Across America, community is built around the simple act of getting a fade or flat top — and stories among men are shared as freely as the clippings of hair that fall after the snip, snip of the scissors. On the South Fork, the professionals who cut hair have tales of their own to tell.
Andrés David Giraldo
Waterfront Salon and Barber Shop, Sag Harbor
This 16-year-old scissor whiz has been cutting hair for more than three years already. He’s a relatively new but slam-dunk addition to the Waterfront Salon and Barber Shop on Long Wharf, backing up its owner and chief stylist and quickly building up his own following.
Giraldo’s passion started with a simple gift: a clipper kit that was a Christmas present from Mom. “Then I started to cut my own hair — I mean, messing my own head up, because I didn’t have any idea about how to cut hair,” he recalls.
That’s all changed now, of course, and Giraldo specializes in beards and fades. “I love to change somebody’s appearance, and I really enjoy when a client walks out of the shop feeling good and satisfied with the change that they get by me,” he said.
Sebastian Diaz
Hamptons Barber Lounge, Southampton Village
At 33 years old, Diaz is the owner of the shop where he’s been working for the last 11 years. He started in this career at the age of 16. Diaz and his crew offer all the cuts you’d expect from a traditional barber shop, just with a vibe kind of like a daytime version of a nightclub. “I chose this profession because it allows me to express my creativity while building meaningful connections with a diverse range of people, all within a relaxed and welcoming environment,” Diaz said. “I take pride and love what I do.”
Danny Ximo
Waterfront Salon and Barber shop, Sag Harbor
Ximo, 44, came to the United States from Argentina when he was 19 with aspirations of an acting career. His first job in the personal care business wasn’t “barber” or “stylist,” which is what he considers himself now, but rather, he was the receptionist.
Fast-forward about 17 years, and Ximo is now the owner of the Waterfront Salon and Barber Shop on Long Wharf. He also moonlights as the drag queen RaffaShow, allowing him to flex his creative side and performance skills as the main attraction at Drag Bingo several times a year for Our Fabulous Variety Show. “It’s not acting, but it’s artistic,” he said.
“Barbering is also therapy, in a way. Throughout the years I’ve learned that sometimes people open up to me, especially men. There are so many situations where people open up. It’s amazing to interact like this. We kind of create a family.”
Hai Duong
Hamptons Barber Lounge, Southampton Village
“Being a barber lets me do what I love. I get to joke around, drop some wisdom, and help guys walk out feeling like kings,” says Duong, 35, who has been cutting hair professionally for over 11 years and is the manager of the shop where he works now. “A lot of men don’t have safe spaces to just be, so if I can boost someone’s confidence or give them a reset, that’s huge. The haircut’s just part of it — we’re also part-time therapists, only a lot cheaper.”
People go to Duong for skin fades and tapers, and when they want to look like they’ve leveled up in life. He got a bit emotional, reflecting on his career path. “It took time for me to really see how much this job has given me. Thousands of cuts and countless conversations with people from every background have taught me so much. I get to be creative and make people feel good. That’s
something special.”
Vinnie Mazzeo and Nick Mazzeo
Vinnie and Nick’s Barbershop, Amagansett
Vinnie Mazzeo, 75, opened up shop five decades ago in Amagansett, before his son Nick was even born. Now Nick Mazzeo, 45, cuts hair alongside his father, in their shop off Main Street in Amagansett.
Vinnie was inspired to begin cutting hair by the guy who cut his hair growing up: the original Sag Harbor GOAT, Marty Trunzo, whose shop facade persists even though the inside’s a boutique now. Trunzo died in 2016 at the age of 97, but his legacy lives on with the Mazzeos.
“I’ve talked to people all day long for 50 years, and every conversation is different,” Vinnie Mazzeo said. “We have a great relationship between the customer and the barber. It’s like a dentist or a doctor — you stay with your barber pretty much for the rest of your life.”
Nick Mazzeo was inspired by his dad to follow in his footsteps. “I really didn’t know what I had planned for the future,” the 1998 Pierson High School graduate said. “I wasn’t big for school as a top-notch student. I figured, ‘Why not carry on the family tradition here?’”
If two generations isn’t enough to call it “tradition,” then how about three? Nick’s son, Dominic, a junior at Pierson High School, was set to complete his BOCES barbering certificate as of press time. Like father like son like son.
Fahd Ibrahim
East Hampton Barber, East Hampton Village
Ibrahim was a young soldier in the Syrian military, stationed in Damascus, when he met the man who would inspire his future career — the barber responsible for cutting the men’s hair. “I watched my friend every day. He taught me. I will never forget this guy. I don’t know if he is alive — I hope he is.”
Ibrahim, 62, cut hair in Montauk until he had the chance to buy the shop on Newtown Lane that had first been established by an Italian immigrant. He loves his job because he meets people from all walks of life. “You meet poor and rich. You meet nice and elegant. You meet stupid, you meet everyone.”
A Statement From the Photographer
As the blades of the scissors meet, they cut in two directions: toward something new and away from something old. First haircut, first day at school, first job, first date. We watch ourselves change and we listen to conversations around us.
“Did you see the game?”
“. . . Yeah, I just got back.”
“. . . Thanks. He was sick for a while.”
And we hear the small silence that follows, just before it all starts over again.
Whatever our reason may be, we go to these men to leave something behind. We hope to walk out the doors lighter than when we came in. — JASON NOWER