What made you want to become a barber?

I was introduced to barbering at Yess Boxing where I trained. Superstition is very common in the culture of fighting, so before competitions, all the fighters would get their haircut as a part of a ritual to, “look good, feel good and fight good”. I started cutting hair for the fight team.

One evening, I scheduled a haircut with one of the fighters after training. Our training sessions would run late, and throughout that session, I kept thinking about how much I was looking forward to doing this haircut. It didn’t matter that it meant I wouldn’t be getting home until 1am. That was the day I decided that cutting hair brings me a tremendous amount of joy.

What has your Fellow Barber journey been?

I started working as a barber part-time with Fellow Barber. Soon after, I was offered a full-time position at our busy SoHo location. I built relationships with friends and clients, as well as my knowledge of barbering. I moved up to manage that shop for a year, then moved to our West Village location to continue as manager there. I am now the Regional Barber Manager in NY.

What's your favorite haircut to do?

I love the versatility of a classic pompadour-esque cut. Its symmetrical nature lends itself to various styling options. It can be dressed up or dressed down, parted or slicked back, as a pompadour or textured.

 I find executing a skin fade to be very therapeutic. It requires focus and dedicated time with mindful practice. You don’t get lucky with a skin fade. You nail it, or you fail it.