20-year-old barber creates competition in Cartagena to give visibility to the profession

In Cartagena, Colombia, barber Antonio Blanco, who is only 20 years old, is organizing a unique event to transform the industry's routine. The initiative aims to bring professionals together to compete and, primarily, to give visibility to a profession he considers still underexplored in the local market.

The event, called 'The White Battle', is scheduled for October 11th. During the morning, participants will compete in four categories: Fast Fade, Young Talents (Jóvenes Promesas), cut and beard, and Freestyle. The afternoon will be reserved for the awards ceremony, creating a meeting point among colleagues.

One of the surprises that most impressed the organizer was the high turnout for the 'Young Talents' category. While other modalities have around a dozen or fifteen registrants, this category attracted approximately twenty participants. The explanation is to create a fair space for those just starting out, avoiding beginners competing directly against professionals with decades of experience.

Blanco knows this transition well, as he started working at 15 years old after realizing that studies did not spark his passion. He recalls that since he was seven or eight years old, he already liked to comb his grandmother's hair and carefully observed the fades in barbershops. His father, Nico Blanco, remembers that his son started by cutting friends' hair in the house garage.

The family supported the young man's decision, despite initial doubts about the stability of the career. Today, Antonio's business employs four young professionals. The goal of the event is to break the routine of daily quick appointments and encourage creativity and innovation in the work.

For Blanco, a barbershop goes beyond sitting clients in chairs; it is an art form that requires physical presence. He highlights the importance of the beard as 'men's makeup' and emphasizes that, despite using social media to showcase his work, he does not want to rely on them to grow. The profession, according to him, stands on scissors and clippers, maintaining a direct and in-person connection with the client.