The Fade That Moves

Hair stylist, artist and performer Jesse Gallant shows how men's grooming can be equal parts skill, self-expression and showmanship

- Words by Shannon Manuel

JESSE HAS A WAY of making barbering look effortless.

It could be the confidence, the rhythm or just years of knowing that good style starts long before the first snip. The Gqerberha barber and stylist has built a name that cuts across hair, fashion and culture. His videos, where he moves in sync with the beat mid-fade, have turned him into a social media favourite — but behind the views is a technician who takes his craft seriously. For Jesse, it's never just about the haircut; it's about the energy you leave with.

“I grew up in Port Elizabeth [now Gqerberha] from the hood ‘Gelvandale’ where everyone knew everyone. I started cutting my friends’ hair back in high school, just for fun. At first, it was a side hustle, but I realised it was more than that when I saw how a fresh cut could change how someone felt about themselves,” says Jesse. “That moment, when you see confidence light up in someone, that’s when I knew this was more than a job. It was my craft.”

His next first steps were humble, as he explains that he started at a salon called M-studio owned by Renee Piedt in 2017/2018. “He took me in and showed me more than I thought I knew, from the basics of respecting the craft to understanding the tools and the client. It was then that I started calling myself a hairstylist and no longer just a barber. I spent hours studying fades and lineups online, building my own rhythm and style. Then I started studying at Images1 Hair Academy, and that’s where they drilled discipline into me: clean tools, clean lines, clean mindset. Every head became a canvas to perfect my technique.”