ALSIP, Ill. — Official Cuts Academy in Alsip is more than a barbering school — it’s a working museum that pays homage to Chicago’s barbering past while producing leaders who will change the industry for years to come.
President and CEO, Yahia Jaber, founded Official Cuts Academy in 2020. He is a world-renowned master barber practicing his craft for over 16 years in the Chicago area.
Jaber opened up his first Official Cuts location at age 21. With over two decades of experience and perseverance, he looks forward to having students from all over the area become certified professional barbers through his program, guidance and training.
“We are an active barber college, but we cover so many things outside of traditional barbering. Now, tradition is something that we pride ourselves in as my personal motto is ‘you don’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you came from,” Jaber said. “Being barbers we have such a rich history in one of the oldest professions in the world, we like to capture all of that. We’re an old-school barber college with a new school twist.”
This space has a modern and contemporary feel while carefully weaving in the Chicago tradition of barbering from the beginning. All of the items of the industry’s past are from his personal collection.
“It’s insane the amount of stuff you accumulate over the years, it was scattered everywhere while I was working on the school. To finally put it all out on display is truly special, it really is a sight to see. We really put our heart and soul into this place,” Jaber said.
Jaber’s prized collection of barbering relics will be on full display two days a week. Sundays and Mondays they will be offering museum tours to the public. For more information on tours, barbering college or anything else, click here.
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