Master barber Patrick Phipps: April 2012

Saturday, 28 April 2012

Words From My Hart

Relax your mind and imagine your near a beautiful pond. There are no ripples as there is no movement so all is still. Now find your self a stone of your choice make sure it is smooth and large and make sure it as wight and depth now trough your stone in to the pond get it directly into the middle of the pond trough it with meaning but not anger. Now watch it send out a continues ripple watch the beautie of the ripple study the way it moves out wards full of grace with no distraction in total beautie and ease now watch the ripples find its way to the banks of the pond this is the destination it set out to get to. with is force it allowed nothing to stop it and nothing get in its way its destiny was set from the 1st splash of the stone. Now think the stone is your brain and the ripples is your thought. Think of what you want to achieve in your life and Let your thought be strong and let it find its destination with ease and no obstructions just like the ripples in your pond. Written with love. Taken From The Opening Chapter of Master Barber Sir Patrick Phipps Book my little book of empowerment

Friday, 27 April 2012

At a time when many businesses are disappearing from the highstreet, Cut Above The Rest, the barbershop in East London that has spawned many imitators, is celebrating its 21st birthday. Led by its energetic, innovative founder and owner, Patrick Phipps, Cut Above is celebrating a landmark moment in a landmark year for East London. From his humble, working class roots in Forest Gate, East London, Patrick established this, his own business at the tender age of 21, when being entrepreneur wasn't as fashionable as it is today. It was also noticeable at a time when black business owners/proprietors were very rare. Despite enjoying a chequered history at school and leaving at the age of 13, Patrick used his negative experiences positively to begin his own commercial enterprises. Cut Above The Rest has set the standard for urban barbering trends across London and has developed quite a following, with clientele including Premiership footballers, Jermain Defoe (England and Tottenham Hotspurs), Bobby Zamora (England and QPR); rappers Dizzee Rascal, Wiley; actors Kano, Ashley Walters, Idriss Elba, Rudulf Walker. Popular with the youth of London Patrick cuts for all people and has been a favourite of clientele across the generational and gender spectrum he as now cut 3generations the father the son and the son of the sons. As his repuatation has grown, Patrick has many clients from all over the South East, who make the arduous trip when they need to look at their best. Due to his extensive years perfecting his art, and his commitment to promoting talent, Patrick has been pivotal to the careers of many hundred of young men, launching careers and providing succour and guidance. He has seen many of his charges go on to start their own barbering businesses and feels nothing but pride and that help him to right and publish his first book (my little book of empowerment) this breaks down Patrick's 20years in business and how to over come life's little obstacles he is now about to publish his second book. Recently he has been approached to take part in a mentoring scheme for 11 year old boys as well as being asked to run college classes for NVQs barbering in east ham coledge. Both of these have been enthusiastically accepted as Patrick wants to imbue the youth with the type of guidance and inspiration that was sometimes lacking when he was younger. Always on the look out for a new idea or concept, in 2001, Patrick launched his own clothing line, FunkWest (www.funkwest.com) which has been phenomenally successful. He has followed this up by setting up a recording studio at his premises as well as a tattoo parlour. And in continuing his support for young, ambitious,aspiring barbers, he set up the UK BARBER BRAWL Competition which brings barbers from across the country to battle it out in order to win a contract with Cut Above The Rest to hone their skills. Recently Patrick has raised his profile and is now session styling for celebrity clients on film sets, music shoots and fashion shows. There is more to come from this ever energetic entrepreneur and in this seminal year of the Olympics, Patrick is striving to aim higher and push the barriers for urban styling. So let's ask that age old question HOW DOES HE DO IT? Why not be the first to ask Patrick Phipps personally.