Modern Barber Competition, one of the most coveted events in the Indian barbering industry, is making a thundering comeback! If you’re a barber with a flair for the craft, unmatched skill and vision, gear up to display the skills you hone and strive for the recognition you deserve. See you at Modern Barber Delhi on June 30 and July 1 at Pragati Maidan.
As awareness and creativity increase, barbers are finally getting the recognition they deserve, and it’s about time. The Modern Barber Competition by Professional Beauty India (PBI) is not just another competition, it’s a cultural reset. It’s truly a celebration of artistry, precision, and grit.
At a time when men’s grooming is experiencing a global boom, this initiative is giving Indian barbers a national platform to showcase their skill, creativity, and professionalism.
Modern Barber Competition is where that talent meets opportunity. Held at India’s largest beauty and hair event, Professional Beauty India, this competition saw over 100 barbers step into the spotlight during its first edition in Mumbai. Now, the competition is back in Delhi.
Competition Categories: A Playground for Creative Precision
This year’s categories offer every stylist a chance to showcase their signature touch:
- Beard Cut & Styling – Short: Sculpted, crisp, and no longer than 2 inches.
- Beard Cut & Styling – Long: For those who know how to tame and shape the wild.
- Fade Cut: Starting from 0.5 mm on the sides to at least 1 inch on top—clean blends only.
- Hair Tattoo: Not just a cut, but a design etched into hair—a true test of skill.
- Men’s Styling: Full creative looks showcasing the stylist’s understanding of shape, symmetry, and finish.
- Trendy Haircuts (No Clippers): Just scissors and vision—pure craft, no machines.
Judged by experts, scored with integrity
The competition featured two sets of jury panels: on-floor and final. The Modern Barber Competition isn’t about just creating the perfect look. It’s about the journey of how you get there. Precision, innovation, hygiene, and personality all come into play. Each scoring on defined parameters to ensure fairness and consistency.
On-floor Jury:
- Health & Safety (with negative marks for any nicks or hygiene lapses)
- Technique (Classic, Contemporary, Avant-Garde)
- Texture Usage
- Finishing
- Final Look
Final Jury:
- Styling
- Design
- Finishing
- Overall Presentation
Meet the jury
For this edition, some of the most eminent personalities of the hair styling industry will be judging the contestants on the criteria given above. The jury panel consists of:
- Seema Jerajani, Founder, SVJ Academy
- Naseem Salmani, Celebrity Barber
- Anchal Singh, Creative Director, Tony&Guy
- Deepak Jalhan, Creative Stylist & Educator, Looks Prive
- JJ Savani, International Session Stylist and Educator
- Priscilla Corner, Creative Director and Trainer, June Tomkyns Salons & Academy
- Uday Takke, Creative Director, U Takke’s Institute of Hair & Skin
- Varun Attri, Founder, Varun Attri Salons
- Jason, Creative Artist and Founder, Jason’s Beach Studio
- Wazid Ali, Chairman and Director, CLO & FLO Salon
- Jay Pawar, Creative Director and Trainer, Pan India, Looks Salon
- Ashok Paliwal, Director, Prabhat Spa Salon & Institute and President, Hair & Beauty Federation, India
- Javed Sheikh, Celebrity Hair Stylist
- Bony Shashidharan, Artistic Ambassador, L’Oréal Professionnel
From the leadership desk
“The Modern Barber Competition is a new initiative from the PBI team, which was borne out by demand from key clients of ours, Hairotic and Gamma+, who wanted to put together a competition for a community which has often been looked down upon, the barbering community in India.
So last year we decided to focus on launching the challenge, giving barbers a dedicated platform of their own to showcase their skills and potential at India’s largest beauty and hair event, Professional Beauty Mumbai.
With the support of many of our industry friends, including the passionate Uday Takke, we were able to launch the Modern Barber Competition to great success, and the launch event was overwhelming, to say the least. To see over 100 participants have the courage to compete, and many more roar them on, was incredible, and the joy in all of this was being able to showcase that hidden talent, uncovering diamonds who got to shine at the Modern Barber Competition. We look forward to unearthing many more in future editions,” says Vikas Vij, MD, Professional Beauty India
A collaborative push from industry leaders
As Gamma+ is the Hairtools Partner for Modern Barber, Carmelo Francese, Director of Vitality Hair India (Gamma+ Distributor), expresses his thoughts. He adds, “Modern Barber is a fantastic initiative by PBI, reflecting the global rise in men’s grooming and the growing focus on barbering. As a global leader in professional barbering tools, Gamma+ is committed to supporting and advancing this movement in India. That’s why we’ve partnered as the official Tool Sponsor for PBI events, aligning with their vision and contributing to the growth of the industry.”
More than a contest, it’s a movement
What makes the Modern Barber Challenge truly stand out is its vision to give visibility, voice, and validation to Indian barbers. In a market where grooming is becoming a serious business, initiatives like these are not just relevant, they are revolutionary.
As future editions roll out, one thing is certain: the Modern Barber has arrived to carve a new identity for Indian men’s grooming, one fade, one beard, one bold style at a time.
Register for Modern Barber:
Professional Beauty India, Delhi, is just around the corner. And, this season marks the return of the most-coveted Modern Barber Competition.
https://professionalbeauty.in/register_paid/Delhi/barber?source=website
Professional Beauty India
Professional Beauty India, Delhi will take place on June 30 and July 1 at Pragati Maidan, Hall – 2G, 3G & 4G, Delhi.
Register for PBI: https://professionalbeauty.in/register/delhi?source=Instagramorganic