Get to know the current hj men’s barber of the year - kilian maddison

HJ Men spoke to Kilian Maddison, current HJ Men’s Barber of the Year, sponsored by Andis, about the inspiration behind his winning look, why he entered and his words of wisdom to those thinking of entering the competition this year. Click here to enter this year's competition. What made you enter HJ Men’s Barber of the Year competition at this year’s Salon International 2017? I’ve always wanted to enter a competition but I never had the confidence. After training and a push in the right direction from my boss Danny [Robinson], I finally decided to do it. The reason I chose the HJ Men Barber of the Year is because when I first started training to be a barber my uncle took me to Salon International. It was the first hair show I’d ever been to and I loved every minute of it. The main thing I remember from the show is watching all of the competitions and setting goals to get be in one myself. What was the inspiration for your look? [pictured below] My favourite haircuts are from the 1920-1950s, one in particular is the famous jelly role from Grease. I am a huge fan of the teddy boy style. I also had a lot of image inspiration from James Dean and also Johnny Depp in the movie Cry Baby. What were the main challenges for you when creating this look? The main challenge was re-creating the look in the 35-minute period. I did three trial runs prior to the competition and mostly finished 5 minutes early, however it’s a lot harder when the pressure is on. What was the final at Salon International like? It was the most terrifying, but enjoyable, experience I’ve ever had! I had a good talk with a few of the barbers before the competition and luckily they were all feeling the same as me. What were the judges looking at and asked you about? This was the scary thing, the judges only spoke to me once about the cut I was doing and how I was doing it. The rest of the time I could feel them behind me watching. I was sweating buckets! How does it feel to be crowned this year’s winner? It’s probably the proudest moment of my career so far. I’ve never won anything before so to win something of this calibre is pretty surreal. What does this mean for you in the future? I have no big plans, just aiming for more awards and keep my customers happy in the meantime. I work at Danny & Co barbers and my boss is an awesome mentor who gets me involved in great events. I would love to eventually do something where I could repay the favour and get him involved with something. If you could offer some words of advise why should someone enter next year what tips would you give them? Prepare as much as you can and enjoy your self. Also learn from the other talented barbers in the competition. To find out more about entering this year's Salon International HJ's competitions, click here.