Boy Barbershop started with a simple idea: to progress the industry by offering a more modern take on the old school barber. Four years later, it seems their hunch was right – their clientele spans ‘lads and dads to the cool kids and the rich and famous’. Essentially, when it comes to hair, they’ve seen it all.
Co-founders Greg Roe and Brook Philips had been cutting hair on the Gold Coast for years before they decided to go out on their own. They opened the doors to their Mermaid Beach location in 2020, and later their Coolangatta shopfront in 2023.
“We have some really good clients come through our doors,” says co-founder Greg Roe. “It’s why we love doing hair on the Gold Coast. We had both moved here from New Zealand and England, so we figured there was no better place to open up.”
The love, it seems, is mutual – Boy Barbershop has become a favourite for Gold Coast guys. Which means Greg, Brook and their team of barbers have just about seen it all when it comes to men’s haircuts.
“We’ve seen some crazy versions of the mullet,” Greg says, “but these days, nothing is a surprise. The kids are bringing in lots of bad cuts they see on TikTok – that have been done at home – and they want us to recreate them… It’s really hard to recreate a bad haircut.”
But it certainly isn’t all bad – the Gold Coast is a great place to be a barber right now.
“There is a mixture of trends at the moment,” says Greg. “We’re still seeing lots of different variations on the mullet, as well as a lot of the good ‘TikTok cuts’ – plenty of hair on top and a nice taper on the back and sides.”
Unsurprisingly, the driving force behind these trends (other than TikTok) is sports – particularly NRL and AFL players, or the occasional soccer player. We’re seeing more and more mullets both on and off the field, and the trend doesn’t show signs of stopping.
“Moving forward, we’ll probably progress to longer styles as guys start to really understand how to deal with their hair,” says Greg. “Of course, the classic haircuts always work well. Though guys aren’t as clean cut anymore.”
Except when it comes to facial hair, Greg adds. The long hipster beard has died off, with a shorter, clean-cut beard taking its place – for now, at least.
“Every time these cuts come around we see a slightly different take on them,” says Greg. “The cool kids always make them better.”
Ready to book in your next appointment? Take note of Greg’s top tip for a good haircut…
“We like to see pictures, but we always ask our clients to bring in lots of pictures so we can help them with what will really work with their hair. We can blend multiple cuts together to ensure it works and looks good.”