This is a story of how three individuals are standing up for what they believe in; joining forces to create something truly exceptional.
Meet the pioneers of modern barbering, the founding collective of STMNT: Julius Arriola AKA Julius Cvesar, Sofie Pok AKA Staygold and Miguel Gutierrez AKA Nomad Barber.
“KNOWN AS JULIUS CVESAR IN THE BARBERING AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLDS, I'VE BEEN CUTTING HAIR SINCE MY EARLY TEENS. ORIGINALLY, I WAS A SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA NATIVE, HOWEVER I’VE SINCE FOUND MYSELF IN LOS ANGELES AFTER WANTING TO VENTURE OUT FROM BEING SOLELY BEHIND THE CHAIR. I'M AN EDUCATOR AS WELL AS AN INTERNATIONAL PLATFORM ARTIST; MY WORK HAS TAKEN ME ALL OVER THE WORLD, FROM JAPAN TO THE UK (AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN!).
I DIDN’T START CUTTING HAIR BECAUSE I WANTED TO, I DID BECAUSE I HAD TO! I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO COME FROM A LITTLE, AND I’VE USED MY PASSION FOR BARBERING TO FUEL THE JOURNEY ALONG THE WAY. MY DESIRE TO CONTINUOUSLY INNOVATE THIS INDUSTRY DOESN’T STOP, IT’S RELENTLESS; I’M HERE TO SHARE MY VISION WITH THE WORLD, AS I TRANSLATE MY LOVE FOR ART AND FASHION INTO BARBERING.”
- JULIUS CVESAR
“PEOPLE KNOW ME AS STAYGOLD, I'M A BARBER FROM L.A. AND I'VE BEEN PROFESSIONALLY WORKING MY CRAFT SINCE MY EARLY 20S. I BELIEVE WHAT YOU GET OUT OF LIFE IS WHAT YOU PUT IN, SO I STRIVE TO BETTER MYSELF EVERY DAY. I SHARE MY EXPERIENCES TO LEAVE OUR INDUSTRY IN A BETTER PLACE THAN WHEN I STARTED. MY DETERMINATION LED ME TO BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATOR; I CARE A LOT ABOUT TEACHING, SO INSPIRING OTHER STYLISTS AND BARBERS IS WHAT DRIVES ME! CUTTING HAIR IS ABOUT CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE. IT MEANS SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST PUTTING HAIR ON THE FLOOR. IT’S MORE OF AN EMOTION THAT WE PASS ALONG TO PEOPLE THAT WE’VE COME INTO CONTACT WITH. LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT, YOU SHAPE YOUR OWN FUTURE.”
- STAYGOLD
“ORIGINALLY FROM LIVERPOOL IN THE UK, PROFESSIONALLY I'M KNOWN AS NOMAD BARBER. I'VE BEEN BARBERING SINCE MY TEENAGE YEARS, BUT I DEFINITELY BECAME MORE PROMINENT IN THE INDUSTRY WHEN I DECIDED TO GO AROUND THE WORLD AND DOCUMENT THE BARBERING TRADE. I REALISED THAT THERE WASN'T MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT INTERNATIONAL BARBERING, ESPECIALLY NOT FROM COUNTRIES LIKE INDIA, NEPAL OR CHINA; I SAW A REAL OPPORTUNITY TO BLEND MY LOVE FOR TRAVEL AND PHOTOGRAPHY WITH MY PASSION FOR PEOPLE AND BARBERING. BEING ABLE TO VISIT SO MANY COUNTRIES AND MEET SO MANY BARBERS WAS AMAZING; I'VE LEARNT SO MUCH FROM MY JOURNEYS BOTH PERSONALLY AND IN MY PROFESSION. THE SYMBOLIC SIDE OF CUTTING HAIR IS FASCINATING; FROM A BABY’S FIRST ‘FULL MOON’ HAIR CUT IN CHINA, TO THE STATUS HAIR HAS FOR THE AFRICAN MASAI MAN. TRAVEL HAS BEEN A BIG INSPIRATION FOR ME, MY CRAFT AND MY BARBERSHOPS IN LONDON AND BERLIN.”
- NOMAD BARBER