A local third-generation barber recently placed first in the young blood category at the King and Queen of the Chair Barber Battle competition.
“When you love what you do, you do it without thinking that it is work,” said Shuaib Biscombe, a grade 11 learner from Lückhoff High School. Biscombe recently placed first in the young blood category at the King and Queen of the Chair Barber Battle competition. PHOTO: Kara Olivier
This is according to Shuaib Biscombe, a grade 11 learner from Lückhoff High School who took part in the inaugural event on 17 July in Lotus River, Cape Town.
Cut-throat competition
The competition was held at Buck Road Primary School and consisted of four categories – pattern, classic, street style and young blood, according to Zaid Thebus, owner of Boyz 2 Menz Hair Studio, who hosted the event.
The young blood category is open to barbers with less than three years of experience, explained Thebus.
Some participants came from as far as Algeria to compete in the competition, according to Biscombe. “Normally, I’m not really nervous, but the competition, music and the people standing around me taking pictures did make me a little bit nervous,” said Biscombe.
Competitors were asked to do a “businessman haircut” for the competition, said Biscombe. This involved cutting a “bless fade and a beard trim, which needs to be neat and precise”, he explained.
“[Being a barber] is a craft,” according to Faizel Biscombe, barber and owner of Arts Barber Shop. PHOTO: Kara Olivier
The best in the business
“When I am in front of the barber’s chair, I am in my comfort zone.”
During the competition, Biscombe represented his family business, Arts Barber Shop in Idas Valley. Growing up in the barbershop meant that he developed a passion for cutting hair at a young age, according to Biscombe.
“When I am in front of the barber’s chair, I am in my comfort zone,” stated Biscombe.
“For the first five minutes [of the competition], your hands are shaky and then you start getting comfortable,” said Shuaib Biscombe, who recently placed first in the young blood category at the King and Queen of the Chair Barber Battle. Having “the right tools” and talking to your model makes cutting hair during barber competitions easier, according to Biscombe. PHOTOS: Kara Olivier
He started thinking about entering the barbering industry in 2020 when a friend asked him for a haircut, Biscombe explained.
“I started giving him two free haircuts a month and then the third one he paid for. So I became a businessman and an artist.”
Arts Barber Shop was named after Fuaad “Archie” Biscombe, who started the business in 1963, according to Shuaib Biscombe, Fuaad’s grandson. Since the shop was opened, three generations of Biscombe barbers have practiced their profession there. PHOTO: Kara Olivier
A family affair
“His grandfather always said that Shuaib had a barber’s temperament,” said Faizel Biscombe, Biscombe’s father.
Faizel has been cutting hair at Arts Barber Shop since 1987, he said. Before that, Biscombe’s grandfather Fuaad Biscombe ran the business for nearly 24 years.
“A good haircut and great company mean I will always come back,” said JW Snyman, a final-year BSc Agriculture student at Stellenbosch University. Snyman has been cutting his hair at Arts Barber Shop since his first year of studies. Loyalty is very important in the barbering industry, said Faizel Biscombe, owner and barber at Arts Barber Shop. PHOTOS: Kara Olivier
Being a successful barber is about more than just cutting hair, said Faizel. “You must also be able to connect with people.”
“I learnt from my dad, just like my son is learning from me,” said Faizel. “Other barbers can’t believe that [Biscombe] has only been cutting hair professionally for less than a year.”
“People clean out their houses and when they have nowhere to put their pictures or things, they end up here,” said Faizel Biscombe, owner and barber at Arts Barber Shop. “It’s the history of our Stellenbosch.” PHOTOS: Kara Olivier
Biscombe plans to study business management at Boland College in Stellenbosch after completing matric.
“While I study, I still want to cut hair whenever I have time,” said Biscombe. “When I have a business background, I can take over the family business.”
“When I was young, I started cutting my grandfather or my grandmother or my uncle’s hair,” said Shuaib Biscombe, a grade 11 learner from Lückhoff High School. Video: Supplied/Maryam Biscombe