Fella Hairstream - On the road to Handsome
Fella Airstream will be hitting the streets this summer… we spoke to barber Tom Winding to find out more
Fella Airstream will be hitting the streets this summer… we spoke to barber Tom Winding to find out more
Hi Tom, the Fella Airstream (@fellaairstream) is looking totally fly, where on Earth did you get it from?
Hey, well I originally set out on the trusty internet searches, expecting it to be a fairly simple task to acquire one, but I soon found out it wasn’t such an easy quest.
Eventually, after months of searching, I stumbled across one fairly attractive shell of an airstream, but with eagle-eyed viewing I spotted a very large collection of the shiny old girls in the background of the picture. I found out that the seller had been shipping Airstreams from America and converting them for more than 20 years!
The bonus token was that he was only a stone’s throw away in Wadhurst (near Tunbridge Wells) and we soon struck a deal and had one shipped from Colorado.
Amazing, so why did you decide to get it?
Admittedly, it wasn’t a completely original idea, but what is these days? I originally took inspiration from a guy in London that started his own venture and has become quite the successful name – ‘douce uk’. It was just the coolest idea I’d seen in a while.
It led me to thinking about my own job later down the years and how much I love it. However, I never wanted to get bored of my job. The appeal for me has always been the fact that the options are endless in terms of where I can go and the new people I could potentially meet.
What was the biggest challenge with getting it ready?
I’ll leave the polishing for the moment because this whole magazine wouldn’t be long enough for that. The biggest challenge for me was to stay positive throughout the build and maintain the dream I originally had.
A small subcategory of that dream was to make 100% sure that the airstream was practical, inside and out. I’m a stickler for efficiency and work practicality, as my colleagues will tell you. But it’s also not just about me, it’s for the clients as well. By all means, it’s mobile, of course, but I didn’t want it to be a ‘mobile barbers’, more of a barbershop on wheels, as I think you’ll forget you’re in a metal caravan.
So you will be working under the Fella brand but able to spread your wings, too?
To have the opportunity to do this alongside a brand I really care about and hugely respect is absolutely brilliant. It’s what it deserves and Bobby Gordon (Fella owner) has done a fantastic job with the brand and also a fantastic job with all of us that are involved in it! He’s an inspiration in itself to help get this dream of mine on the road!
Most barbers will agree with me that in our industry, as much as we love our clients and our colleagues, there is often a craving for more, or something ‘different’ should I say.
Equally, with the rise in shop rents and the inability to own any sort of freehold in our area right now, it’s particularly difficult – therefore the appeal in owning an asset that realistically holds its value as a collector’s item is huge – albeit very expensive! It doesn’t look half bad either!
INSTA: @fellaairstream / @fellahair
INFO: fellahair.com
