From chair to Academy graduate: a year in twelve weeks

Six students. Twelve weeks. One discipline.

When we opened the Academy in 2017, we made a single decision that shaped everything that followed: six students, never more. Six was the largest number a Master Barber could meaningfully watch through a 6-hour day. Twelve weeks was the smallest curriculum that produced consistent results.

What's in the foundational program

The Foundations of Steel program covers six disciplines in twelve weeks:

• Weeks 1–2: Tool anatomy. Blade care. Sectioning theory. By the end of week two, you can dismantle and reassemble three different clipper models blindfolded.
• Weeks 3–4: Scissor-over-comb tapering. We practice on mannequin heads first, then on volunteer models from week four.
• Weeks 5–6: Clipper-over-comb fundamentals. Pressure reading. Guard transitions.
• Weeks 7–9: The four foundational silhouettes. Each silhouette takes two days: one day cutting, one day refining and reviewing.
• Weeks 10–11: Live chair shadows. You watch a Master cut at full speed, then replicate the same cut on a model the next day.
• Week 12: Capstone. A panel of three Master Barbers reviews your portfolio of cuts.

What changed

In the first three cohorts, week 5 was clipper fades. We moved it later — students who attempted fades before mastering scissor work plateaued. By cohort four, fades were week 7–9 and capstone work shifted upward.

What we kept

• The six-student cap.
• The week-twelve panel.
• The 7am studio open. Real barbers start before clients.
• The graduation ritual — every graduate gets a custom-engraved pair of clippers from our partner workshop in Lalitpur.

Applications for the next cohort open quarterly. Begin your application →