As a longtime admirer of the glorious beard, this is not welcome news, however the internet has spoken, and those cool beards every single male appears to be rocking in Ireland these days, may just be out of fashion, or at least going that way.
There have been rumours of it for some time, but it appears we have reached saturation point with the good fashioned beard. American website Mashable did some research on the topic recently with Jorge Cosano, the founder of the men’s e-commerce site, Ecole (as well as former leader of incubating men’s brands at L’Oreal USA and the director of global marketing for Kiehl’s) telling them;
"We live in a more streamlined world that’s post-hipster. The hipster was all about being anti-establishment and doing everything that was against corporate culture. But now we’re seeing that the new millennials, these ‘yuccies,’ are working in non-traditional environments where they can wear what they want to in their work places and truly express themselves. Now with tech becoming so big, it’s affected how people want to look like: Clean, minimal, crisp. The beard has no place now."
Jeff Laub, co-founder of popular barber shop and grooming brand, Blind Barber, added; "I think the men’s grooming world is experiencing a renaissance,” he says. “We’ve done our research there’s a huge spike and increase of interest in taking care of your skin."
While model turned actor Joel Alexander, who was one of the original purveyors of the bushy beard, has now shaved his off saying that,"My agents were telling me that big fashion houses weren’t wanting to book me because of the beard,” he says. “It’s not what they’re looking for any more and I realized then that I wasn’t going to be getting jobs with it."
He went on to say; "Casting directors and my acting agents are also telling me how beards are so niche and hipster that they’re not as desired, and how I won’t get gigs with them."
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Alexander continued; "The hipster is a thriftster. In essence he’s cheap. He’s that Silver Lake guy with Vans and rolled up jeans. I love that look, that’s who I am too, in a lot of ways. But today’s dude is all about looking more unattainable, looking more elevated, maybe more expensive. No one wants a hipster who looks like he just got done scavenging."
So, we're extremely sorry to say, it's over dudes. Take your Ronnie Drew out of here and re-familiarise yourself with your Mach3.
It sure was good while it lasted though, as a beard really does maketh the man, that's like, science.
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What say you, to beard or not to beard?
