What to know
- Toronto barber Xavier “Zay” Bergman is offering free haircuts for 30 days as he works to build experience and his client base.
- The 18-year-old started cutting hair in Grade 10 after learning the skill from his mother, a loctician.
- Bergman previously gave free cuts to students at his high school and says some families have thanked him for making haircuts more accessible.
- His free-cut promotion has drawn clients from across the GTA, including Etobicoke and Brampton, after a social media video racked up roughly 57,000 views.
With school back in session, a local Toronto teenager is helping the community look sharp and confident without breaking the bank.
Xavier Bergman, known as Zay, is an 18-year-old Toronto barber who is offering free haircuts for 30 days to help build his experience and skills. The promotion comes during the back-to-school season, which is a time when costs can quickly add up for families.
Bergman works at King’s Chair Barbershop (1881 Steeles Ave W.) in North York and cutting hair became a passion he picked up in Grade 10 after learning the skill from his mother who is a loctician. From there, he started to cut his own hair and his friends.
“I like cutting hair, like it’s what I love to do. So I’m thinking of the best way to get exposure and just keep doing what I love is by offering free haircuts for 30 days,” Bergman tells Now Toronto.
The barbershop that Bergman works at opened recently, and since he found the traffic to be a bit slower he took initiative by offering free haircuts to help bring in more customers.
“It’s just a little challenge for myself to see how I can manage a full workload, like a full work schedule,”
He posted a video on social media promoting his free haircuts which gained lots of attention online, gaining around 57,000 views. He shared that many were surprised that he is offering his service for free, but to him, haircutting is a time to create and build connections.
“It’s really just something I enjoy doing personally and seeing myself grow and get better, and the haircuts getting better, or getting faster,” Bergman told The Brandon Gonez Show. “And my conversations with people, you know, getting more interesting and more in-depth with a person. That’s enough for me to be honest,” he adds.
Although he works a second part-time job, he shares that the money is not much of a factor for him since he doesn’t have a lot of expenses at this time.
“I just want to do as many haircuts as possible and just get as many reps as possible, so I can just learn more and become a better barber overall,” he said.
Bergman also used to cut hair for students at his high school for free, with the awareness that there are many who couldn’t afford to spend money every so often on a haircut by a professional.
“I had a teacher who let me cut hair in his classroom, and on lunch breaks I would do some free haircuts,” he shared. “And people have told me that you know, they really appreciate it. Parents have come to me and said thank you”.
Bergman is not only appreciative of his employers at the barbershop giving his initiative the greenlight, but he is also grateful for the people from the community coming to support him.
“Some of my clients that have came, people are coming from Etobicoke, Brampton, like all over the GTA. So people are making drives for this,” said Bergman.
Working his way up from cutting hair at his high school and from his home, to working at a local barber shop, Bergman is striving to build his portfolio during September and early October, while helping others along the way.
