Walking around the Wan Chai branch of the Handsome Factory Barber Shop (other outlets are in Causeway Bay, Central and Tsim Sha Tsui) is like stepping into a 1950s barber shop, the space oozing a retro feel right down to the enamel mugs, black and white chequered tiles and bright red Smeg fridge filled with bottles of Coke.
What you wouldn’t have found in the 1950s, however, are female barbers such as Cherry Chung, Lily Zhai and Pinky Wallace, who all work at the uber-cool shop.
“When a customer sees that the name of his barber is Cherry or Pinky, then he’s going to know it’s a female,” says the Korean-Canadian co-founder of the Handsome Factory Barber Shop, Annie Lee.
Lee says sexism is an issue for female barbers in the United States. “Luckily it’s not a big deal here,” she says of Hong Kong, her adopted home.
“In North America I’ve heard comments like ‘Can you even cut’ or ‘I thought barber shops were for men’. It’s quite shocking seeing that these are contemporary barber shops aimed at the young, who employ women tattooed from head to toe, and [who] are super skilled at handling a razor.”
Chung, 24, who has cropped hair and “about 20 tattoos”, says she has not been subject to sexist comments while on the job. “I love working with male clients – it’s more relaxed and there’s less gossip,” she says.
Wallace, 33, and mother-of-two Zhai, 31, both say gender is no big deal, just as men styling women’s hair is no big deal.
To help understand the type of cut a client wants, the barbers refer to a menu of creative cuts. In unison Chung, Zhai and Wallace break out in song as if they’re members of a rapping barbershop trio. “High fade, low fade, keep it high, keep it below the ear, above the ear …”
They’re reciting types of cuts that are known in the industry and featured on the list. Others include crew cut and psychobilly quiff, a cut preferred by fans of a rock music subgenre that blends elements of rockabilly and punk rock.
“It’s all about being able to better communicate with your clients,” says Lee.
“This is a global issue, whether there is a common language. It’s hard for a client to get across what style they want so this menu helps explain the style they’re looking for.”
Wallace, who spent time as a barber in Britain, says she is constantly looking at people as potential clients.
“Whether I’m on the MTR or walking on a street, I love checking out peoples’ face shape – to me that has more appeal than, say, if the person is a celebrity,” she says. She is always looking for new styles to add to her Instagram account.
The Handsome Factory Barber Shop opened its doors in 2015, with the help of internationally recognised Jon Roth, founder of Crows Nest Barbershop in Toronto. The aim was to also create a local barbershop for the community – a place to enjoy a drink, chit chat and catch-up.
“We’ve received lots of love from local celebrities such as [DJ, singer and actor] Jan Lamb, [actor and singer] Shawn Yue, [actor and film producer] Philip Keung, [hip hop group] LMF, [boxer] Rex Tso, [film] directors, actors, singers, professional athletes, and just recently even [tycoon] Li Ka-shing’s son,” says Lee.
Getting a trim on the day we spoke to the team was Hong Kong stuntman Ken Law Ho-ming (aka Superken), who regularly gets his hair cut by Chung.
“Having a female barber is no big deal – Cherry’s great, she gets it done in half an hour – I like that express treatment,” he says.
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