Through the continuation of its “Life Lived True” campaign, Baxter of California is diving even deeper into its exploration of modern masculinity—one that is inclusive of all expressions of masculinity. They examine what defines, inspires and motivates a cross section of the many unique subcultures that together create the millennial ethos of LA: skate, surf, art, music and indie. With each subculture means a different look and vibe. Head Baxter Finley barber, Julius Caeser, showed me how he achieved each style.
INSPIRATIONS: With these hairstyles and choices of products, I took the time to really try to understand the culture in which Baxter’s Live Lived True campaign stood for. Once that was made clear, I brought out a strong focus in building imagery that can be interpreted through hair to truly accentuate each individual’s own unique personality. In Today’s world, its almost an “anything and everything goes” type of expression, but it is important to let that translate almost instantaneously. Social Media gives the attention span a very short window, so the delivery of style must be intricate yet legible on the surface. With these looks, I made sure to not alter the individuals away from their genuine lifestyles, but made sure to bring their strong features to the forefront. Nothing is worst than style that reads off forced: you can see the discomfort in it all. One’s hairstyle and how they choose to present it to the world is definitely a prominent expression of freedom and life lived true.
The Sophisticated Jimi brought back the nostalgia reminiscent of Woodstock and revolution, whilst pushing the envelope with a modern twist. The hair was set to bring out the natural fullness in curls by using Clay Effect Style Spray blowdried with a diffuser on medium heat low speed and lightly combed for a laser sharp side-part. As a musician, its important to find inspirations from the legendary forefathers of the game, and innovate new waves for today’s era. This pertains to not only through developing iconic sounds, but custom-tailored imagery…even with the choice of hairstyle.
The resurgence of longer hairstyles have been quite evident, and feeling like a rockstar has always held its place in prevalence in culture. Cut past the shoulders with added medium to long layers, and topped off with a soft fringe to frame the face, the Manchester Shag immediately yells out leather jackets and indie shows. This amazing hairstyle is meant to look free of worry, but with ideal attention to minuscule detail. Clay Effect Style Spray diffused in with towel damp hair is a great choice to pull out those layers and have them sit nicely on a modern approach to a classic shag.
Paying homage to classic Southern California sunsets and kick-push culture, the Sunset Slick-Back is meant for those on-the-go, while still looking good all at the time. The hair has been cut to be easily styled in a multitude of forms to fit whatever occasion sees fit. For everyday get-up and go styling, Clay Effect Style Spray applied liberally into towel damp hair and blowdried with medium heat high speed using a vent brush and locked in with the cold setting, and followed by a hand applied finish of Cream Pomade. A more sleek look can be achieved by simply applying Soft Water Pomade to towel-damp hair for a manageable shine and amazing hair.
The care-free and accentuated raw edge approach renditioned thru the Textured El Naturale, fits well with today’s visual artists. cut short and square with the purposeful texture and wispy outline; the delivery of this confident look can work quite well with those that choose to be different without forcing it too heavy. A light amount of Clay Pomade emulsified into the fingertips and palm can be applied onto towel damp hair followed by natural air dry to carry out a low maintenance hairstyle that is easily manageable throughout the day.