Sicilian barbers in Milan – “The orange trees perfume the green verges”
Green as the muffled environment of a little piece of paradise “for gentlemen only“.
A wholly artisanal chair, luster of the best Sicilian artisans. Sit down and close your eyes.
The warm towel and a shaving brush dipped in almond soap which is a trip far away…
…The ringing of the bells, the silent square. Everything is closed, except the church, the pastry shop and the barber. “Nico” (as they call the kids in Sicilian dialect) you play football until you hear from calling your name: “Vincenzo let’s go.” It’s your father, elegant in a double-breasted jacket, which brings you to cut your hair: “As long as you have the short pants, you shall sit here.” A small stool, while adults comfortly sit on those big, majestic chairs, entirely made in Sicily. They talk about women, cars; they smoke and you impatiently expect that the time will come soon for you too…
We are not in Sicily but in Milan at Barberino’s, a classic Italian barber shop of great value who wanted to import the best Sicilian tradition, combining it (perfectly) with the classic style of the noble Milan. A fascinating world every gentleman in town should discover.
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Niccolò Bencini e Michele Callegari. “From finance to the grooming world”. Would You tell us your story? How did the idea start?
Lifelong friends, colleagues in the world of finance. Divided between Milan, London and Prague for business, at some point we realized that low cost airlines, Internet, video conferencing have made the world smaller, multiplying the accesible places. But the time available remained the same, and without realizing we had no longer it for ourselves. Right us who love that Italian lifestyle made of small gestures and hedonistic pleasures. So we decided to create a small place in one of themost beautiful hidden backyards in Milan where all the getlemen could have time for themselves.
What does it mean to be a gentleman in a city like Milan?
A key word: “discretion” or as they say in London “understatement.” In the elegance, lifestyle, manners, gestures, places, all over. For this we have opened in Corso Magenta because for us this road is a symbol of understatement in Milan. It also means seeking “luxury to be enjoyed” not to own or to show off. Exactyle what we offer with our services involving the multiplicity of senses that join the everyday spontaneously
What do you see of your previous work in this new adventure?
Definitely we would say the approach, the maniacal attention to details and passion for perfection in terms of finished product, whatever it is. We have exasperated the people with whom we have worked to review packaging, design, wordings, uniforms; trying again and again to be able to say: “in this way, it’s perfect.” Continue reading by clicking >
We visited Sicily because it was right starting from the origins of this art. Where this tradition was born and where it is respected yet. Shaving, in fact, is a ritual that is repeated with the same solemnity every day and barber shops in this way become hangouts. There we observed the best barbers at work, particularly in “Belpasso”, a small town at the foot of Mount Etna, where we found two exceptional barbers like Ivan and Antonino who now work with us. In Catania, in the laboratory of “Gioia” we asked to produce, entirely by hand, our barber chairs (a unique piece in Lombardy) using the models and following the style of the first half of the ‘900.
It tooks two months, but it was worth it: so we brought a piece of Sicily in Milan. More generally the experience in Sicily, with typical rhythms of this land, has also taught us what later became the Barberino’s philosophy: “Time is the true wealth and we have to trim off a bit for ourselvess.” We returned to Milan with this awareness. “La valle del Bove” is definitely a place that fascinated us and made us think. There, in the quiet, you go beyond time and space, you forget about everything and everyone; you can concentrate on yourself. We like to think that in our boutique you can experience the same feeling.
How many made in Italy there is in what you do?
Simply everything. The design details and uniforms take up the concept of the Italian luxury barber shop of ‘900. Training and so the style of our barbers is followed exclusively by our Barber School under the supervision of a trainer as Gian Paolo Garufo that assist us from the beginning, stronger of 40 years of experience in this sector; a great professionalism. The products are entirely designed, developed and packaged by a selected team of experts, designers and craftsmen, the best expression of Italian excellence. Personally we follow the entire production process, from formulation to the choice of ingredients, until the packaging.
A product of your beauty routine that you cannot renouce.
Michele: “the balm to soften the beard. Produced from the delicate texture that keeps the skin and the beard hydrated and all day long. Essential because I won’t renounce to my beard nor the kisses of my newborn baby. ”
Niccolò: “moisturizing and anti-aging face cream ” based on stem cells. Small hedonistic ritual that accompanies me every morning , I cannot renounce.
Why did you decide to become Idressitalian partner?
Because our philosophies are based on the same values and are driven by the same passion for craftsmanship and love for the beautiful country, Italy. “Il Bel Paese”.
Barberino’s – Classic Italian barber shop
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