Growing beards and grooming business

New Zealand’s first barber’s expo has honed in on the male-grooming market, highlighting a growing trend for Kiwi men’s facial hair.

BarberCraft, an inaugural expo for “all things barbering in New Zealand”, opened its doors last weekend for two days featuring demonstrations, stalls and a barbering competition running on Sunday.

Shed 10, Auckland, hopping with people for BarberCraft 2016. Photo: Amelia Petrovich

Gathering crowds for The Battle of the Barbers (The Classic category). Photo: Amelia Petrovich

Stallholders at the event held in Shed 10 in Auckland said that although the expo was in its infancy, the number of people who attended was encouraging.

Operations HR manager at Mojo Coffee, Michael Meharg, said initially he was unsure about the event but the company would definitely be involved next year.

“I’ve been surprised, pleasantly so, by the turnout,” Mr Meharg said.

Hamilton-based founder of Mad Arab Beard Oil, Mr Ayman Aneece, said initial stallholder nerves could have been due to first year jitters.

“A lot of people were nervous . . . but we’ll probably see an even bigger turnout next year,” said Mr Aneece.

Cole Weldon, Maloney’s Barbers (Auckland), and model. Photo: Amelia Petrovich

Luke Koia, My Father’s Barbers (Christchurch), and model. Photo: Amelia Petrovich

BarberCraft’s 2016 charity of choice, the Movember Foundation, also had a stall at the event to promote awareness for men’s health, and said the expo’s niche demographic was helpful.

Movember Foundation spokesperson, Carl Ewen, said that running health checks for things like blood pressure and BMI at events targeting Kiwi men creates involvement.

“If you can be in an environment that’s focusing on hair it works because there’s such a big trend . . . we’re getting a lot of guys that are really interested,” said Mr Ewen.

Sue Phelan, Maloney’s Barbers (Auckland), and model. Photo: Amelia Petrovich

Barbering demonstration from Tommy J, Uppercut Deluxe (Sydney). Photo: Amelia Petrovich

Mr Aneece said the expo created a unique opportunity to communicate with a lot of his clients all in one place.

“[I met] a couple of dudes from Christchurch and a lady from Invercargill so there are people getting around … It’s really great to see the community get together and just have a blast essentially,” said Mr Aneece.

Da Vinci-inspired hair art by Matt Brown, founder of My Father’s Barbers. Photo: Amelia Petrovich

The team from My Father’s Barbers put the finishing touches on Matt Brown’s Mona Lisa hair art. Photo: Amelia Petrovich

Male grooming is an area of interest growing in popularity, with barbers such as Tommy J of Sydney’s Uppercut Deluxe keen to see the industry focus on individuality to keep men interested in grooming.

“No single barber shop should be the same . . . we should have our own values and ways of doing things,” said Tommy J at the event.

“If we’re trying to build the industry we need to make sure every experience is different.”

Matt Brown discussing barbering and artistry. Photo: Amelia Petrovich

Ayman Aneece and the team from Mad Arab Beard Oil at their BarberCraft stall. Photo: Amelia Petrovich

For Mr Aneece, New Zealand’s fervour for barbering boils down to individual choice and competitive pricing.

“I like guys saying [they’ll grow a beard] and accept their face the way it is,” Mr Aneece said.

“It could be fashion, it could be culture, or it could be that a Schick Quattro blade costs f***ing six bucks!”