ClubStar with Chris Foster
It was a day of men’s hairdressing for the ClubStar Art Team recently, as they headed to the HOB Academy in London for a day with male grooming expert, Chris Foster.
With the team having varying levels of experience in men’s hairdressing, Chris delivered a diverse workshop, combining classic cuts with more advanced ones to cater to everyone’s skill set. Armed with his full kit bag, Chris shared his fundamentals of barbering, demonstrating how to use clipper over comb correctly using a variation of different combs, and talked the team through how to use razor cutting to blend, removing the length and weight whilst texturizing.
It wasn’t just barbering that Chris wanted to talk to the team about – how to position yourself in the industry was also high on his agenda. Chris says,
It’s really important to serve a cause greater than yourself. Going through life thinking it’s all about money and your own personal success won’t keep you going on days when you feel fed-up. When I first started my career, I wanted to change the perception of men’s hairdressing; it took me a long time to realise that this wasn’t going to happen overnight, but dreaming big is the thing that has kept me going.
With Salon International looming, seasoned show-goer Chris gave the team a pep-talk and tips about their team performance, including what he has found helps him put on the perfect presentation.
My biggest tip for the team is to have impact! Do something different to what everyone else will be doing. People will see a lot of presentations at Salon International, so they need to stand out. Luckily, they all had fantastic ideas – I think they’ll smash it. They’re a great team.
The day finished with the legendary Akin Konizi popping in to say hello, giving the team the perfect photo opportunity, and team member Joe Stoker from Dare Hair Design even got a personalised haircut from Chris himself.
Team member Ellie Bond from Spargo Hairdressing said,
We loved our day with Chris! It was full of energy, education and invaluable advice and his career is an inspiration to us all. He gave us plenty of motivation and drive to put on a fantastic stage show at Salon International and tell the industry about our incredible journey with the Fellowship.