The amazing images here speak volumes for themselves. They tell the tales of men coming into their own in terms of fashion, character, and personal lifestyles.
What is changing in the wide world of barbering and men’s grooming trends?
At the risk of revealing my age, I can still remember when we were kids and my father would bring us with him to the local barber shop downtown once a month or so. He would always sit my younger brother in the chair and tell the owner’s son (it was a family business, of course) to give him a ‘regular boy’s haircut’. My brother confided in me that he hated those words and that cut, but dared not to confront our father. I can still recall the scandal in our home when the Beatles made their television debut on the Ed Sullivan Show and how my parents ranted about their ‘long hair’. Today, decades later, times have changed considerably and the male of the species can walk into a barber shop or even a hair salon and get his ‘usual’ or opt to venture into the jungle of fades, quiffs, pomps, crops, mullets, and more.
There’s a whole lingo to learn. And we haven’t even touched upon colour yet! Because yes—more men are imbibing in colour services as well. Many want to cover grey or enhance it, but others are also dabbling in colour changes and highlighting and lowlighting to add interest. The latest rage is of course the ‘fade’, as sported by the Farouk System’s model on the page. This is where my quest started. Is it here to stay or will it go the way of the ‘man bun’? We asked our experts and most of them concurred. Everything will come, evolve, go, and come back. Heck! Even the mullet did! Because only the ‘regular boy’s haircut’ has become a thing of the past. The rest is here to stay!
“I see men’s hair gradually getting longer, more lived-in looks. Natural curls, waves or texture will be big. These looks may appear wash and wear, but they require some specific products to achieve.”
– Cherry Petenbrink
