Hey guys, check out our interview with Rob (Bertus), an awesome guy and barber from Schorem Barbershop!

Who: Bertus

Location: Holland

Who: Owner of Schorem Barbershop

Links: www.schorembarbier.nl 

Mr. Pomade: Where did you learn your craft? It seems every cut comes out perfectly.

Bertus: Leen and myself are pretty much self taught although we learned the basics in school, we've been perfecting our skills for the last 25 years. We've been cutting rockabillies, puns, psychos and bikers...not the kinda blokes you want to fuck up their haircuts, so that's probably the best barber school there is.

Mr. P: Why the name Schorem for the barbershop?

Bertus: Schorem means scumbags but is also the past tense of "I shave him." We never expected to be known outside of Holland, we know it's a hard name to pronounce in other languages but it works really well in dutch. Our mothers didn't like it though, it hurts a mother when her son's called a Schorem haha...

Mr. P: What was your background in before you became a barber?

Bertus: I was a high school dropout, skateboarding, punk music, smoking dope, boozin', then I picked up barbering and that's pretty much the only thing that changed haha. I started doing cuts on me mates when I was about 14 so I guess it was in the blood somehow.

Mr. P: Any tips on how to comb a pomp?

Bertus: Get to know your hair, know your waves, natural fall and cowlicks. Comb it all back and look where the hair "wants" to part, knowing your own hair is the most important, some guys need to pomp up, others have to tame down. Choose your pomade wisely, it's really personal. Do you need grease or are you a water soluble guy? I think it's rubbish that people put down water solubles, it's not about the washable aspect, it's about making the perfect pomp and choosing the right lard is essential. We have our own Reuzel (Lard) Pomade, the red can, which is a WS and the green can, which is a medium hold beeswax based pomade that's sticky as honey. These two were manufactured and tested for our needs and are the perfect base for any haircut we do at Schorem.

Mr. P: What are some classic mistakes that barbers make?

Bertus: Not listening to their patron, cutting for their ego. It's never about yourself, it's ALWAYS about the patron. It's not about being the best, it's about giving your best. Life would be horrible if you really were the best that would mean there was nothing left to learn. Be humble and love your job.

Mr. P: What do you look for in a barber?

Bertus: A barber has to be a craftsman as well as a bartender. He has to give you the perfect cut but what's even more important, they have to give every patron the feeling that he is the most important guy in the shop, know what I mean, show interest in what your patron has to say, listen carefully and give him an overall good time. A guy should hate going to a salon and love seeing his barber.

Mr. P: Rags to Riches: How cool is it to see these guys go back into the world looking like a million bucks?

Bertus: We got the most rewarding job in the world man, every 30-45 minutes we get appreciation for what we do. All of our patrons walk out the door knowing they look good, a lot of times they didn't even know their hair could look as cool as it does now. Makes me love my fuckin' job man, every day again.

Mr. P: How was the Schorem boxing class?

Bertus: I got the shit beaten out me haha...All the boys working for me saw their chance...it was fuckn awesome, Marichelle is a tough cookie and almost killed us, I was exhausted. But we really believe in building team spirit and we take the team everywhere.

Mr. P: How many conventions do you do a year and which are the most memorable?

Bertus: We do shit loads of conventions and festivals. It's a great way to meet new people and most off all to PARTY...Breda is always a good one, small convention but really well organised. Jailbreak festival is supercool, but to be honest, I love them all, tattoos 'n' rock 'n' roll, we live for that shit. Hahah, we're just lucky fuckn' bastards.

Mr. P: What does every barber need?

Bertus: A humble attitude...If you're willing to learn your skills will grow every day. It's never bout the tool, it's the hand that holds it...