There has been a lot in the news recently about the COVID haircut. Barbers nationwide saw all shades of wild and wonderful on their customers return to the barber chair. The 3 months forced haircut sabbatical meant a lot of men saw the extra hair growth as an opportunity to perhaps change hairstyle. But what haircut to choose is the quandary!
So to make sense out of the massive spectrum of cuts, we talked to James Gallagher of Gallagher Galway about what his clients are looking for and how to give it to them.
How long have you been a barber James?
I’ve been in the industry for over 35 years! I started in the industry when I was 17, straight from school. I am also in a band (Johnny Gallagher & the Boxtie Band ) and so my barbering career has taken some breaks while we toured with the band in Europe and at home. But I always came back to barbering - it’s very much part of who I am from the artistic side to the social aspect. I couldn’t imagine it any other way.
What is the biggest difference between barbering now towards when you started out?
A few things come to mind immediately. But the most obvious is the trend to learn to become a barber in 3 and 6-month courses. I’ve even seen an intensive 10-week course. So what you are seeing is a lot of 21-year-old ‘master barbers’. I am not saying these lads can’t cut hair, because that’s not true - I have seen some fine, technical haircuts for sure. However, what is happening is that the skill of cutting is being fast-tracked to only a few styles. When I started out, it took years of being an apprentice to understand how to cut hair - to really understand weight distribution, head shape, face shape, and bone structure, as well as styles and shapes – basically how to tailor the style to the client.
What is the most commonly requested cut or style right now?
That's a good question and if you asked me this in March some variation of the fade would have definitely been the answer. The fade has definitely maintained its popularity and we pride ourselves on being at the frontline of technical fade cutting. I honestly think you cannot beat it if you are looking for a sharp look. The lockdown, however, gave a lot of my customers the opportunity to grow their hair longer than they've had in years. With that comes a lot of choices, and I am seeing some of my customers embrace a more textured look. Still short, where the hair is faded on the sides but with thickness and texture left on the top. Side partings are also seeing a real resurgence. Changing to a side parting is a great way to change your look and can give hair added volume. I predict this Great Gatsby look will continue to become popular as we come into the autumn/winter season. There are so many ways these can be incorporated into men’s hairstyles, whether they have short or long hair. A quiff, fade or comb-over style also looks really great paired with a side parting, adding more drama to the look and giving it an overall more edgy finish.
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Some of the new Covid19 measures at Gallagher Galway: masks mandatory and the new Padjo! Padjo! buzzing system.
How has Covid-19 affected your business and what are the biggest changes you can see since you returned from lockdown?
Firstly we are delighted to be back. I really did miss the shop and meeting the lads. The biggest change is in how we receive our customers. We are now operating a Combined Appointment & Walk-in System.
Better Efficiency:
The appointments have actually improved the efficiency of the shop. And if you still want to come to the shop for a walk-in we have a new Pager system called Padjo! Padjo will allow you to go for a coffee or a beer nearby and we will buzz you when your seat is free. Incidentally, I would say the combination of appointment system and walk-ins has vastly reduced waiting times - which has to be a good thing.
Next week we will talk to James about common hair problems men experience and how to fix them with the right cut.
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Barber James Gallagher.
Contact
Gallagher Galway is located on 61 lower Dominick Street Galway.
Opening hours 10am-6pm.
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Email: [email protected]
