THE 10 MINUTE CHAT

Tariq Howes, BaBylissPRO Ambassador and owner of Avenue Male Grooming, Cardiff, chats to Modern Barber about his start in the industry and what keeps him motivated

WHAT LED YOU TO A JOB IN THE BARBERING INDUSTRY?

I got into barbering when I finished school at 16. I spent the first two or three months doing nothing until my Mum decided she’d had enough. She woke me up one morning and told me to hurry up and get a job. I went to the local job centre, and I saw a barbering apprenticeship at a salon on the job board. It stood out to me so I applied -Ididn’t think I would get the job, but my Auntie knew the guy who owned the salon, so she pretty much made sure I got the job. From that point I stuck with it because I’m scared of my Auntie!

WHAT INSPIRED YOU ALONG THE WAY AND SPARKED YOUR PASSION FOR BARBERING?

At first, I thought it looked easy - like most people think it is but, obviously, it’s very hard. As a barber you work very long hours, and you’re on your feet doing technically hard work, but I instantly fell in love with the trade and the creativity of it. Falling into barbering was the best kind of accident.

“I INSTANTLY FELL IN LOVE WITH THE TRADE...FALLING INTO BARBERING WAS THE BEST KIND OF ACCIDENT”

One day they booked me onto a L’Oréal cutting course at the salon and I really enjoyed it. I was only there because the salon made me go, I didn’t do women’s hair as part of my apprenticeship, but this course gave me a passion for the craft behind it and I felt like I could do that style of cutting more. I can’t remember the name of the guy who was teaching me but about a year later he won at the British Hairdressing Awards and I remember seeing him win. He’d been really kind to me and told me I had a natural talent and should think about going into women’s hair - which I never did but it drove me to push myself in other ways.

WERE YOU AWARE OF WHAT ELSE WAS GOING ON IN THE INDUSTRY AND THE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES THAT WERE OUT THERE AT THAT POINT?

The guys who I worked for in the salon had won world championships back in the seventies and eighties. They didn’t do live cutting events when I was there, and I had no idea what else was out there, so it wasn’t until the boom of Instagram, not even social media, Instagram specifically, that the barbering industry began to grow, and I started seeing what other people were doing from other parts of the world and across the country. You could see events like Salon International, which had been going for years. But as I was just in my little barbershop in Cardiff without Instagram I wouldn’t have known about it.

DO YOU USE SOCIAL MEDIA A LOT IN YOUR WORK?

For my salon it helps me find new clients and gives me a wider reach through different neighbouring towns and cities, and I’m able to connect with people across the country. I find that the more people you meet the bigger your reach, and the more opportunities you get.

HOW DID YOU GO FROM THE BARBERSHOP TO WORKING ON SESSION SHOOTS AND AT FASHION SHOWS?

I started going to shows and messaging people asking if they needed assistance. I just kept knocking at the door. I got in touch with Jody Taylor, who has since become my mentor and a good friend, he said I could assist on a GQ shoot and it went from there. That opportunity from Jody enabled me to see how the whole day worked and just blew me away. I knew from that first day that I wanted to do more of it.

HOW DID YOU LEARN TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD ON SHOOTS?

Shadowing Jody and seeing how he behaved on set was a great lesson. He taught me that once the hair has been styled I should always be concentrating, checking the hair isn’t moving in a certain direction for example and that I shouldn’t be scared to jump in and fix the model or artist’s hair.

HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR TIME?

That’s the hardest part for me. It excites me when I’ve got a photoshoot and I’m travelling to London or going abroad, but I genuinely miss my shop when I’m away for long periods of time. I love the environment and I love cutting hair, but on the other hand, when you travel you get to see different styles and fashion.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN SHARING WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT IN YOUR CAREER SO FAR?

Definitely, it’s just a case of waiting for the right time. I’m enjoying what I’m doing with my career, but when I’m ready I want to be able to dedicate the time to set up a course and do it properly. My vision is to create a programme that covers all aspects of hair such as session and editorial work, backstage work at fashion shows as well as TV and film. I’d love to be able to coach people in the industry and take it even further with business advice, career paths and how to navigate those.