That's Still On His Shelf
Spring 2025. I had been going to the same barber in Toronto's Koreatown for some time. He did amazing work. Between cuts he talked about two things: how hard it was to find barbers who would stick around, and how much he loved football.
He had built something real. Skills he should have been proud of. But the brand wasn't keeping up with the work.
I saw an opportunity.
The Vision
With FIFA coming to Toronto in 2026, I believed a strong brand could do more than build a following. It could bring in clients and attract the talent he was struggling to keep.
By finding creative ways to showcase his work, clients wouldn't just get a haircut. They'd get an art piece worth sharing. Something people would post online. Free advertising that money can't buy.
I wanted to show my value first. No upfront cost. Just results.
And beyond the barbershop — I believed that by growing his online presence he could build toward his next dream. More time. More freedom. More of the football content he actually wanted to make.
The Reel. The Work. The Ending.
Football players are known for their haircuts as much as their goals. The concept: football players going for goals and missing. His face in the corner. After every miss: "Ohhh... Nice Fade though." Reels reach further than any photo post. A well-timed, personality-driven reel can go viral overnight.
The typography portraits, the word map, the social media posts were all created as examples of what his Instagram could look like. A haircut turned into an art piece. Something worth sharing.
I printed the proposal. Brought it in. He barely reacted. The booklet is still on his shelf. On a prominent shelf. In the front of the store. Right where everyone can see it. Some people aren't ready. That's not a failure of the work. It's just the work waiting for the right moment.
