Trims and Trades – Aldo’s Barbershop Masterclass at North Star 240°

Students from North Star 240° were given an exciting, hands-on look into the world of all things barbering last month, with the Best Barbershop in Bristol, award-winning Aldo!

Aldo’s life story and journey into barbering is a truly inspiring one, entering the barbering world later in life, and single-handedly setting up a (multiple) award-winning barbershop in central Bristol. Students were shown not only the tools of the trade, but also had a real-life demonstration – with one lucky student volunteering themselves to be given an incredible fresh fade and trim in the classroom!

A broad, interesting range of tools and specialist items used by Aldo were shown to the students, so they could visually see what’s needed and what works best in the trade. In a heavily customer-facing business such as barbering, Aldo shared with students the crucial skills needed in his job – having the ability to care about and talk with customers and remaining calm under pressure. This really got students brain’s ticking, saying “it made me think about what job I could do when I’m older”.

A costing exercise put students’ maths skills to the test in a fun, informal, creative way, after being told the cost of an average trim. Impressively, they were able to quickly do the adding and multiplying involved in working out how much can be made in just one successful day at the barber shop. This really showed the importance of developing numerical skills – a key transferable skill across many businesses. The potential income of being an excellent barber was a real eye opener for the students (and the adults!) in the room, and you could see the cogs (and pound signs!) whirring in the room, with a student commenting – ‘you can earn a lot of money!’ – they weren’t wrong! But the importance of enjoying the trade, and needing to really focus your efforts to succeed, was reinforced.

Branding was another key area in which the students learnt more about. Amongst hundreds of competing businesses in Bristol you need to stand out and have your own identity to succeed. Aldo demonstrated how he developed his brand identity and the specific things he does to maintain it. Students were impressed with the sleek design of Aldo’s salon and the cool, classy colour scheme, and the little details in every item he uses – down to the nifty design of the water spray bottles!

What a fun, engaging and informative session – with a huge thank you to barber extraordinaire, Aldo, and the students at North Star 240° (including our willing volunteer offering their head of hair for the demonstration!)!