Rockbilly Barber

- Germaine Cheah

After being inspired by the rockabilly movement – and the pompadour and slicked-back greaser hairstyles that came with it – back in October 2013, Faiz Ismail soon realised that while ‘quick fix’ salons are aplenty, there weren’t as many proper gentlemen barbershops in Singapore, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

Faiz’s solo pursuits didn’t come without its doubters though, especially so when a supposed mentor commented “what makes you think you can fly solo?” after the former voiced out his ambitions of starting his own barbershop. But it was never in Faiz’s nature to quit – four years since his foray into the industry, the 25-year-old is now the founder of a successful grooming business backed up by his all-men team of professionally-trained barbers. And he’s only getting started.

Was barbering something you wanted to do since young?

Actually, no. I was studying Chemical Engineering back in Singapore Polytechnic, but it was during that time that I fell in love with everything rock & roll. I loved wearing leather jackets and began sporting a shorter hairstyle too. I’ve always been fascinated with Alex Turner, the lead singer of Arctic Monkeys, and it was during my tertiary days when he changed his look from long to short hair – aka the ‘rockabilly’ moment – so that was when I started to mould my own look after him. He’s a big inspiration.

How did your family react upon hearing your decision to pursue barbering as a full-time career?