London barber crowned Britain’s best wet shaver

Mayfair barber wins special "speed shaving" tournament inside a boxing ring

After months of blood, sweat, tears and eager anticipation, Britain’s best wet shaving barber has finally been crowned.

In the culmination of a gruelling competition spanning eight months, Parsa Rad, 26, of esteemed Mayfair male grooming salon The Refinery, beat off stiff competition from seven other barbers in the Britain’s Best Shave final to prove that he really is a cut above the rest, stunning judges with his impeccably honed barbering skills.

The event, which took place at long-awaited industry event Barber Connect 2014, at the Celtic Manor hotel in Wales on Sunday 25th May, saw swarms of people turn out to see Parsa take the title, accompanied by rapturous applause.

The competition, run by the British Barbers’ Association and premium male grooming brand The Bluebeards Revenge, entailed eight regional winners from across the UK facing off inside a boxing ring in four nail-biting quarter final heats, receiving scores for speed, technique, health and safety, and overall results.

Shakar Bakani, of Mojos barbershop in Rugby, joined Parsa in the ring for the grand final, but was pipped to the post by the London barber, whose perfect shave rendered industry judges Gary Machin, Gareth Clarke and Patrick Brien speechless.

The finalists had beaten North West regional title holder Phil Christodoulides and Welsh champion Barri Lazarou in the semis, with quarter-finalists Matt Cooke, Luigi Caterino, Chris Moon and Liza Schwarz narrowly missing out earlier in the day.

The win is the latest and greatest in a long line of achievements for Parsa, who after starting out as a much-needed apprentice for his own barber in his native Tehran,  later moved to the UK,  climbing the ranks to become Artistic Director at one of London’s most prestigious barber shops.

“I’m so flattered to have won such a highly-respected shaving competition for the first time”, said the talented barber, who walked away with a staggering £3k of Bluebeards Revenge grooming products, as well as a starring role in a shaving commercials for the brand. It’s an amazing achievement in my career, and I can’t wait to do it all again next year.”

This year’s Barber Connect saw an impressive turn out, with over 2,000 barbers in attendance and tickets completely selling out before the day arrived.

“Britain’s Best Shave has not only been a celebration of the most creative and innovative of British wet shave barbering, but also a showcase of the growing global reach and talent of the UK cut-throat shaving industry”, said David Hildrew, Managing Director of The Bluebeards Revenge. “Parsa is a deserving winner of the title and we hope he will be back next year to defend his crown,” he added.

Mike Taylor, director of the British Barbers’ Association, said: “We’ve seen some real talent in this year’s event, and it’s been a great celebration of today’s barbering talent. I consider this a real victory in our bid to facilitate the professional and commercial development of gifted young barbers, ultimately raising professional standards across the board.”

A short video package from the day can be viewed online at: http://youtu.be/Kw1NUqjcLRk

National Final Results

QUARTER FINALS
Shakar Bakani (Mojo Barbers in Rugby) beat Luigi Caterino (The Italian Job in Galashiels)
Barri Lazarou (Lazarou Birchgrove Salon) beat Matt Cooke (Legends Barbershop in Newbury)
Parsa Rad (The Refinery in Mayfair, London) beat Chris Moon (Kutz Barbers in North Shields) 
Phil Christodoulides (Burgundis in Salford) beat Liza Schwartz (Spencer's Hair Salon in Peterborough)

SEMI FINALS
Shakar Bakani  beat Barra Lazarou
Parsa Rad beat Phil Christodoulides

FINAL
Parsa Rad beat Shakar Bakani

#ENDS#

For more information on the competition, contact Mike Taylor on 02037011773 or michael.t@britishbarbers.com and Nick Gibbens on 01752 898191 or nick@bluebeards-revenge.co.uk.

About the British Barbers’ Association
The British Barbers’ Association is committed to raising professional standards, highlighting and celebrating talent and facilitating the professional and commercial development of barbers, male grooming salons and men’s hairdressers.

About The Bluebeards Revenge
The Bluebeards Revenge is a premium range of quality shaving and men's skincare products designed to combat tough stubble and tackle common shaving problems like razor burn and rash. The shaving products contain Decelerine™, a unique ingredient that has been designed to reduce beard growth. More information can be found at www.bluebeards-revenge.co.uk.

Nick Gibbens: 01752 898191 or nick@bluebeards-revenge.co.uk

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