Open Barbers is a hairdressing service for people of all genders and sexualities and for all hair lengths and types.

Open Barbers set up shop in a Radcliffe hotel room during ‘After Kinsey’.

For After Kinsey, Greygory Vass of Open Barbers delivered a presentation on the motivations and tangible experiences of Open Barbers towards setting up a gender respectful space. Hairdressers are spaces of immense vulnerability, which can include disclosure, transformation and trust. The presentation focussed on the recognition of gendered languages in hairdressing spaces, and reflect on how we can build alternative approaches to articulating and constructing individual identities without reliance on binary or prescribed models of gender presentation.

Open Barbers started in March 2011, building on hairdressing skills and experience developed by Greygory Vass and Klara Vanova over the last decade. Now led by Greygory Vass and Felix Lane, Open Barbers is growing from strength to strength, testament to the power of self organising for queer communities and the ongoing need for creating gender respectful spaces.

Operating from a salon in London, Open Barbers offers a personalised and warm haircutting experience with a queer and trans friendly attitude. The service seeks to promote the diversity of identities in society, and celebrate people’s appearance in the way they wish to be seen. Anyone is welcome, including friends. Open Barbers strives to be a welcoming space to hang out in, with a range of teas, fanzines and biscuits to make clients feel at home.

Open Barbers also delivers pop up events across the UK, which to date has included Educating Out Prejudice at Morley College, London; Cachín Cachán Cachunga!, Edinburgh; Tramfrau, Brighton; Buzzcut, Glasgow in 2014. In 2013 Open Barbers delivered several pop up events including Warwick University, Duckie events, Fringe Film Fest, London, and Shout Festival, Birmingham. Other previous pop up events have included Latitude festival, Schmoozing for Art with Brian Lobel, The Haircut Before the Party events, Bar Wotever, Queer Fayre and House of Stars.