With a 100-year-old legacy, the inventor of the clipper machine, Wahl India recently onboarded Chayan Saikia as the Lead Educator & Artistic Team Member. In a conversation with Vidhi Arya from Professional Beauty India, Chayan Saikia elaborates on his role and how the collaboration aims to elevate the barbering industry in India.
Delve into the significance of education in the barbering industry, the challenges faced in India’s hairdressing sector, and the transformative collaboration between Chayan Saikia and Wahl India to elevate standards and respect for barbers and hairdressers.
Can you shed light on your role at Wahl India?
We, at Wahl, don’t just believe in selling our products, we also believe in sharing our culture. We believe in promoting the education that makes a good barber or a hairdresser. So, what we do is that we offer education programs and through those education programs we emphasise how our products can be used to achieve a superior level of styling and barbering.
Through comprehensive education programs, we empower barbers and hairdressers with advanced techniques and trends to enhance their craft. As the Lead Educator of the Wahl Idia, my responsibility is to transfer knowledge to my team and also to all the participants who wish to come and learn and upgrade their skill level in terms of barbering and hairdressing.
Speaking of education, what do you perceive as the primary shortcomings in India’s hairdressing education system? How can we tackle it?
The first thing is that our hairdressing industry is mostly scattered and unorganised. Thanks to Skill India in recent years and to the efforts of the B&WSSC, this sector is being converted into a very organised field right now. But still, there is a lot of work to be done.
Another problem is that most of our hairdressers or barbers, come from a very humble educational background. So, that does create a problem. Further, I see a lack of quality education in our sector. The level of work that we see when we go out of India is not the same as what we are doing in India right now. We need to work on effectively communicating the latest trends, education, and instructions to the working professionals.
How do you envision addressing these challenges through collaboration?
I believe barbers do not get the same respect as hairdressers. When we use the words ‘barber’ or ‘naai’, it is looked down upon. However, even our government is now taking the initiative to upgrade their working and living standards.
Through this collaboration, what I aim to bring to the table is an elevation and upgrade in the working standards and the craft or skills of the barbers and hairdressers. The ultimate aim is that they should earn respect the same way that hairdressers do.
At Wahl, we are committed to providing barbers and hairdressers access to and knowledge of new trends. We aim to impart expertise in new working methods and greater standards of barbering. All of which will put them on par with global standards and help them earn more money and respect.
What initiatives does Wahl have in store for the future?
We’re excited to announce our upcoming Future Maker Collection for 2024. This haircut collection, tailored for both barbers and hairdressers, showcases cutting-edge techniques and styles.
An exclusive barber who is doing male hair or a hairdresser who is doing both male and female hair would benefit greatly from this collection. With this, our primary focus is to equip the students or participants with the knowledge that they can use in their day-to-day work. And, also help them understand how our tools can assist them in their journey.
Any message for the new-age barbers?
I see many barbers and hairdressers limit themselves. As barbers and hairdressers, we are not just businessmen or entrepreneurs, we are also artists. And as artists, we are supposed to create new art forms, new trends, and new methods. Whoever is reading this, please do not limit yourself to just an earning figure. At the end of the day your art is going to earn you respect in this industry.