Kellée George Makes the cut

That woman, in this case, is Kell?e George, a self-taught barber, originally from Malabar, Arima, who has travelled the world to develop her skill and can boast about it through her very large, loyal and predominantly male clientele.

“I don’t want no woman cut my hair,” words she hears oh so often, but pays little attention to.

Like any woman confident in her craft, Kell?e lets her skill speak for itself. When she finished sharpening up the edges of the customer in her chair, her work was so well done that it shut up the man in the shop who had yet to be transformed by her work.

With opposition all over his face, this new customer kept quiet while putting his butt on her seat. Kell?e took her time switching between different razors and blades. She lined up his hairline with precision, making it look easy to cut on a straight line without using a ruler. When she was done, his silence gave away that he was impressed. All she could do was laugh, because she knew he’d be back.

At around the age of 19, is when Kell?e started cutting hair. “Never, I never thought about [being a barber]. Anything I see and I’m actually attracted to I’ll try it.” Once the interest was aroused, she asked her uncle to buy her a pair of clippers. Soon after her cousins became her guinea pigs. “My older cousin, I used to practice on him and he went for a haircut in the mall and [he came back and said] Kell?e you’re way better than [that other barber] you know.” He asked her if she thinks she could handle going out and doing her thing, and, with no hesitation her journey began.

Trincity Mall is where Kell?e had her first official barber station back in 1999. Hungry for more she travelled to New York back in 2002 and stayed for about five weeks. Three years later she hopped on a flight to London, but this time stayed abroad for over six months.

With both experiences, she used what she learned from cutting different hair textures in her family to be ahead of the game when working with clients of different ethnic backgrounds abroad. While in London, Kell?e travelled from shop to shop learning different techniques and styles, but regardless of whether it was a light or dark Caesar, her cuts were sharp and her hands quick, qualities that her clients everywhere know her for.

Kell?e knows that her time abroad sets her apart but like the age-old adage goes, “there’s no place like home.” She opened her own shop around 2003 in Trinidad and recently moved it from Tunapuna to her own Oropune Gardens neighbourhood.

She lets her work prove just how strong her talent is. She said although people may make assumptions and judgements about her skill because of her gender, it does not bother her because, they usually become clients anyway.

“When I used to work in the mall, I always felt like an exotic animal in a cage, because everybody would pass and I would look like something new to some people.” There are pros and cons to everything, but with being in the profession for so long and no plans of stopping anytime soon, Kell?e definitely loves the benefits of what she does.

Never attending a barber school, she has built her career with no degree or certification, but has helped students from local barber schools learn a thing or two, leading them to question why they are paying so much for school but learning even more from her.

As her own boss, she opens and closes as she pleases, informs her clients on when she’ll be away for vacation and enjoys professional success.

Always seeking an opportunity to grow and learn more, Kell?e has joined forces with business partner Neven McPherson to create and market Modern Man Beard, a product line dedicated to the healthy growing and grooming of male beards.

The Modern Man Beard Oil is the first product to be released.

With thick and long beards being the latest sexy male trend and with this being No-Shave-November, a month dedicated to not shaving beards to bring awareness to prostate cancer, it’s the perfect time for this beard oil to make its mark.

Kell?e has a goal of becoming the only barber to come out with a male hair product line. Bottles line the inside of her glass showcase allowing her customers to get a fresh cut and be educated on the best practices to maintain healthy hair growth.

When asked about what she sees for her future where her career is concerned, Kell?e’s face lit up, “I want to be endorsed.” She lifted up two out of the many professional brand barber razors that she had to be completely clear about who she would like to be endorsed by, “[For me, it] was knowing always sticking with Wahl and Andis. I wish that I could be endorsed by [either one of] them. That would be good because we don’t really have any representatives in the Caribbean.” She’s most proud about the relationships she has developed with her clients and having the rare international experience that she’s had, “there are a lot of barbers that never left Trinidad and had the experience out there.” Encouraging other women not to let themselves be held back from going after what they want, Kell?e said, “For me, I’m never scared. Do not be fearful. Fear is like holding back your blessing. What you fear? Only fear God. He’s the only one to ever fear. Go out there and do your thing, you never know where it will lead you unless you try it. I always say that, ‘Try it.’”