The Fade haircut is not about to fade away
Spira Tlhankane | Friday February 2, 2018 18:51
Informally called the ‘F*#kboy hairstyle, most women say they can spot a ‘F*#kboy from a distance by his faded coiffure. With many definitions, the crude epithet can be described as a man who doesn’t respect women and solely interested in sexual relationships.
Despite the negative association, the hairstyle looks remarkable on boys, young men and older men thus over the years it has represented coolness.
Its quite early in the new year and while others are trying to find better ideas for their hair look, most are looking to renew and improve their fade haircuts. It’s loved by some and despised by others but it continues to top the hairstyle trends.
Naturally, new times or should I say New Year usher in new trends so we are looking for many ways to look good this year but somehow it just cant exclude the fade haircut. Gentlemen with a great sense of cutting will recommend the fade and anyone with a fade knows it’s only as good as the barber.
Arts&Culture sat down with a skilled barber and hairstylist with more than 15 years of experience to learn more about the fade that seems to never go out of style.
When Arts&Culture arrived at the salon in Gaborone Main Mall where he works, Ali Kabs had already finished his haircut.
Kabs said the Fade is common these days because people, especially the youth love it. He said the cut is different because it follows the shape of the head. He said Americans introduced it to Africa where it was not known it at the time. The man from Zambia explained that while the Fade seems to be new, it started a long time back.
“People decided to change it. That’s why today we have Fade punk, mohawk Fade and Fade bob cut just to mention but a few,” he said.
Describing the Fade haircut, Kabs said three layers characterise the chic coiffure. “The bottom should be bold followed by brush and then hair. It has to have layers in order for it to be called Fade,” he said. He said the low Fade consists of short hair while the high Fade is for long hair.
Kabs, who studied at Bemulai Hair School in Zambia said they give people pictures to choose a better Fade, but if a client does not choose well ,he usually recommends a better one looking at the shape of the head. He said because the haircut offers varied lengths for hair on the top, he has to use adjustable guide combs for the hair clipper to make a fantastic fresh and clean Fade.
He said he always shows his technique in order to keep his clients.
“The Fade has to be maintained after every two weeks because the hair on the side grows faster therefore has to be up to date,” he said.
Kabs, who has been working in Botswana for the past 10 years, emphasised that the Fade is client specific depending on the shape of the head. “But if someone insists,we find a suitable way to make it suit the environment of their head,” he said. Kabs said the Fade is however different when it comes to age.
“For older people, the Fade should be brush in order to look decent for their age. Young people go chisel and it looks perfect,” he clarified.
History tells us that this hairstyle is nothing new, but something that has transformed throughout history. People have experimented with different hairstyles and at some point, the style became normal in hip-hop culture and later rappers like Big Daddy Kane made it their signature look.
The same way football stars, musicians and other celebrities influence the way we don our hair today, it was also the same during those times.
In the past, people relied heavily on revolutionary leaders, such as the late Nelson Mandela to influence how to look, but today we have international artists like Zayne Malik who make sure that their cuts stand out along with their music.
Manchester United man, Paul Pogba can boast excellence on the football pitch and has now incorporated it into his hairstyle. They have modernised it and the Fade has now evolved greatly and it is definitely here to stay.