Barber boom cuts into modern culture
CHRIS MCKEEN/STUFF WHENJulian Maloney was shampooeing women’s hair in Remuera as a teenager, he never expected being a barber would become the ‘‘blossoming, recognised, respected’’ career path people talk about today.
But after 30 years in the hair industry, the owner of Auckland’s popular Maloney’s Barber Shop has seen barbering’s popularity ramp up like never before.
Record numbers of people have picked up razors and clippers to learn how to shape and tame hair and beards to perfection.
‘‘A decade ago there were 10 barbershops in the Auckland CBD, now there are 30. There are extra people in town, but there’s not many.’’
For Maloney, it has all been driven by people wanting to both go to, and become, barbers.
Maloney started with a women’s hairdressing apprenticeship in 1987, at a time when hairdressers made fun of barbers as older guys who did one style of haircut.
As a teenager who rode a scooter and wore Doc Martins, he quickly discovered shampooing hair was not really for him, and when he went to the UK he first worked in a traditional barbershop.
Barbering had peaked during the 1930s to 1950s, before The Beatles came along and barbers refused to cut the newly popular long hair. As a result, men’s hairdressing became popular and men stopped going to barber shops.
By the time Maloney came back to New Zealand in 1994, he did not see himself as either a hairdresser or a ‘‘crusty, old’’ barber.
A new generation of barbers formed and Maloney opened his shop in 2003. Men who had previously paid about $70 at a hairdresser could now get a haircut for $25, and business boomed: the store has since expanded from one floor to three.
At the same time, people saw it as being relatively easy to start and a cool thing to do, and barbering also presented a great opportunity for new immigrants, particularly from countries where traditional barbering was strong.
The influence of ‘‘urban barbering’’ out of the US, associated with hip-hop music and fashion, had also contributed to the boom.
Hairdressers he spoke to were losing their male clients, Maloney said.
‘‘There is an image that goes with barbering now that’s really appealing. If you want to get tattooed on your neck and have metal in your face and maybe listen to your music and maybe express your own individuality, at a barber shop you can do it.
‘‘As long as you can work hard you can, but that’s completely driven by, and has to be driven by, the customer and people wanting to go to barbers.’’
Statistics New Zealand data showed hairdressing and beauty service businesses have grown alongside the number of people employed in the industry.
The average men’s dry haircut was priced at $28 at the moment, up from about $20 10 years ago, while a wet haircut was about $40.
Women’s wet haircuts, meanwhile, had an average price of $68, up from $50 ten years ago.
The Government-funded Hair and Beauty Industry Training Organisation (HITO), which developed qualifications for the industry, has seen growing interest in barber training – especially since 2013 and among Maori and Pacific Islanders.
HITO marketing manager Marama Cole, said more men went to barbers because they weren’t afraid to worry about their looks.
The country’s tourism boom had also had an impact on demand, Cole said, because people travelling here were from countries where going to a barber for a cut or shave was normal.
‘‘It’s just a way of life, a regular thing that everybody does. We have certainly had a lot more interest than ever before.’’
‘ If you want to get tattooed on your neck and have metal in your face, at a barber shop you can do it.’ JULIAN MALONEY