For Wahl Professional, providing high-quality education has always been at the forefront of the clipper manufacturer’s agenda. Lisa Finucane, Wahl’s National Director of Education, shares the same passion of providing education to barbers and stylists in a way that helps them reach their creative potential. In an effort to reach Wahl Professional’s end users, Finucane reorganized the Wahl Professional Education Team to touch on different creative aspects of the barber and cosmetologist educational needs.

“Dividing the Wahl Professional Education Team into three 'sub-teams' ensures that we are reaching customers at all levels of skill and creativity. There is such rich diversity and legacy in Wahl Professional Education, and my goal was to showcase the talents of the education team and leverage our stellar reputation while providing the end-user with the flexibility to choose classes and educational events for all skill levels,” says Finucane. “Our goal is to present educational offerings that can provide the barber or stylist the opportunities to learn fundamental clipper hair cutting up to the most creative cutting techniques that utilize multiple Wahl Professional tools.”

The Teams

The Field Education Team comprises the majority of the Wahl educators, who all share the goal of helping barbers and stylists learn new skills and master classic cuts. The educators on this team are tasked with teaching at distributor classes and trade shows, while continuously helping build a strong foundation of education for the barbers and stylists.

The 1919 Artistic Team has been established to influence and create high-end editorial styles. Led by creative consultant Jamie DiGrazia (@jamiedigrazia), they will provide education for those barbers and stylists looking to turn up their creativity with their tools, including the 1919 styling and finishing line. DiGrazia identifies as a stylist and barber, which allows her the creativity and skill to create hairstyles that are a hybrid of the two. The other educators on the team share similar knowledge and collaboratively will be helping create a connection with stylists. However, hair cutting will not be the only education provided by this team; the 1919 Artistic Team will also be creating finishing techniques, retail classes, and product knowledge classes all with a focus on Wahl Professional’s 1919 Men’s Grooming Line.

The role of the Wahl Professional Creative Team is to create and inspire. These educators are featured on the Disruptour, a nation-wide barber education tour created by Finucane and Byrd Mena (@byrdmena) of SharpFade. The goal of the Disruptour is to provide high-end education in intimate settings across the United States. 2021 brings a combination of a “look and learn” stage presentation followed by a “hands-on” learning experience where attendees will learn the Disruptour Trend Cuts. The Disruptour Team is a group of highly creative individuals with a passion for educating and the skill set necessary to be visionaries and trendsetters. This team will be responsible for setting the trend cuts, styles and creative social media content.

Leadership & Education

In addition to the new teams, inucane will also have help from her Lead Educator, Nieves Almaraz (@howtofadehair). Almaraz continues to be a driving force in the success of Wahl Professional Education. His background as a barber, cosmetologist and educator has significantly contributed to the success of Wahl Professional Education. Almaraz and Finucane collaborated on Wahl Professional’s Pop Up Academy as well as the creation of five fundamental haircuts that are now the basis for Wahl’s clipper education.  As a two-time NAHA Nominee, Nieves is also a creative collaborator for Finucane.

“Nieves has been a tremendous resource and solid partner as I approached the new educational formats, events, and team diversity. He and I have the same goal of providing education that reflects the journey of Wahl Professional,” says Finucane. “We are both traditionalists at heart. However, we also have a keen understanding that pushing creative limits and boundaries are necessary components to staying fresh and relevant. Our goal is to enrich the lives of our long time Wahl users and also attract new, young users by providing education that inspires all levels of barbering and cosmetology.”

For a list of available classes, check out wahlpro.com/education. To learn more about Wahl Professional, follow them on Instagram at @wahlpro or visit the website at wahlpro.com.