Rediscovering the lost art of the old-fashioned shaveGrowing cadre of mostly younger men going back to their grandfathers' way of cutting their whiskersDecember 18, 2011|By Sandra M. Jones, Chicago Tribune reporterAustin Winston is discovering the lost art of the old-fashioned shave.Each day, the 21-year-old engineering student walks into the dormitory bathroom at the Illinois Institute of Technology toting a basket of shaving supplies reminiscent of his grandfather's generation: hand-held bowl, cotton washcloth, round bar of shaving soap, double-edged safety razor, stainless steel straightedge razor, badger-hair shaving brush and a good dose of patience. Illinois Institute of Technology student Austin Winston shaves with a straight-edged razor."You have to be really careful, because you pay for your mistakes," said Winston, stretching the skin on his neck with his fingers and running a straightedge razor across his throat. "You know you're doing it right when you know the blade is on your skin, but you don't feel it. It's cool."Winston is part of a growing cadre of shaving aficionados turning to the Internet to learn what the convenience-driven, throwaway era of their fathers never taught them. Rather than standing at bathroom sinks next to their dads, the men are sitting in front of computers watching YouTube videos and shaving blogs that demonstrate the intricacies of traditional shaves: how to properly hold a safety razor, techniques for building a good lather and even a 22-step breakdown of the anatomy of a straight razor.Although traditional wet shaving is a niche market, it is gaining so much momentum that Procter & Gamble's Gillette — with 70 percent of the market, it's the king of disposable razors — has jumped into the game. Since P&G acquired the Art of Shaving in 2009, the New York-based shaving boutique and product line has become the fastest-growing brand in P&G's beauty and grooming division, company spokesman Damon Jones said.P&G has been pouring money into expanding the Art of Shaving's retail presence, once primarily confined to high-end department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Marshall Field's on State Street in Chicago.The past two years, the number of Art of Shaving stores has doubled, to 63, and more than half have a barbershop inside where men can get an old-fashioned, hot shave. The wood-paneled stores sell $45 shaving soaps in teak bowls and $150 badger brushes in an atmosphere reminiscent of a 19th-century English barbershop.Traditional wet shaving got a big boost last year when Cincinnati-based P&G launched a national advertising campaign, Art of Shaving's first since it was founded in 1996, touting the "brotherhood of shaving."Plans call for the company to operate 70 stores by the end of next year and to roll out pop-up, or temporary, shops in urban markets, Jones said. Art of Shaving's first pop-up store opened Nov. 15 at 11 N. LaSalle St. in Chicago's financial district, where it is slated to operate through Jan. 15.Mark Herro, the most-watched shave expert on YouTube, with more than 4.6 million views, launched his shaving career in 2004 after his wife, weary of his five o'clock shadow, gave him an anniversary gift of a barber shave. Herro liked the smooth feel of his skin so much that he bought the tools to give himself a barber-style shave at home.Noticing a dearth of information online about how to shave, the Texas A&M University telecommunications manager began posting how-to videos on YouTube under the handle mantic59 and created a shaving blog called Sharpologist.His following soared as men, already schooled in the grooming practices of the metrosexual movement, connected with the machismo of facing a straightedge blade."For a lot of college-age men, there is an element of being a badass for shaving with a straight razor," Herro said. "The metrosexual thing has run its course."Indeed, the shaving revival goes hand in hand with the millennial man's desire to express his individuality, said Stephen Hahn-Griffiths, chief strategy officer at Leo Burnett in Chicago. The advertising agency released a study Thursday that asserts a new definition of masculinity is taking shape, noting "the universal archetype of masculinity is over."Unlike the metrosexual term coined a decade ago to describe straight, urban men willing to embrace their feminine sides, the 2011 man is about self-expression, the study said. Men ages 18 to 40 are spending more time on their appearance, curating their individual style."It's less about being Neanderthal or clean cut, but about variations of those two extremes," Hahn-Griffiths said. "It's about finding your own personal look. It's not manicured, but it's still cool."Another reason traditional shaving is on the rise is that it saves money and is eco-friendly, experts said. Although a safety razor can cost $25 to $200, the replacement blades cost as little as 20 cents each. Even the premium stainless steel blades, at more than $1 each, are less expensive and longer lasting than disposable razor cartridges.
O nome do mantic é Mark Herro ? Tá explicado porque ele chama a Semogue de ¨Semongue¨: Ele tem problema de ¨herro¨ no próprio nome ...
E que a ETTELLIG venha com as suas máquinas ( é sonho, eu sei), mesmo com nome Procter & Gamble.
Se algum dia as Gillettes antigas viessem a ser reeditadas, o mais provável era virem com preços alucinantes e destinadas ao mercado de luxo. Ou então, com pilhas embutidas, uma coisa lá dentro a vibrar, faróis para iluminar à noite e um laser para aumentar a precisão do corte.
Fantástico! Excelente!Esperemos que a P&G volte a produzir DEs!
Não me parece que a P&G produza DEs em nome próprio, só se for toda moderna e com mira laser...
Quote from: brg on January 04, 2012, 08:31:19 pmNão me parece que a P&G produza DEs em nome próprio, só se for toda moderna e com mira laser... ... e 24 válvulas, tracção 4X4, Hill-Holder, ASR, ABS, tejadilho de abrir...
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Topic: Artigo Chicago Tribune: "Men rediscover the lost art of the old-fashioned shave" (Read 3996 times)