As a child, Vince Garcia didn’t know he would turn into some of the in-demand celebrity barbers of his generation. But he all the time had a razor-sharp knack for creativity.

“I come from a creative background, I loved drawing as a child and I originally began doing designs on all my friends and cousins,” Garcia said. “We had a childhood barber we saw no less than once per week, and I asked him if he could teach me the fundamentals of cutting hair.”

It became Garcia’s childhood hobby, one he would practice on teachers and friends. The Toronto native has since parlayed his lunch-money hobby right into a profession tending to top athletes and actors. Although he now lives in Los Angeles, he’s on the road incessantly. “Devin Booker is one in every of my most important clients, so I travel to Phoenix once per week,” he said. “A couple of years ago, I used to travel loads more.”

He’s also worked with LeBron James, Damian Lillard, Travis Kelce, Ludacris and Fabolous, and can also be a barber on HBO Sports’ series in collaboration with James, “The Shop: Uninterrupted.”

When he’s not on the road, Garcia cuts hair out of his house, where buzzes can cost as little as $100 — when he’s taking recent clients. “House calls start at $350 depending on how far it’s to drive, and outdoors of town is a day rate,” he said. “I don’t take recent clients unless they’re referrals. I’m only cutting two or three days at most within the week, after which I work on other projects. Sundays or Mondays are my days to spend more time with my family and my kids.”

It’s no surprise basketball players are a significant slice of his clientele. It’s one in every of his favorite sports. “Out of all of the sports, the NBA is the most important sport I’ll watch. I grew up playing basketball, and in my free time, I really like to shoot around,” he said. “Being in L.A. and having clients throughout the league, I mainly support my clients and their teams through the season.”

The Toronto Raptors are — natch — his favorite team, especially given his first client. “I used to be working at local barber shops in my city, and my best friend had a job to shoot [former Toronto Raptor] Chris Bosh. I went over and began cutting hair, and two days later, he asked if I used to be available to chop him for a game. From then on, I used to be his barber.”

When Garcia was 19, he met Drake through mutual friends, and a number of other years later began working on his hair, too. That’s when he knew the timing was right to relocate to L.A. “L.A. had loads more opportunity for me to tap into the industries there more, cutting actors and rap artists, and just about any celebrity,” he said. “So, I form of jumped ship.”

Drake‘s manager later connected him to rapper Lil Wayne’s label, Young Money Entertainment, and his clientele swelled — ”Word of mouth is big,” he said — but there are still just a few clients he’s chasing. “I’d like to cut [former president Barack] Obama, he’s been on my list for the longest time. Jay-Z, people I’ve idolized growing up. It’s mainly plenty of music artists.”

What keeps those clients coming back is Garcia’s knack for the barbershop basics. “I began at such a young age, and the most well-liked haircuts at the moment were just fades and tapers,” he said. “My style is just a daily textbook barber, but what I concentrate on and what people know me for are my fades. I mastered my technique on the way to execute the proper mix: basic, sharp, clean.”

That finesse is an element of what attracted him to the prestige of Dior, who named Garcia its first U.S. Sauvage grooming ambassador.

“Just having them reach out was such an eye-opener for me,” Garcia said. “Knowing that they’re tapping into the grooming industry, which is all I do know, and I’m excited to share my knowledge and expertise with them to assist grow that grooming line. It’s been one in every of the most important partnerships I’ve ever gotten.”

Favorite Technique to Unwind: TV

“My fiancé and I even have been watching ‘Ted Lasso,’ and we just finished the brand new ‘Bel Air.’ We were also really big on ‘Ozark’,” he said.

Favorite Music: R&B

“Even at my home studio, all my clients know me for taking part in ’80s, ’90s R&B,” he said. “I take heed to Mint Condition, Jodeci, Boys II Men, and Frank Ocean I’m a giant fan of,” he said.

Favorite Sports Team: Toronto Raptors

“Being from Toronto, I all the time support the Raptors, win or lose,” he said. “Favorite players are hard to nail down, but Kobe [Bryant] and Michael Jordan — the highest players, all in all.”