BARBERS & SUSPENDERS
THE REAL VINTAGE LOOK
Published on Wiseguy Suspenders
In the last few years barber shops have been experiencing a revival, becoming cool places where to hang out and get a trendy yet unique vintage look. A bit like tattoo shops, they are nowadays considered the kind of place where you enter looking like an ordinary dude and you come out as the sleek, coolest guy in town. It is not always been the case; in fact, in the old days barbers performed a wide variety of tasks that always included hair-cuts, but scissors and razors were also used to fix random injuries caused by accidental (or not) street fights, sewing up and putting back together flesh and skin that had been messed up and barber’s shops were also popular places where to remove rotten and painful teeth. The evergreen symbol of barbers hasn’t changed though. The barber’s pole has represented these scissors & razors artists for centuries, and, although less common than in the past, in many places around the world the cylindrical striped spinning pole is still the sign displayed outside barber’s shops. The colours are believed to refer to barbers’ traditional “bloody chores”, namely the red would stand for arterial blood, the blue for venous blood and the white for bandages, though this interpretation is sometimes considered a bit far-fetched. In any case, the three-coloured striped barber’s pole remains a symbol that reminds the neighbourhood that behind that glass door there is a hair & beard artist!
With the resurgence of vintage fashion, some hair cuts associated to adventures in the Wild Wild West or to elegant dandies populating ballrooms in the first half of the XX century are trendy again. So barber shops are regaining popularity, and their chairs are busy with men looking for classic cuts with a modern feel. Today, items such as hair pomade and combs (yes, combs!) are must-have accessories in all men’s pockets and suspenders are no exception, as this fashion item is also experiencing a renewed and well-deserved popularity. The perfect retro vintage look is indeed not complete without a nice pair of suspenders!
To celebrate the revival of the vintage look and pay tribute to original barber’s shops, Wise Guy Suspenders have teamed up with Schorem, an old school men-only barbershop located in Rotterdam specialised in classic cuts and created the Shorem Edition suspenders. The three-coloured stripes print recalls the design of the legendary barber’s pole which, combined with Crazy Horse leather and quality elastic fabric, result in the coolest vintage suspenders you could ever dream of! Whether worn old school with the button-ons or with the easy to clip-on, the Schorem Edition Wiseguy Suspenders are the right choice for the classy vintage look, best if paired with a flattop or a contour hairstyle!