CHECKMATE

IN 2021, NIEVES ALMARAZ, WAHL PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR, BOOKSY AMBASSADOR, AND FOUNDER OF HOW TO FADE HAIR BARBER SCHOOL, GAINED THE BRAGGING RIGHTS TO SAY HE WAS THE FIRST BARBER TO WIN A NAHA AWARD, IN THE MEN’S HAIRSTYLIST CATEGORY. NOW, NIEVES IS BACK TO SHOW HIS WIN WASN’T A FLUKE, HAVING FINALIZED IN TWO CATEGORIES – NAHA’S RECENTLY ADDED BARBERING CATEGORY AND THE HAIRCUTTING CATEGORY.

A big congratulations to Nieves for his double nomination for NAHA this year! I asked him how he felt when he had finalized again, in not one, but two categories. The Wahl Professional Educator said: “Thinking back to the first time I became a finalist back in 2020, I felt so honored just that my work was chosen to finalize. Then when I won in 2021, I had learned a lot from the year before and felt a lot more prepared and confident going in. I remember the feeling of not wanting to get my hopes up or getting too excited. Now, going into this year, I am not even really thinking about the competition because I am so proud of my collection. I feel I have really stepped outside of the box and taken my creativity to the next level.”

I asked Nieves why he felt pulled to enter his collection in the Hair Cutting category as well as the barbering category. He said: “I believe that this industry is changing so much, and NAHA being at the pinnacle of the industry, it is where that change becomes most visible. Last year when they added the Barber of the Year category, that showed that the industry really is evolving, and the world of barbering and hairdressing are becoming more and more intertwined.

“I was looking at the Haircutting category from last year, and I felt like the category was dominated by hair stylists. I thought, if hairstylists can enter the barber category, why shouldn’t I enter the cutting category? Especially when fades and clipper cuts are becoming more and more prevalent in the salon world. So I thought it would be important to have it represented as a cutting technique.”

As a dual-licensed professional, Nieves is passionate about bridging the gap between the salon and barbering worlds. He said: “Because

I started with my cosmetology license, and then moved into the barbering sphere, all my work has always been influenced by both sides. I just don’t see that void or that line between the industries, especially not anymore. I hope that both stylists and barbers see my collection and equally feel inspired.”

The inspiration for this collection came to Nieves in a dream – literally! It was when he was on tour educating for Wahl Professional, that it came to him. He explained: “Checkerboard hair designs are something that I actually used to do a lot of back in the early 2000s. But I stopped doing them for a while, just in the way that trends pass. Then one day last year, I was traveling, teaching a class for Wahl, and I woke up from a dream in the middle of the night, grabbed a napkin, and drew this design. From then on, I had it in my head that I was going to turn this into a collection.

“After some time passed, my neighbor, who is a really talented photographer, came to me and said, let’s work on a shoot together. And he started sending me images of inspiration, and one of the models was wearing sunglasses with a checkerboard pattern. And this idea came flooding back to me. He loved the idea too, so we got started!”

Nieves really wanted to push the limits with his entry this year, not just in creativity with the hair, but with the image concept as well: "I really liked the idea of the model interacting with themselves, so it almost looks like identical twins in each picture. Not only do I think it makes the image more dynamic, but it also allowed us to show more than one perspective of the haircut. This added to the challenge a little bit because it meant that we needed to ensure that the cut looked perfect from every single angle.”

Nieves’ collection includes several different models, with different hair types and textures. Nieves took a slight variation on each cut, specifically with the styling of the top of the hair. I asked him how he created these looks. He said: “It was important to me to work with different textures because I wanted the collection to represent diversity, and also show the different ways this cut could be adapted for different models. For some, approaching all these different hair types, with a fairly complicated design, might be quite daunting. But with my Wahl Professional tools, I was fully confident cutting any style and any texture. The tools that saw me through the cuts were my Cordless Legend®, my Cordless Detailer® Li for the precision lines, and then my Vanish® Shaver.”

Wahl Professional helped make Nieves’ collection possible in more ways than one. Aside from providing Nieves with the best tools to create his incredibly detailed masterpieces, Nieves explained that his position as a Wahl Professional Educator has helped him prepare for and enter competitions like this with more confidence. He said: “As a Wahl Professional Educator, I have had the opportunity to work on campaigns and photoshoots before, so I got to be exposed to photoshoot environments and how they work. The more you practice something, the more comfortable and confident you become when you do it. When I started cutting the first model, I had those butterflies in my stomach. But the more I got into the flow of things, thanks to my experience of cutting hair and educating on stage, my vision started coming to life.”

Nieves mentioned before that the idea for this collection came to him one night while on tour educating. I asked whether he believes his role as a Wahl Professional Educator helps keep him inspired and constantly thinking about his next creation. He said: “Yeah, absolutely. I believe if you don’t continue to challenge yourself and put yourself out there, staying relevant in the industry, you will get to a point where things will get very quiet for you. Being a Wahl Professional Educator encourages me to constantly be learning, so that I can keep up with the latest trends and tools and help share that information. Working with professionals that are still early in their journey and hungry to learn, is so inspiring and motivating for me, and that’s what keeps me current and ahead of the curve.”

It’s clear that things are changing and evolving in this industry. I asked Nieves what kind of takeaway message he wants to give to barbers. He said: “As the two ends of the industry continue to merge, use this as a sign to challenge yourself. The barbering industry is elevating, and NAHA is giving us the opportunity to put our work next to the best stylists on the continent, so if you’re considering entering, do it! Whether you bring in models and hire a professional photographer, or you come up with something more DIY and creative in your shop, you will learn as you go!”

Nieves’ advice for stylists? “I hope this inspires more stylists to try their hand at clipper work, take some barbering classes, or even invest in becoming dual licensed. It’s a way you can become more valuable as a professional and be prepared for whatever trends hit the mainstream.”