What’s in it for men?

On the eve of International Men’s Day 2021, Priyanka Parshurami connects with Gourav Bhardwaj, for the five men grooming trends in 2021.

The past two years have been abysmal for industries across the spectrum with the beauty industry being one of the hardest hit. Having said that, we are seeing a new dawn setting in and the industry is slowly and steadily moving towards business as usual. And especially the men’s grooming industry is booming across the globe, including in India. As per estimates, it’s a US$ 2 billion market in India, and it is not merely a sweeping statement but the numbers do back it up as well. Over the years, we have witnessed this incline in men’s grooming, which was initially limited to haircuts and styling and has now diversified into getting hair colour, grooming, styling and dying beards, and even threading into the realm of skin care to an extent. The popularising of eccentric styles such as mohawk or quiff is an indicator of how much the industry has charmed and captivated the attention of the masses around us.

When asked about an ever green men grooming trend, Gourav Bhardwaj, Ambassador, MR. BARBER and Olivia Garden, said, “It has to be the classic square shape with medium length. Pulling off this haircut and achieving the perfect shape is an art in itself. The amount of satisfaction that a perfect classic cut gives to an artist is simply unparalleled. This hairstyle is quite polarising though you either love it or hate it to the core. This hairstyle has stood the test of time since the last 10 decades and I am sure its charm will keep reminiscing in the hearts of artists eternally.”

Here are top five men grooming trends of 2021, outlined by Bhardwaj.

SKIN FADE

This is my personal favourite and is definitely here to stay! This hairstyle is trending currently and it is good for the professionals as well, as the client needs to get trimmed every alternate week or every two weeks to maintain the look. This ensures a steady, continuous income for the professionals and guarantees a perfect, and sharp look every time. Moreover, it gives so much freedom for the artists to create fades ranging from the fashionable and classic to the dapper style of fades.

DISCONNECTION

This hairstyle is extremely popular as I see almost every fourth person carrying it. It is basically a fade from both the sides and long on the top. This is also a versatile haircut as the customers can pick and choose the customisations they wish for. However, it is not recommended for everyone as it may look a bit tacky on some face shapes. Having said that, this haircut encourages clients to adopt and use more products to maintain the look, so I feel this haircut is quintessential in giving quite a bit of traction to the grooming industry.

CURLY HAIR

Yes, now men do flaunt their curls too! It feels good to see this in current hair trends. Earlier, it was all about making the hair straight whereas now you have the option to enhance and flaunt the curls. Do note that this does heavily rely on aftercare products, so winwin for the clients and the industry.

FADE WITH SIDE-PART

I am a big-time side-part lover as I have personally been carrying this since many years. This is never going out of fashion, it will always be subtly evolving from time to time. The pièce de résistance of this hairstyle is that you need to blow-dry it like a craftsman and use products to make it stay but the end results always leave you mesmerised.

MULLETS

Ah the Mullet! Might be a bit whacky and outlandish, but it was the trend back in the early 90s. So much so that almost every known rock star, pop star, actor and model could be seen donning the mullet. Strangely enough, the mullet is now slowly back with a modern touch. It is not completely well established as a trend right now, but its relevance will definitely be part of this list and presumably, in future lists as well.

About Gourav Bhardwaj: An award-winning hairstylist based in Mumbai/Delhi, Bhardwaj has styled hair for many celebrities and top models. Being Ambassador For MR.BARBER and Olivia Garden, he travels nationally and internationally to share his knowledge and experience via hair shows, seminars, workshops and in-salon training as he firmly believes in “Knowledge shared is knowledge learned”.