Media

Do you want to interview us?

To learn more about us, please read our approach page and our FAQs first.

Open Barbers is primarily a hair salon, though it is within our mission to contribute to positive representation within LGBTIQ+ communities and to challenge discriminatory practices in wider society. We wish to do this both within the hair and beauty industries and more broadly, and we welcome respectful opportunities to do that.

We have contributed to interviews, research, documentaries, activist and arts projects and public events to share our experience around trans-led community organising, though we are very selective in our participation due to our limited capacity. We are generally cautious about engaging with any media that may put ourselves or our clients in vulnerable situations or where we are unable to guarantee satisfactory and respectful outcomes. We encourage any journalists and media professionals to follow the guidelines of Trans Media Watch before reporting on trans issues.

We believe that LGBTIQ+ individuals should not be expected to donate their time, energy and emotional labour free of charge for the production of media where there is a budget available, where there will be financial gain to the media reporting agency in the long run and where the primary focus is on education for non LGBTIQ+ audiences. As such, we are likely to ask for more information on this, and may request remuneration for our time, expertise and costs for taking part in interviews or media production. We will use our discretion as to whether we would like to offer our time and experience for less or no charge depending on how well we feel the invitation fits with our organisational and personal beliefs.

If you would like to interview or discuss media opportunities with us, please contact Greygory at openbarbers@gmail.com for further enquiries.

Selected examples of Open Barbers in the press and media:
BBC News: London, 20/06/21 / BBC News, 20/06/2021 (youtube)
BBC Radio: London, 13/04/21
Pink News, 31/03/21
DIVA, 25/2/21
The Everyday Magazine, Feb 2021
Modern Barber, 30/10/20
The Coming Out Tapes, 16/4/20 (audio interview)
HJ Magazine, 27/8/19
Missy Magazine, 12/4/17 (in German)
Vice, 5/1/16
Time Out, 20/12/15
Telegraph, 4/12/15
Guardian, 14/1/15

Events

Do you want us to come to your event?

Open Barbers is primarily salon based, but it is our mission to offer up to 4 events a year at venues around the UK as a way of reaching new people and taking our services out of our usual location. In the past we have delivered talks, pop up events and training at hairdressing colleges, museums, arts centres, Universities, festivals, homeless shelters, youth clubs and more. We agree to events on the basis of how well they meet the aims of our social enterprise, whether they provide good outreach potential or exposure, and whether they are financially viable.

The aims of our social enterprise include:

• Services for LGBTIQ+ people
• Affordable services for people on low or no incomes
• Accessible services for disabled people and people with mental health conditions
• Modelling or promoting all of these priorities across wider society as a way of challenging systemic discrimination, particularly within in the hair and beauty industries.

Please see below a rough guide to our event costs. For a more accurate quote please enquire:

• Talks and public speaking: £150 per event per team member
• Pop-Up Salon: £175 per day per team member, not including travel costs, travel time and preparation time. Each stylist can typically deliver 8-10 haircuts in a 7 hour day.
• Training: £300 per day per team member

Please contact Greygory at openbarbers@gmail.com for further enquiries.

Selected examples of previous events:
The Outside Project – ongoing
CUT festival, February – March 2017
LCC Panel Discussion, March 2017
V&A Lates: Queer and Now, February 2015
Cachin Cachan Cachunga, 2014 – 15
Nottingham Contemporary, September 2014
Warwick University, April 2013