Bryce Harper Invests in Blind Barber
The Blind Barber has a new partner, and it’s none other than the guy deemed to have the best hair in baseball: Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper.
While terms of Harper’s investment were not disclosed, the deal calls for him to endorse Blind Barber grooming products and barbershops, and create a Bryce Harper for Blind Barber product line that will include unique and products developed by him.
Harper told WWD he’d been using the company’s products for some time and when he finally met the founders, that helped seal the deal.
“I’ve received a lot of interest from hair-care brands over the last few years, but when I met the Blind Barber guys we just clicked,” he said. “I’ve always appreciated the barbershop culture and held to the mantra, ‘Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good.’ The chance to be a part of something like this was something I just couldn’t pass up.”
But endorsing a product and investing are two different things. Harper said it was his “personal connection to the products, its founders and what the brand represents” that prompted him to write a check. “I wasn’t just looking to slap my name and image on something,” he said. “I wanted to be a part of the process and something greater that can change the men’s grooming game.”
Since catapulting onto the Major League Baseball scene in 2012, the now-25-year-old All-Star has gained a reputation not only for his hitting but also for his personal style, notably his coiffed hair and beard.
Harper said he uses the Blind Barber’s 90 Proof product regularly and its 30 Proof Styling Cream or the Sea Salt Spray “depending on how much hold I want.”
With his own product line, Harper said he hopes to offer up something a little different.
“I’m particular with what I use in my hair and beard and couldn’t find the perfect products,” he said. “The chance to be a part of the creative process, to craft specific textures and scents was the perfect combination for me. We’re working on products like hair clay, a dry shampoo and a beard product. Men care about their hair too. So to be a part of advancing products for myself and other men is awesome.”
Harper’s partnership with Blind Barber LLC is a long-term deal, the company said.
The Bryce Harper for Blind Barber product line will launch at retail in the fall. But starting today, Blind Barber will launch a fully immersive campaign through both traditional and digital channels to get the message out.
“Obviously we knew about Bryce as a baseball player and for his great hair, but when we got to know him, we quickly realized that he had the same values we try to emulate through our products and barbershops,” said Jeff Laub, Blind Barber co-owner and head of marketing and creative for the company. “As an indie brand, we’re just at the start of our journey, and we feel honored that Bryce has decided to come on board and continue to push the envelope with us.”
Founded by Laub, Josh Boyd, Adam Kirschenbaum and Matt Breen, the first Blind Barber shop opened in New York City’s East Village in 2010 and has since expanded to six locations across the country with three shops in New York, one in Chicago and two in Los Angeles. The shops offer cuts and shaves in the front barbershop and lounges in the back.
Harper, a Las Vegas native, made his Major League Baseball debut with the Nationals on April 28, 2012 when he was 19 years old. He was selected for the 2012 All-Star Game, becoming the youngest position player to ever be selected.
He won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2012, and tied for the NL’s lead in home runs during the 2015 season, the same year he was named its Most Valuable Player. This year is to be his last with the Nationals, as he’s expected to file for free agency at the end of the season.
In addition to his worth — reports say he could receive a record-setting contract offer in excess of $400 million — now that the Blind Barber deal is being promoted publicly, Harper’s hair will undoubtedly become an even more prominent part of the conversation in the future. But does having so much hair bother him while he’s playing?
“Nope, not at all,” he said.
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