No.3 Kanami Matsushima / Barber You're going to cut it? .
PROFILE
Born in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Upon graduating from Hokkaido College of Hairdressing and Beauty, he moved to Tokyo and joined "THE BARBA TOKYO" hair salon in Kanda, Tokyo. After working as an assistant for a year and a half, he made his debut as a stylist and was selected as the manager of "THE BARBA TOKYO B1" at the young age of 23. . He has been the manager of THE BARBA, a British men's brand with a store in Ginza, since 2021.
Instagram: @matsushima_kanami
. Why did you decide to become a barber?
When I was in high school, I wanted to become a hairdresser , so I went to visit a barbering school. There, my teacher recommended me to become a barber.
Ever since I was in school, I loved to do my friends' hair and eyebrows. I really wanted to be a nurse because I admired my mother, but I understood as a child both the good and the not-so-good sides of it, so I never ended up going into it.
I heard that you joined "THE BARBA TOKYO" through your homeroom teacher after graduating from a vocational school. It seems that your debut as a stylist was unusually early.
Nowadays, the assistant period is usually 3 years, but I became a stylist at the age of 21 after a year and a half of working as an assistant. But for the next few years, I had no customers at all, and there were times when I thought about going back to my hometown.
He has a young face and is short , so he says, "You're going to cut me? Are you okay?" . I was sometimes told "No," and sometimes I was turned down on the phone. At that time I didn't know what was wrong with me, and it was a trial and error process.
Mr. Matsushima's work tools.
How did you overcome such a difficult time?
The things I had envisioned in my mind, such as "this is a female barber, so it has to be this way," or "this is how an American barber girl should do it," suddenly became unimportant, and from the moment I relaxed, I began to see results in a strange way. I wondered what all those worries were about. . As a matter of fact, even before that, I was given the responsibility of store manager.
. At the young age of 23, you were selected as the manager of "THE BARBA TOKYO DINE" in Iwamotocho.
There was no one else in the company at the time, and I think the president gave me the store manager's position more as a challenge to achieve results, rather than as a position that would be given after I had achieved results. After THE BARBA TOKYO DINE, I served as manager of THE BARBA TOKYO B1 in Kanda for three years, and now I am the manager of the British men's brand Barber, which is run by the company. It has been just two years since I came here.
Today, I had the opportunity to see you at work, and I was very impressed by the tattoos peeking out from the sleeves of your uniform.
. I have often been nudged as a barber myself, so I put this in as a sign that I truly love my job.
Each tattoo on my body has its own meaning, but my favorite is the swallow around my collarbone, which I got when I was 21 years old, before I became a stylist. At first, the tattooist suggested that I get one on each side of my body, but I was scared, as this was my first tattoo, so I decided to get one on one side. I decided that when I became a full-fledged barber, I would get one on the other side. So a few years later, I was able to successfully get a second one, and I especially like this one.
Please share your stories about your private life. What do you do on your days off?
I am often outside, meeting with friends , having a drink. I also like shopping. I like Comme des Garcons, so I often go to their store in Aoyama and Dover Street Market GINZA. . My fashion was influenced by my seniors at the clothing store where I worked part-time when I was in vocational school. I tend to wear menswear-like outfits.
Also, collecting records is one of my hobbies. I started collecting records after reading an interview with Tamio Okuda, in which he said, "With the spread of distribution, the world has become a place where you don't have to own things, but you can't listen to them or watch them when they are no longer available, so you have to own the things you really like. Songs, rock, jazz ... I don't have a specific genre, but if I had to pick one favorite song, it would be Yumi Arai's "Hikouki Kumo".
By the way, what kind of man are you attracted to?
People who are not satisfied with the status quo. When you grow up, there are people who are satisfied with their situation and environment. I have no intention of denying that I am like that, but I think it is wonderful to see people who are not content with the status quo, but are willing to expand into new avenues.
In terms of face, my type is an austere adult. I like actors Brad Pitt and Keanu Reeves, and I used to like Susumu Terashima (laughs).
. Finally, what are your goals for the future?
I am finally able to do a good job of barbering in general, and I want to pass that on to the staff around me. . But my goal is not to be bound by stereotypes, but to further expand my hobbies and personal relationships.
I have been with this company for 9 years now, and at first everyone must have thought I was going to quit. It was the president, his wife, and the vice president who helped me become a full-fledged employee. Because I am among people who value feelings, not money or duty, I would like to inherit and cherish those feelings.
THE BARBA TOKYO
Phone: 03-6263-2528
Official Site
Instagram: @thebarbatokyo
