Steve Barkla in Sydney

Steve Barkla in Sydney

PORTRAIT SESSION

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Victoria native Steve Barkla in Sydney a few weeks ago at the new Oscar Hunt Tailors post in the CBD. We of course discussed all things fashion and tailoring amongst finding your place in world. 

Ink.

High.

Find Your Magic

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LYNX

JULES TOGNINI IN SURRY HILLS

Nothing is more attractive than you being you. That’s why male grooming brand LYNX has partnered with fashion designer Felix Chan (formerly Vanishing Elephant) to create the Find Your Magic collection. The limited edition men’s accessories are inspired by its new Daily Fragrance range and three individuals who stand out for doing things differently. I’m excited to introduce these creatives with LYNX in a new series of profiles where we’ll get to chat with chef Nathan Sasi, tattoo artist Giorgia Mae and hairdresser Jules Tognini about their Find Your Magic Collection and find out what their magic is. First up…

Jules Tognini is one of Australia’s styling icons – having been Australian Male Hairdresser of the Year in 2013, 2014 and 2015. The definition of adventurous, Tognini started his career popping up hair salons throughout Costa Rica to raise travelling money as he explored South America. His love for hairdressing stems from the fact that it’s a job that makes people smile and feel good about themselves and that you get paid to have fun and be creative.

Jules Tognini, Australian Men's Hairdresser of the Year for the past three years worked with fashion designer Felix Chan to design three men's accessories for the Find Your Magic Collection. Jules' passion for men's hair styling and grooming is an extension of his love of fashion, believing that hair can be a fashion accessory in itself.

WHAT DOES YOUR DAY TO DAY LOOK LIKE?

Everyday is a little bit different. We have two hair salons in Brisbane and I’m working there about three days a week, I’ve become more of a guest now. We have an education company called ‘Lil off the top’ where we provide tailored education for salons and their teams, so that has me out on the road a lot.

HOW DID YOUR CAREER IN HAIR GET STARTED?

I kind of fell into it. My dad is a hairdresser, a really good one at that and I never really had to pay for a haircut in my life. I’ve never known what a shit haircut looked like because my dad would always make me look good. So about 10 years ago, I went on a bit of a travel adventure and when I looked into the rearview mirror of the hire car after a few months, I realised my hair was shit. It was the first time in my life that my hair was not on point. So I went to look for a hairdresser in Costa Rica and the translation was a bit of a laugh so I got a pair of scissors and cut my own hair. It looked better. My mates let me cut their hair as well and when we went out to the beach bars at night people would ask us about our hair and they would point to me and said I cut their hair. So I started cutting hair for beer money. I didn’t really know what I was doing but people were trusting me. Every time somebody would ask me, I would say ‘yeah, cost you a beer’, so the more hair I cut, the more beer I drank and the more creative I got. I left that trip and returned home broke but I had this really cool experience with cutting hair. I saw that it didn’t mean you had to put yourself in a box and you could literally cut hair anywhere. So to learn a bit more, I went to my dad’s salon and asked for a job; thankfully I got it. If anybody would have said ten years ago that I would become a hairdresser, I would have laughed at them. But here I am now.

WHY DO YOU THINK LYNX APPROACHED YOU TO CREATE YOUR OWN ‘FIND YOUR MAGIC’ COLLECTION? 

I think every guy has their own little creative ingredient and they do their own thing. I think LYNX saw what I was doing with hair and thought I could bring some of that magic to this collection.

WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR MAGIC?

I love people, I love people smiling and finding out what makes them tick. I think being a hairdresser you hear people’s stories and you learn that everyone has one to tell. So I think that side of my personality, having a good time and chatting would be one of them. Ripped jeans is another. Do you like my jeans? I’ve had them for years, they’ve had many repairs to the crotch. I don’t like to throw things out, I’m not a hoarder but when you have a really great piece and you wait long enough, it’ll come back into fashion. These are the first pair of jeans I ever got when I started hairdressing, I get them fixed maybe once a week now. I think it’s one of those things, when you’re getting paid $200 a week as an apprentice at 23, living with your parents, you can buy one really good pair of jeans and that’s it. I wore them every day for the first three years, they’re a pair of Nudies. So yeah, I guess stories would be my magic, telling them through fashion or while I’m giving a hair cut.

Jules wears the blue bandana, blunt tie and tie-dye socks from his Find Your Magic Collection, available exclusively at The MITT Mrkt. All proceeds from the collection will be made to LYNX’s charity partner, I-Manifest.

Simple grey tee.

Sandles.

Japan.

Tagged.

OLD FASHIONED WEEK, THAT’S A WRAP

Before I wrap up the amazing week that was Maker’s Mark Old Fashioned week, I asked a couple guys outside the shows where they draw their Old Fashioned style inspiration from. Hope you enjoy.

Maker's Mark Old Fashioned Week

IN COLLABORATION WITH MAKER'S MARK

OLD FASHIONED WEEK STREET STYLE

It’s the final day of Maker’s Mark Old Fashioned week and I really hope you enjoyed the street style I’ve been capturing at the shows, inspired by the Old Fashioned way of doing things. The final gallery pays tribute to the classic rebel, the man who does things his own way, without a care in the world.