Patrick Kidd was a young sparky who’d spend over $100 on a haircut. He moisturised, too. He knew to keep these things hidden from the older blokes on site to avoid the “poofter” jibes, but as Patrick says “to get the girl nowadays you have to look sharp”. And he realised he wasn’t alone. Patrick and his tradie mates were wedged between a $10 clipper cut that left you all looking the same, and a $200 style for which you left your balls (and wallet) at the door.
All this screamed “gap in the market” to Patrick, so he downed his soldering iron and opened Patrick’s Haircuts for Men. The place is tailored for blokes: free beer, a coffee table that invites you to put your feet on it, comfy couches, a motorbike, flat screen TVs and a “something for the weekend” condom when you leave. Three years later - despite everyone telling him it wouldn’t work - business is pumping. He’s about to open new stores and launch his own line of grooming products.
Nowadays tradies with waxed abdominal muscles appear on magazine covers. No more snail trails over beer guts. The ladies on RSVP wouldn’t stand for it! And as men change, grooming is exploding. In fact, male grooming is one of the fastest growing retail categories, hence ‘Dove for Men’. But in Australia, you have to get the experience right – you have to leave your customers feeling like a bloke after they use your product. This is why we’re dubious about Dove and Nivea for men in Australia – without significant rebranding, they’re simply too female. Our money is on entrepreneurs like Patrick launching new male grooming brands that get the bloke-vs-fag balance right for our market.
Click here to listen to the full interview with Patrick.
