Arturo Rotondo

How did you get started in barbering and what motivated you to become a barber?

I started almost for fun when I was 12/13 years old. I enjoyed combing my friends' hair with hairspray and wax, making this a passion... little by little I moved on from styling hair to doing some cuts and then I entered the world of work as an apprentice. I started my career at the age of 14 working only in the afternoon after school, I started as a women's hairdresser because the world of barbering had not exploded as much as it does today... after two years of women's hairdressing I moved on to be a barber and to date I have been doing this wonderful job for 13 years.... What motivated me to become a barber? you either love this profession or hate it, however you have direct contact with people continuously and my motivation was to see the happiness of the customers day by day and even today to see my name grow among colleagues it is a beautiful profession you carry it into your days, it becomes part of you.

“Every day I compete with myself trying to give my best and trying to improve my shop and my staff... I think I’m fighting my biggest challenge day by day.”

Throughout your career, what has been the biggest challenge you have faced and how did you overcome it?

There have been many challenges in my career and I am continuously challenged day after day, I am in love with competitions today currently in Italy I am recognized as a judge of the best barbering competitions, despite this my biggest challenge was coming from a difficult neighborhood and make space for yourself and create a future for yourself... I started from 0 but today I'm not even halfway to where I think I'll get to, every day I compete with myself trying to give my best and trying to improve my shop and my staff and training new ones barber...so I think I'm fighting my biggest challenge day by day.

What is your personal style or approach to cutting or styling? How do you make each client feel unique?

Each customer has his own way of dressing, his own character and mainly his own cranial formation... the first fundamental thing for the success of a good cut is the approach with the customer, next comes knowing how to cut hair. I am for nuance and a whimsical style for those who want to show off and want to bring out their character, but I adapt to every type of need precisely to satisfy every customer.

In a world of constant trends, how do you decide what techniques or styles to incorporate into your work?

you must always keep up with fashion and styles the world of barbering is always constantly updated and fashion runs and changes constantly today's young people come to cut their hair much more frequently with much more specific requests if you are not at their pace we risk losing ground. I always try to propose or modify to my liking or to how fashion moves so as to imprint my style on the customer's request and give it a touch of mine which can be a disconnection in the style or a simple marked line, something that can make its cut unique.

As an ambassador of our brand, what products or tools do you consider essential in your day-to-day work in the barbershop?

I'll start by saying that working with Oda has thrilled me since day one, feeling like you're playing an important role in a company is a lot for someone who comes from nothing. Every day we evolve and every day we hear of new equipment... Currently I can't do without my 010 clipper, it's fantastic... powerful motor... ergonomic... weight calibrated with the power of the clipper... superlative head ... what can I say, it's unique... another gem that I love about Oda and the 120 is a light brushcutter and unique in its style... I've always had difficulties in the past with other brands. ...there are some very aggressive trimmers on the market but this one is really excellent... so I repeat that on weekdays, by trying the Oda brand you will no longer be able to do without it.

What advice would you give to young people who want to start in barbering and follow in your footsteps?

young people are the future.. I always focus on them and I like to have contact even during the training days I do, as I always say in my training that as a trainer I can learn something from them and the young people can leave something with me. The only one thing I want to say to young people because I also feel it's a bit like mine is Don't ever feel like you've arrived, what does it mean to not feel like you have arrived, it means to never feel complete, you must always want new things and techniques to learn, even today I feel incomplete.

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