A fusion of professional competition and community service will take center stage this Sunday, November 3, from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., as some of Pasadena’s top barbers gather for the city’s first-ever ‘Battle of the Barbers’ competition at The Perfect Gentleman Men’s Salon, 713 E. Green Street in the Pasadena Playhouse District.
The event, organized by a coalition including Paula Boyd of A Taste of Culture (promoting health and wellness through arts, culture, and education), Joe Brumfield of Borner’s Barber College, Dwight Ferguson of Nu Wave Barbershop, and Skughofey Earl of the Skughofey Foundation, represents a unique intersection of professional development and community outreach.
Rose Beverly Hills Magazine will capture the competition for an upcoming reality show, featuring both student and professional divisions demonstrating their skills before an expert panel of judges. The event will include professional demonstrations, photo opportunities, giveaways, free lunch, and entertainment by featured guests Joseph Rivers and Rogee Rogers.
“Pasadena is a hidden gem in LA County in terms of barbering talent, in terms of music talent, in terms of sports talent,” says Joe Brumfield, owner of Borner’s Barber College. “Some of these barbers are just some of the best barbers around, but just don’t have platforms to show it.”
Beyond the competition itself, the event carries a deeper purpose: addressing youth mental health through grooming services. “When you look good, you feel good. And that is so true for the mental health and wellness of our young people,” says Paula Boyd.
The event organizers are working to establish an ongoing program that would provide free monthly haircuts to local students.
“Our goal is that funding provided, we’re working on the funding to do this, that at any point, any young man, any student can into a barbershop and participate in shop and get a haircut so that at least once a month,” Boyd explains. “And that says that Why? Because we love you. The community loves you.”
Local barber Skughofey Earl has already been implementing this vision. “I’ve been doing haircuts for kids and for homeless people for many years,” he says. “I’m always looking out, always like to look out for the community and help others that can’t afford to get a haircut.”
The event also aims to promote barbering as a viable career path for young people. “I encourage the younger youth to become barbers,” says Dwight Ferguson, owner of Nu Wave Barbershop. “It’s a good trade to have. You can make money and be able to take care of yourself if other things don’t work out for you in life.”
In the student division, judges will evaluate “their ability to kind of complete the process. If they’re doing the fade, the gradation, the style, the look a little bit around the timing,” explains Brumfield. Professional competitors will be judged on similar criteria with additional emphasis on creativity and precision.
Multiple institutions are reportedly participating, including Borner’s Barber College and Paul Mitchell School. An awards ceremony is planned at El Cholo Restaurant, providing networking opportunities with business owners and community leaders.
The initiative has revealed the strong bonds within Pasadena’s barbering community. As Boyd observes, “Yesterday I heard Vice President Kamala Harris, she made a comment that you have your family by blood and your family by love. And I think that’s one thing when we went to the various barbershops and spoke with the barbers, that there is truly a family by love in the barbering community.”
