Hayden Cassidy, the Dublin-born men’s hairstylist, can’t believe her luck. Ten years ago, she was working at a bar in Ireland — now, I find her just off a photo shoot having cut, styled and shaved a model every which way as Dior’s new men’s grooming expert in the UK. ‘It’s all been a bit of a roller coaster,’ she says, hair slicked back under a leather flat cap, worn backwards.
‘I didn’t go to school and think, I want to get into barbering, but what attracted me was the idea of being able to have scissors and a comb and go anywhere in the world. It’s like a language that is spoken everywhere.’ It might not be everyone’s first thought when it comes to being a barber — but Cassidy was bang on. Now, she spends her time flocking between Japan, Brazil and the United States delivering seminars and workshops to industry insiders. She also lived in Berlin for three years — ‘Sisyphos is the best club; everyone always says Berghain but not for me,’ she quips — before moving back to London ‘to pursue a career and grow up’. Now, she hosts one-to-one appointments in her London Fields shop: £55 for a haircut, £65 including beard.
Her clientele, both young and old, well-known musicians and actors she will not name, mean she is a step ahead when it comes to burgeoning trends. ‘The buzzcut is really here to stay,’ she says. ‘It’s quite liberating and we’ve seen so many different variations of it: tight fades, one all over. But there is also a textured kind of choppiness rising right now — we’ve seen Paul Mescal rock it.’ Meanwhile in Japan, ‘they’re really into that kind of spiky, Nineties grunge short cut which I love.’
Bushy, Liam Gallagher brows are back, Cassidy thinks, and as for facial hair, she cheerfully rings the death knell on the hipster beard. ‘A few years ago everybody wanted a big, long, groomed beard — now you walk around Hackney and beards are definitely shorter with rough edges, not too clean.’
Bravery among men trying something new is on the up and Cassidy can’t recommend it enough. ‘We’re at a beautiful time now where men are bold and they’re not afraid to try new things. I think people aren’t afraid to step over those boundaries. Nine times out of 10 you’re going to have a lot of fun with it and it’s going to allow you to explore this whole different side of things. ‘The biggest thing I’ve noticed is people don’t give the skin enough hydration, and that goes for face and for hair as well scalp. You have to think about the changing of the seasons and environmental factors; if you live in a city, the amount of pollution that’s going around is huge. The Sauvage Mencare range offers a few steps to really improving your general day-to-day look, fatigue and eyes.’
On set, using Dior’s Sauvage The Cleanser, The Toner and The Serum, she proved as much. ‘We did so many different looks today — it shows you can change your look completely with your facial hair, from the rugged to that baby face-fresh look.’ She thinks Johnny Depp, famously the face of Dior’s Sauvage, ‘is great. [He has] that kind of earthy quality, but that ruggedness as well is beautiful,’ but has not cut his hair — yet. And what are her three golden rules when it comes to any man set on improving his appearance? ‘The best tip I can offer: take care of your skin, your scalp and get a good scent.’
Shop:
DIOR Sauvage Shaving Gel, £49 (dior.com)
DIOR Sauvage After-shave Balm, £49 (dior.com)
DIOR Sauvage The Toner, £50 (dior.com)
DIOR Sauvage The Serum, £70 (dior.com)
DIOR Sauvage The Cleanser, £43 (dior.com)
MODEL: GASPARD AT SUPA MODEL MANAGEMENT. PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: FEDERICO COVARELL.
THIS PAGE WAS SUPPORTED BY DIOR
PHOTOGRAPHS BY IRINA SHESTAKOVA GROOMING BY HAYDEN CASSIDY
