Anyone Can Cut a Straight Line: How Sam Irwin Fell Into Hairdressing by Accident
Sam’s first ever client was a friend on his way to collect tickets for a teenage disco. The plan was simple. Sam had a clipper that only did one length, a beard trimmer for the sides, and a bath to hang the poor lad over. The clipper refused to cut. Within minutes his friend had marched round the corner to a proper barber to be rescued. Sam, by his own account, has not looked back since.
Hairdressing was never meant to be a career for him. It started with his own shaved head, moved on to doing the lads’ hair at pre-drinks in exchange for cans, and became a job only because a barber shop up the road happened to be as desperate for him as he was for it. Now he splits his time between Dublin and London, and his work has moved from sharp, tight precision to lived-in textures with a grungey 80s and 90s edge.
We caught up with Sam about trust, the myth of Dublin being ‘behind’, and why everyone can cut a straight line but not just anyone can listen.
How did your journey into hairdressing begin, and when did you first realise that this was something you wanted to pursue as a career?
Accidentally. I started doing my own hair first as I was shaving it myself, then when I started growing the top I was using a beard trimmer to do the sides, started playing around with fading etc, then it turned into being the guy at pre drinks in school doing the lads hair in return for some cans. I never really considered it as a job at all until I was leaving school. God knows the Leaving Cert wasn’t getting me far, so I thought I’d chance my arm asking the barber shop up the road to me. Turns out the owner was as desperate for me as I was for him.
Do you remember your first ever haircut on a client? What do you remember about that experience?
Yes, a bit too well. We were on our way to collect tickets to a teenage disco, I told him I could do his hair before, and we were going from quite long to short. All I had was a machine that did a single length all over, and I planned to do the sides with the beard trimmers. So we had him bent over the bath trying to get this machine through his hair and it just wouldn’t cut properly. He went straight up to the closest barber shop around the corner and they fixed it. I haven’t looked back since! He happens to be a very talented barber now too.
What do you love most about being a hairdresser? Is it the creativity, the relationship with clients, the transformation, or something else?
Definitely the relationships with people. You’re constantly meeting new people that very quickly become friends. You’re building a relationship on trust while making them feel the best version of themselves, all while having a conversation that you can pull in and out of when suited, which leaves a really nice sense of comfortability.
Hair can completely change the way someone feels about themselves. What goes through your mind when you see a client look in the mirror after you’ve finished their hair?
Depends. It’s often quite scary unless they’re reassuring you throughout. I never really feel 100% confident because, no matter how I feel about the haircut, it’s completely down to them and how they imagined it compared to the finished result. But when it’s a first-time client that hasn’t seen their hair do what it’s now doing, it’s very joyful.
How would you describe your personal style and approach to hair?
For the first 8 or so years, my style was very clean, tight precision cuts. Now my style has definitely evolved into more natural textures, looks that look a bit more lived-in but often with a grungey 80s/90s influenced type of shape.
You work between Dublin and London. How would you describe the difference between the two cities when it comes to hair, fashion and creativity?
I guess I used to think Dublin was ‘behind’ in terms of style. I certainly don’t think that anymore. I originally wanted to leave to do more of the styles I wanted, but it turns out they were always there. I was just stuck in the mud of promoting myself to the crowd in a different way. It just depends where you’re looking. Of course, London is much larger, and I’m living in more young and creative areas, so I’m more exposed to it, but it’s the same anywhere really.
Have working with different clients, personalities and backgrounds changed the way you approach your craft?
For sure! I’ve worked in some of the poorest and wealthiest areas in Dublin, but I don’t think any has changed how I treat clients particularly. But when you’re working as a barber, everything has to be extremely clean and sharp, and though that’s not as much my style anymore, it has definitely bled into the approach I take, even to hair that intentionally doesn’t want to look like it’s been cut.
How closely do you follow fashion, beauty and cultural trends, and where do you usually find inspiration for your work?
I’ve been into fashion since day 1 and don’t think I am intentionally looking for the trends anymore, but more naturally following them out of interest. As much as I love styles that come from old films and music, generally my clients find their own inspiration, and it’s my job to make it as suitable to them and their routine as I can.
Is there a particular haircut, transformation or client that has stayed with you throughout your career and why?
Actually yeah. I came over to London in 2019 to do a day workshop with a fella I followed, and I remember doing a haircut I would’ve felt comfortable with prior but feeling like I’d never cut hair before in my life. Basically being told to unlearn everything I’d thought and go entirely against my instincts, and to be honest, it had just opened a door to endless corridors creatively.
What do you think makes a great hairdresser beyond simply being technically good at cutting or styling hair?
I think the best hairdresser is the one who listens. Anyone can cut a straight line, but I think making someone feel so comfortable that they can tell you exactly what they want, and more importantly what they don’t, is where hairdressers should pride themselves.
And finally, where would you like to see your career go next? Are there particular people, brands, fashion projects or cities you would love to work with in the future?
To be honest, I’m quite content at the moment. I’ve spent a lot of time building a clientele organically with people that are really suited to me. I just want to be around nice people. I’m not sure the brand stuff is for me, but if it were with people I get along with already, I’d be happy to collab with anyone!
Written By: Pranamya Shetty
Edited By: Hazel Hunter, @hazelhunterrx
