Where some barbers fear styling and color, and some stylists don’t feel confident around a clippers or a fade, John Carmona is fearless about all of it. He is the new hybrid of cosmo and barber, and he blends both, beautifully.
John Carmona
Barber Theory, Denver
Specialty: Short haircutting, vibrant colors, bridging the gap between barbering and cosmetology
Top-performing post: It’s hard to say what my most engaging post has been, so I will talk about my favorite one. It was a piece from a collection inspired by Game of Thrones. I was always a fan of the show and wanted to find a way to translate that into the language of hair. This was the second professional shoot I had done with a photographer (Liam Oakes) and a makeup artist (Danielle Saysell), and I believe the photo gained traction because of the mix of hair color, fading techniques and stylization of the photo itself. Because of this, I believe that it spoke to both barbers and cosmetologists alike.
Favorite apps: The only app I use is Adobe Light Room. It helps me to clear up any blemishes, dry skin or imperfections on my client, which lets me make my client look their very best while not altering the cut or color in any way.
I follow: @ryancullenhair, @m13ky, @tailorfade, @kevinluchmun, @braidbarbers
Hidden talent: Time management and customer service! I believe in building relationships with clients. I’m also incredibly good at time management with haircuts.
My audience follows me because: I am me! I don’t pretend to be a rock star or someone that I’m not. Truth is that I’m just a dude that likes to cut hair, and even though I take my craft seriously, I believe at the end of the day I’m just putting hair on the floor like everyone else. People crave authenticity and approachability, and I believe I possess both of those.
How social media changed my life: I grew up with a lot of social anxiety. I was home schooled till 10th grade and didn’t know how to interact with a lot of people. It seemed like every day I would avoid human interaction because of the fear of not being accepted. It’s funny because I always loved what I did but never knew if it was good enough to put it out into the world. One day, I decided to buy a camera and start teaching myself how to take photos of my work. Three years (and 35,000 followers) later, I’ve found that I was my own worst enemy all along. Now, regardless of speaking in front of 20 or 1,000 people, I am confident in who I am as a person and can say that I’ve built strong meaningful relationships with barbers and stylists from all over the world. Lastly, social media has allowed me to stand on stages, thousands of miles from my front door, and share my knowledge in far off places that I never thought I would see.
My first @modernsalon feature: The first time was about a year or so ago when I was accepted as a member of the Wahl education and artistic team. This was a lifelong dream to not only be accepted by my peers in the barber industry but also by the hairdressers of the world. Feeling like I was able to bridge a gap and live in both worlds was incredible, and being accepted onto such an elite team with a strong clipper company was a feeling that words can’t describe. Although I am no longer part of the team, I still remember that experience fondly.
For reprint and licensing requests for this article, Click here.
media brand