WHAT’S TRENDING NOW IN THE WORLD OF BARBERS AND BARBERSHOPS!
2018 is a year of great change in the professional beauty industry. While brick and mortar retail stores are closing, ecommerce is flourishing. With the evolution of commissioned salons and spas and the growth of independent professionals, there is one business that is making a very significant comeback – barbershops! So what trends are catapulting this once-stagnant segment of the pro industry to one of the fastest-growing and trendy businesses? Let’s take a look…
- Designer beards. Short shapely beards (think Ryan Gosling) that lined the runways in the 1980s are making a comeback and men want it! While they realize the complexities (ouch!) of trying to get this look themselves, professionals do it with ease and precision. This look is forecast to continue well into 2019.
- Men like being indulged too! After working all week, men want a high-quality shave, haircut, or maybe even a facial or manicure, just as much as women do. Present-day barbers are taking a page from their predecessors’ book and focusing on luxury and quality services. The days of ten-minute haircuts are fading. Now, barbers treat their clients to a brandy, beer, or wine, or perhaps a hot towel and facial after a meticulous cut and shave. This generation of men is celebrating their looks, and they want to relax and bask in the barbershop experience.
- Products. There is now a huge demand for male grooming products because men want to look good and need grooming products to maintain today’s styles. Grooming products are bringing consumers into Barbershops searching for expert advice on the best products to use. This is especially true with longer hairstyles.
- The ritual. Men now make it their monthly (or even weekly) habit to visit their barber. They know the Barbershop is a place they can go to unwind, and come out feeling refreshed in as little as 30 minutes, or indulge in a day of pampering if they need complete rejuvenation.
- Special occasions. Some men consider it a male bonding experience and go in groups. Grooms are taking to the barbershop with their pack before their wedding to have fun and look perfect for their special day.
- Cachet. They’re not just selling haircuts anymore. The new luxury barbershop is a destination. These high-end shops have lounges, pool tables, TVs, and drinks. They are places you want to go to see and be seen, especially on social media. It’s a cool, local gathering spot that is replacing a traditional sports bar.
When looking at all of these trends, it is clear why Forbes has reported that the barber revival will bring in an estimated $20 billion by 2020. As long as there continues to be a revival in men’s grooming, barbershops and barbers will continue to thrive!
Today’s career market also sees a huge demand for talented barbers and many have become social media stars in their own right! Schools are focusing more and more on men’s grooming and styling, and younger men and women are turning their passion to barbering.
“Today’s barbershop is selling masculinity”, said Kristin Barber, author of the book Styling Masculinity: Gender, Class, and Inequality in the Men’s Grooming Industry. Barber says, “Men today are being marketed masculinity in ways never seen before.” Today’s barbershops are helping to redefine any misconstrued notions of what it is to be a man. In 2018, looking after yourself and your appearance is on-trend, and barbershops indulge this with offering a heightened experience that keep men coming back.