a modern bubbling.
Introduce Instagram and the first visually savvy users who started taking photos of their haircuts and overflowing the eyes and minds of the world with their “new” and visionary ideas for hair. Instagram followers become aware of this and build these “influencers” into the status of niche celebrities.
Introduce YouTube, another digital visual medium, and the reduction of Wi-Fi and data packets for your phone, as well as the broadcast of video tutorials. Once again, the first users of a media bring shaving and its culture to the eyes of many.
Mix that with the media and the Marketing Dollars that are circulating in these spaces, and you have the beginning of a new era of hairdressing that is reaching new heights.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
What is happening now and where do we go from here?
If you look at the forecasts for the industry in the United States, which is currently estimated at about billion, analysts say that the growth of the industry is expected to exceed billion by 2020 in the United States alone. This does not include the global market at all, where hair salons are launched all over the world, just click on Instagram to see what everyone is adding to the industry, from the Japanese to the Portuguese, from the Russians to the Brazilians.
In the United States, dabbling is one of the fastest growing professions, as the hopes of hairdressers are pouring into schools at a frantic pace.
In some ways, I worry about the quality of the hairstyle, but I trust the Craftsmanship. I always remember that there are hair salons and hairdressers that target different population groups with different styles, across class and race. Almost everyone wants to look good at some point, and I have seen that quality has taken a big leap forward when people exchange tips and tricks on different media and in different areas of the industry.
I am also angry at the upper limit of hairdressing around the world. When will we reach the maximum growth of the industry before we start seeing failures in the industry based solely on their inability to attract a suitable clientele. Is something like this going to happen?
There is an insurance in the hairdressing world, people will always have the hair that needs to be cut. Even in the depths of the get-down, there will always be gentlemen who want to look good to get the jobs they need.
As long as hairdressers continue to train in different styles and push themselves to be the best hairdressers they can be, the industry will continue to prosper. The moment when we stop adapting and looking back is the moment when the hairdressing industry stops.
As for trends, look at the most active and popular hairdressers on Instagram and YouTube, they are the tastemakers, they are the hairdressers with the audience that circulates in your store and asks for a cut that you have seen on a men’s fashion channel, or a Google search, or on top of your favorite musician or athlete.
The bubbling will include in greater numbers hair coloring (including hair root and hair fiber services), facial treatments from hairdressers and in-depth care services that will make customer service even more complete for customers who walk through the door and will effectively increase the price of tickets with each Service.
Technology will continue to make it easier for hairdressers to book and pay and help people understand how to keep a fresh look. This will continue to make male care desirable.
There will be a global mix of flavors and taste makers, Of influence from all corners of the earth, with the most unique Looks distilled into something tasty for the masses.
In conclusion
Needless to say, shaving remains here, it is growing and the practitioners are becoming more qualified and educated with each passing year. It’s an exciting time to be a hairdresser, and a lot of time and resources are dedicated to moving the industry forward. Pay attention to how you take care of your customers and you will see how your business and financial situation develops.
