Celebrity Barber Vince Garcia on Career Rise, Dior Ambassadorship
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As a kid, Vince Garcia didn’t know he would become one of the most in-demand celebrity barbers of his generation. But he always had a razor-sharp knack for creativity.
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“I come from an artistic background, I loved drawing as a kid and I originally started doing designs on all my friends and cousins,” Garcia said. “We had a childhood barber we saw at least once a week, and I asked him if he could teach me the basics of cutting hair.”
It became Garcia’s childhood hobby, one he would practice on teachers and friends. The Toronto native has since parlayed his lunch-money hobby into a career tending to top athletes and actors. Although he now lives in Los Angeles, he’s on the road frequently. “Devin Booker is one of my main clients, so I travel to Phoenix once per week,” he said. “A few years ago, I used to travel a lot more.”
He’s also worked with LeBron James, Damian Lillard, Travis Kelce, Ludacris and Fabolous, and is also a barber on HBO Sports’ series in collaboration with James, “The Shop: Uninterrupted.”
When he’s not on the road, Garcia cuts hair out of his house, where buzzes can cost as little as $100 — when he’s taking new clients. “House calls start at $350 depending on how far it is to drive, and outside of the city is a day rate,” he said. “I don’t take new clients unless they’re referrals. I’m only cutting two or three days at most in the week, and then I work on other projects. Sundays or Mondays are my days to spend more time with my family and my kids.”
It’s no surprise basketball players are a significant portion of his clientele. It’s one of his favorite sports. “Out of all the sports, the NBA is the biggest sport I will watch. I grew up playing basketball, and in my free time, I love to shoot around,” he said. “Being in L.A. and having clients throughout the league, I mainly support my clients and their teams during the season.”
The Toronto Raptors are — natch — his favorite team, especially given his first client. “I was working at local barber shops in my city, and my best friend had a job to shoot [former Toronto Raptor] Chris Bosh. I went over and started cutting hair, and two days later, he asked if I was available to cut him for a game. From then on, I was his barber.”
When Garcia was 19, he met Drake through mutual friends, and several years later started working on his hair, too. That’s when he knew the timing was right to relocate to L.A. “L.A. had a lot more opportunity for me to tap into the industries there more, cutting actors and rap artists, and pretty much any celebrity,” he said. “So, I kind of jumped ship.”
Drake‘s manager later connected him to rapper Lil Wayne’s label, Young Money Entertainment, and his clientele swelled — ”Word of mouth is big,” he said — but there are still a few clients he’s chasing. “I’d love to cut [former president Barack] Obama, he’s been on my list for the longest time. Jay-Z, people I’ve idolized growing up. It’s mainly a lot of music artists.”
What keeps those clients coming back is Garcia’s knack for the barbershop basics. “I started at such a young age, and the most popular haircuts at that time were just fades and tapers,” he said. “My style is just a regular textbook barber, but what I specialize in and what people know me for are my fades. I mastered my technique on how to execute the perfect blend: basic, sharp, clean.”
That finesse is part of what attracted him to the prestige of Dior, who named Garcia its first U.S. Sauvage grooming ambassador.
“Just having them reach out was such an eye-opener for me,” Garcia said. “Knowing that they’re tapping into the grooming industry, which is all I know, and I’m excited to share my knowledge and expertise with them to help grow that grooming line. It’s been one of the biggest partnerships I’ve ever gotten.”
Favorite Way to Unwind: TV
“My fiancé and I have been watching ‘Ted Lasso,’ and we just finished the new ‘Bel Air.’ We were also really big on ‘Ozark’,” he said.
Favorite Music: R&B
“Even at my home studio, all my clients know me for playing ’80s, ’90s R&B,” he said. “I listen to Mint Condition, Jodeci, Boys II Men, and Frank Ocean I’m a big fan of,” he said.
Favorite Sports Team: Toronto Raptors
“Being from Toronto, I always support the Raptors, win or lose,” he said. “Favorite players are hard to nail down, but Kobe [Bryant] and Michael Jordan — the top players, all in all.”
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