BARBERING BOOM

As the year draws to a close, this October – December issue is all about celebrating everything you’ve achieved in 2023. I hope the year has been kind to you, your colleagues and your business, and that any lessons learned will help you on your way in 2024.

Our cover stars Murdock Master Barbers, Joe Pomper, Miles Wood-Smith and Ben Vowles are the subject of The Interview in this issue. I joined the guys at the Covent Garden store for tea and a chat about why they love barbering and what sets each Murdock store apart, from the barbers to the clientele. It’s always a pleasure catching up with the team at Murdock, who managed to brighten up a typically drizzly day in London.

In this issue we’re also gearing up for Salon International, which celebrates its 50th birthday this year! The barbering presence at the exhibition is bigger than it’s ever been before, and that is all down to you – the barbers and the brands who continue to champion this industry and everything that makes it unique. Head to page 24 to find out who’s on the Modern Barber stage this year and which brands will be exhibiting.

We also spoke to the owners of Barber Blades, Dan Moore and Matt Brice, who over the last ten years have witnessed the rise of barbering and weathered the challenges along the way. With that in mind we’re continuing to champion new barbershops in our New Kids On The Block feature on page 10.

And who would have thought that at the start of this year our conversations would be dominated by AI and its impact (for better or worse) on the industry? Turn to page 37 to find out which software brands you should know now, and how barbers are using salon software and language tools to boost their business.

Finally, I want to give a shout out to all the barbers who have contributed their collections to our Portfolio pages this year, as well as those of you who have featured in our Collection of the Month on the Modern Barber website. At the start of this year, we spoke to Dean Gleeson about the benefits of creating collections, so it’s great to see so many of you celebrating your creativity and sharing that with the Modern Barber team as well as your peers – which is not always an easy thing to do! You are proof that this industry is full of incredibly talented barbers.

Sian Jones Editor