The Modern Barber Challenge debuted in Delhi at the Professional Beauty India (PBI) on 30 June–1 July 2025, transforming Pragati Maidan into a high-energy arena where fades, beard work, tattoos, and trend cuts took centrestage. Presented by Hairoticmen with tool partner Gamma+ Professional, the Modern Barber Challenge delivered precisely what barbers across the country have been asking for a serious, standards-driven platform to showcase technique, creativity and salon-ready finishes live, under pressure and in front of a heavyweight jury.
Challenge for real-world excellence
This season’s categories reflected the craft’s core pillars and current trends:
• Fade Cut
• Beard Cut & Styling
• Hair Tattoo
• Trendy Haircut (no clippers)
The category design emphasised both precision and commercial relevance. For instance, Beard Cut & Styling was split into short and long formats in the competition’s broader brief to test symmetry, clean lines and wearability, while Trendy Haircut (no clippers) pushed contestants to rely on scissors and razors, thereby separating the good from the truly great talent behind the chair.
The judging panel blended entrepreneurial salon leadership with stage-tested technical educators. The on-ground and final juries assessed competitors on technical execution, hygiene, suitability to face shape/hair type and overall finish. Among the judges were JJ Savani, Javed Sheikh, Seema Jerajani, Naseem Salmani, Deepak Jalhan, Priscilla Corner, Uday Takke, Varun Attri, Wazid Ali, Ashok Paliwal, Jay Pawar and Anchal Singh. While their names carry weight across men’s grooming, education and salon business in India, their presence didn’t just raise the bar it ensured feedback was practical and industry aligned.
After two intense days on the floor, the winners were crowned at a glitzy award ceremony attended by the who’s who of the industry. The winners were:
• Fade Cut
Winner: Vinu
Runner-up: Farid Lodhiya
• Beard Cut & Styling
Winner: Vinay Pal
Runner-up: Durgesh Sen
• Hair Tattoo
Winner: Vinu
Runner-up: Vijaya Sankar
• Trendy Cut
Winner: Imran Sheikh
Runner-up: Prashansa Bohara
Notably, Vinu’s double podium across Fade and Hair Tattoo underlined a rare combination of shape discipline and freestyle artistry, two ends of the men’s hair spectrum that seldom come together this convincingly.
For participating barbers, Modern Barber is more than a medal chase, it is visibility, validation and velocity all at once. PBI Delhi 2025 drew over 18,000 professionals and 350+ brands across hair, skin, make-up, spa and nails, creating an unrivalled talent marketplace where work on stage instantly meets opportunity off stage. Competitors showcased in front of brand owners, academy heads, distributors and salon decision-makers in a single venue an audience that can convert a strong 30-minute presentation into long-term career traction.
‘Trendy Haircut (no clippers)’ signals mastery of shape, texture and scissor control skills invaluable to premium salons and editorial teams. A standout in ‘Hair Tattoo’ demonstrates brand-friendly showmanship and social media-ready creativity. The ‘Beard Cut & Styling’ winners showcase precision and repeatability key for men’s grooming revenue on the salon floor. By focusing on what clients and salons truly value—clean transitions, balance, suitability, and polished finishes—the competition ensures that stage wins become meaningful achievements that clients and employers can easily recognize on a CV.
The jury composition mattered. With educators and brand ambassadors on the panel, many contestants received real-time insights on refinement cleaner graduation at the nape, better weight distribution around cowlicks, smarter beard shaping to complement jawlines and more deliberate photo-finish polishing for stage and camera. Those micro-notes delivered publicly benefited not just the finalists but every barber watching from the pit. It’s this ‘open classroom’ vibe that makes Modern Barber unique within the expo ecosystem.
India’s men’s grooming segment is booming, and yet barbers have had fewer national-scale stages than their counterparts in colour or bridal make-up. Modern Barber corrects that imbalance by setting transparent rules, visible scoring criteria, and credible judging. The result is a rising tide: barbers calibrate to shared benchmarks; salons recognise and reward technical excellence; and brands discover educators and ambassadors who can teach, inspire and sell with integrity. The Delhi edition proved that when the ecosystem shows up artists, educators, brands, and media barbership doesn’t just entertain; it leads.
With Delhi’s success in the books and Mumbai slated as the next milestone in October, Modern Barber is clearly evolving into a national circuit, one that can track talent, nurture specialisms and spotlight regional styles while maintaining a consistent standard of professionalism. For the winners, the next steps are obvious: portfolio updates, outreach to salons and brands, and continued participation to defend or diversify their titles. For the wider community, the message is equally clear: sharpen your craft, bring your point of view, and step into the light. The floor is ready.