Top of the crops Kyle Ross moves cities to handle pent-up demand for styling
AN ELITE barber is relocating to Edinburgh to meet the capital’s pent-up demand for men’s grooming as the festive party season kicks off.
Multi award-winning Kyle Ross is settling in the city – moving from his home town of Aberdeen – to cope with an influx of bookings at new salon, Sovereign Grooming.
He invested £250,000 to open the venue earlier this year, but has taken the decision to relocate as post-lockdown demand for styling is now skyrocketing at the New Waverley unit, where he is taking bookings.
Kyle, 32, who has been crowned both Scotland and Britain’s best barber, said: “I’m moving lock, stock and barrel to Edinburgh and will be based here for at least a year.”
The Aberdonian is making the move to Newhaven on the North side of Edinburgh to deal with the rising demand in capital haircuts.
He added: “I was already working in Edinburgh a couple of days a week, but things are going mental, so it was pretty clear that I need to be here full-time.
“The Edinburgh salon opened at a tough time for the entire hairdressing sector. Offices were closed and people were working from home and growing out their hair because there was nowhere for them to go.
“But that’s completely changed now. Loads of men are back at work, so are looking for a much more office-friendly look. On top of that December is always crazy because it is full on party season. We typically see our customers coming in twice a month, rather than just once.
“While we’re going to be rushed off our feet, it is brilliant to see things finally getting back to some sort of normality and the entire team is buzzing.”
Sovereign Grooming in Edinburgh employs six barbers and Kyle expects the team to be providing around 70 haircuts, beard trims and other services every day during the festive period.
The acclaimed barber, who has been garlanded with a string of industry awards, set up Sovereign Grooming in Aberdeen’s Union Street in 2016. It was an immediate hit with its luxury hair and beard services, along with a blend of male-focused products and services.
He and co-director Ryan Crighton went on to raise a six-figure funding package from investors, led by MB Martin & Partners, which specialises in helping promising start-ups to grow. That injection helped fund the opening of the 1200 sq. ft Edinburgh salon, with a third outlet due to open in Glasgow early in 2022.
Kyle’s ambition is to open Sovereign Grooming salons in towns and cities across the UK, tapping into the generational changes that have seen men’s grooming balloon into a massive industry.
He added: “Men are spending time and money taking care of their appearance like never before. We are absolutely focused on helping our clients to look and feel their absolute best.
“It’s much more than a one size fits all. Although guys have endless role models on Instagram and TV, it’s about taking inspiration from that and making a style work for them. It’s also about creating something that they can easily style in front of their bathroom mirror.
“There are endless styles to choose from and we actually see a lot of guys so spoilt for choice that they struggle to make up their mind what look to go for. They come in and want our advice to help choose the right style for them.
“We love when that happens, because we can then really work with a client. What we are all about is tailoring a style to the individual and their lifestyle, so it’s easy for them to recreate what we did in the chair.
“But it goes even beyond that. We have guys asking us advice on everything from what clothes they should wear to how they can take care of their skin and every part of grooming. We try to give men advice on all things grooming to make them feel like the best version of themselves.”
Kyle was named Best Barber UK at the International Barber Awards in 2017, a year which also saw him named Scottish Men’s Stylist of the Year. In 2018, he was named Best Barber at the Scottish Hair and Beauty Awards and in 2019 was shortlisted for GQ Magazine’s Barber of the Year title, one of only a handful of stylists outside London to have been shortlisted.
Visit the Sovereign Grooming website – https://sovereign-grooming.com/locations/edinburgh – to book an appointment with Kyle or his team.
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