BarberFEST dazzles with student collaboration and live demonstration  

Brighton MET barbering students showcased their talent through a fantastic collaboration as part of BarberFEST! 

The evening featured an exhibition of level 3 photography students’ pictures of level 2 barbering students’ work and a live demonstration from an award-winning barber.  

BarberFEST took place on Wednesday 19 June in Pelham Foyer, as part of the college’s wider METFest celebrations, which showcased the talents of Brighton MET’s Creative Industries students.  

Elvis Gjokaj, from Mike Taylor Education, held a live barbering demonstration for a group of student barbers.  

Elvis, who previously won Britain’s Best Shave at Barber UK back in 2017, said: “I have come down and worked with Brighton MET College before, and Mike Taylor Education asked me if I could come down again, and I’ve really enjoyed it. 

“I’ve found it very entertaining; it was great to see everyone get involved. The key is to go out and inspire students, also to share the knowledge that I have, it’s very nice to give back and to push students to become better barbers. 

“The main thing for me is if students can learn one or two things from me, that’s enough for me, barbering isn’t something you can pick up overnight.”  

There was also an award given out for ‘Outstanding Barber Cut’, which went to Ollie Nicholls. He said: “I thought it was nice as we can see how a professional does a variety of different haircuts and different types of techniques to cut hair.   

“It’s really nice to see someone with a lot of passion with his work as it inspires other barbers to keep doing what they’re doing and always try their best and not to give up.” 

 

Rebecca Gonzales, Teaching & Learning Manager for Hair & Beauty, and one of the organisers of the event, was delighted by the evening: “The event was a huge success which saw a collective of our current barbering students gather to celebrate their graduation.  

“Guests were invited to view an exhibition of the barber’s handy work; The beautiful images were taken by our MET photography students and resulted in a stunning collaboration of work.”  

Martha Killick, Vice Principal of Brighton MET College, added: “BarberFEST celebrated the amazing achievements of our level 2 barbering students, and it was great to see so many wonderful pieces of work.  

“Also, a big thank you to Elvis for coming and inspiring our students yet again with his amazing barbering work, I know our students will take away a great deal from watching him at work.” 

If you are interested in studying one of our barbering, hairdressing or photography courses at Brighton MET, please visit: https://www.brightonmet.ac.uk/study-with-us/