Apprentice barber Max Cunial prepares to practise his styles on a mannequin. Photo: Supplied.
At 15 Max Cunial bought himself a set of hair clippers for Christmas and promptly booked in his younger brother for a haircut.
“My hands were shaking and it was my first cut, so it didn’t turn out well,” he recalls with a sheepish grin.
Four years on, the apprentice barber from Mt Ousley, who works at Just for Gents at Fairy Meadow, is one of eight males from around Australia competing in the newly created barbery category in WorldSkills Australia’s National Championships to be held in Brisbane in June.
WorldSkills is an international social enterprise that held its first competitions in 1950, driven by the belief skills drive the future of young people.
It was established in Australia in 1981 and runs regional, national and international competitions every two years with an ever-evolving line-up of skills from bakery to information technology.
“Barbering in the last two years has taken off massively, so it was a good move to include it this year,” says Max.
“The old-school, short-back-and-sides brown leather barber shops are struggling to attract younger clientele so I think it’s perfect timing to allow the new generation of barbers to showcase their skills.”
Max, it seems, showed early signs of what he wanted to do in life.
“Mum says that in preschool all I wanted to do was play with the childcare workers’ hair,” he says.
“As a kid, I’d twirl Mum’s hair while we watched TV because I have always loved hair texture.”
Chomping into his brother Tom’s hair was just the beginning of taking that interest a little further.
“I got better after the first attempt, so I then started cutting my dad and uncle’s hair thanks to a few YouTube clips,” says Max.
As an under 20s player with the Wolves Soccer Club, Max also cuts and styles the hair of a number of club players.
Max’s brother Tom is one of his biggest fans. Photo: Supplied.
Max is halfway through his apprenticeship and recently completed training at TAFE NSW’s Wollongong West campus.
“TAFE teachers have been great with practical stuff you can’t easily do in the shop,” he says.
“Teachers allow you plenty of time to walk through the prac, spending more time on detailing, which has refined my technique.
“It’s also been helpful with techniques on full-face shaves and beard clipping which represents about 10 per cent of my work.”
Max also loves the social side of barbering and helping men and boys look and feel good when they walk out of the door.
“A smart cut can give a client, especially the young ones, a big boost in confidence.”
One of Max’s favourite cuts is the fade which is a style that starts very short around the perimeter of the hair and gradually gets longer at the top.
“There are also cuts called designs which involve clipping out lines in the hair in different shapes.
“The mullet will always be around and favoured by certain people like footballers, but it’s evolving into a more sophisticated look with a tapered tail,” says Max.
However, the WorldSkills championships has thrown a curveball challenge which Max is more than ready to embrace.
“We all have to do a perm, which is a pretty edgy choice with the curly fringe perm taking off in Europe,” he says.
Max says he is ready for the challenge, after quite a bit of guidance from his TAFE teachers.
“My parents will be in Brisbane to support me, and of course, Tom,” says Max.
“He never once complained about me cutting his hair despite the fact the first one was pretty awful.”
The championships run from 12 to 14 June.
