At the age of 25, Jake Putan is a millennial hairdresser in every sense of the word and in the best possible way, trailblazing the barbering field with unparalleled creativity, energy and optimism. Here he explains his roots, his aesthetic and his plans as a rising star in the industry.

Once you understand Jake’s ambitious, artistic nature, his unique entry into the hairdressing field makes so much sense, you wouldn’t expect anything else.

“I was 16 and I couldn’t get a haircut that I wanted, I wanted designs on the side of my head, so I came home and tried to do it myself and it looked horrendous, but I kept trying and then I had a lot of friends asking me try it on their hair as well, so I had a lot of practice,” he explained. “Before I knew it, a lot of people around started to take notice and would ask me to cut their hair, so for awhile that was what I was doing as a hobby.”

From these small town beginnings, Jake’s career has skyrocketed. He finished his apprenticeship at a local salon and then fell into educating himself, something he was instinctively better at than he may have initially thought.

“It was really daunting to me because I always hated public speaking and I was a nervous wreck but I kept going with it because I was asked to do it, and I started enjoying the rewarding feeling of seeing students’ improvements, that was something I saw as another avenue to get into,” he said. Continued education to obtain the relevant certifications and knowledge to become a bona fide educator followed, catapulting Jake into the next phases of his career.

Jake is a millennial hairdresser from a multitude of angles, his passion for and specialty in barbering, which has defined 21^st century rising hair industry trends, being at the forefront. Aside from this, his creative approach to business and the diverse way in which he has conducted his career speak to a modern professionalism of endless potential, with variations on the regular salon 9 to 5 there to suit hairdressers who are willing to work for the lifestyle they want.

Jake’s prolific career then took him to a barbershop in Western Australia where he learnt more of the business side of the craft and was able to discover more salon creativity, predominantly in the field of female hair. He then worked for himself to open up more avenues in hairdressing and education, beginning his teachings at TAFE and progressing his career. As a true 21^st century artist, Jake’s work is always multi-platform and relevant across different sectors of the industry, as evident in his varied experience.

Taking a leap of faith, Jake then moved to Sydney in 2017, advancing his salon career by going behind the chair at iconic salon Edwards and Co three days a week, and pushing his education career with a popular profile on education platform Piloroo. This experience led to his partnership with tools brand WAHL, who fly him around the country to educate and spread his innate skill and infectious joy and talent for hair Australia-wide. Based on his drive and aesthetic, it’s not hard to see how he’s found so many high-profile opportunities at a young age.

“My style of cutting is that I tend to want to do something different. I find that a lot of barbers are doing the same thing so I want to put myself outside of that and offer something different,” he said. He added that the consultation is key to this service, where he asks the client important questions about how their hair grows out, how they want to maintain their hair and important queries that put the focus on the client and ensure they want to come back for this tailored care.

With the ambition and talent to continue to kick goals, Jake’s optimism for his future career is one we share.

“I’m looking to use the days off that I have to focus on other aspects of my career that are going to help me gain exposure and add value to my education, where your audience becomes everyone in the world rather than just your local community,” he said. “I want to use that and gain more opportunities to travel, meet new people and venture into new experiences that I’ve really been enjoying.”

Jake continues to tick items off the bucket list, with no plan to put the pen down any time soon.

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