Barber Black Sheep

lt it is to acquire this from any barbers in a bespoke fashion. At Barber Black Sheep I do things differently with a self-help booking system, convenient-to-client hours and individual service, so you'll definitely notice the difference ! Bio on me: Interview

Why the name Barber Black Sheep?
“The name interprets who I am – I love humour and I’m very much a black sheep,” Gus says.

“Black sheep are born a rarity and are often the 'odd one out'. But being the black sheep also means you have a sense of adventure, fun and exploration that, I think, many people in our community can identify with.”

And so Barber Black Sheep is born.. A barber that’s open at night. A barber who knows his age-old craft well and wants to bring it into our current era. Crafting and building has been a common thread in Gus’ career to date - before barbering he was a hotel stylist in Hong Kong; a retail stylist; made props for Opera Australia; assisted a fashion designer; and worked in health care. This “hands-on” approach is evident in his confident cutting, but there’s also an openness in communicating with customers which comes from years of collaborating to turn ideas into reality.

“I have a knack for working, and building things, with my hands,” Gus explains.

“At the same time I’m great with aesthetics. I’ve noticed many barbers are 'all cut and no style' ... in other words, they’re great cutters but don’t understand aesthetics in order to give a client the right look.

“With barbering, I look at the style of the person when they walk in, how they speak, and what they do.

“I want to give them what they want, but I want them to understand what they’re getting too.

“So I talk them through the haircut as I’m doing it, so they understand what I’m doing.”

After thousands of haircuts and just as many satisfied customers, his method seems to be working.

“There’s no reason why you can’t take elements of traditional barbering - like classic cuts from the 1920's and 50s and cut-throat shaves - and mix it with new ideas like express barber facials and fusion classic cuts.”

And Sydney road Brunswick is a perfect fit for this black sheep, who was brought up in Sydney and has lived in Hong Kong, Byron Bay and Brisbane before relocating to Melbourne.

“Melbourne is the perfect place for this – people are open to something unique,” Gus thinks.

“In fact they are drawn to it.”