Fellow supports an unexpected new customer base
Non-Binary
In Auckland, I frequented a place called “I'm Not A Barber”. Described as a hairdresser with barber prices for both men and women, it’s a place where everybody is welcome and your gender doesn't dictate the price you pay.
Fellow Barber started in downtown New York City. They believed in people, quality and tradition. Fellow Barber was part of the spark that ignited what is today known as “contemporary barber culture”.
In 2013, with the help of RoAndCo studio, Fellow Barber diversified their offering with a grooming line of retail products. These products reflected the traditional barbershop masculine boys club culture. Utilitarian, industrial, typographic packaging design that referenced vintage oil and paint cans. The quality was consistent with feminine products but they were presented to appeal to men, *chest bump*. Then the unpredictable happened: female and non-binary clients started flocking to Fellow Barbers to get cuts and buy products. With this shift in clientele, Fellow Babers returned to RoAndCo to discuss how to be inclusive of this wider audience. RoAndCo felt the natural progression was to leave off the word 'Barber' as it's rooted in masculine culture. They were left with the word fellow, which is an old fashioned term meaning a man or boy. Old fashioned, that's for sure, and maybe the meaning over time can be altered to include he and she and her and me and them.
Fusion's Massive Millennial Poll suggests 50% of millennials believe that gender exists on a spectrum and some people sit outside of the conventional categories of him or her. Whatever your view or opinion, brands and packaging design are embracing these beliefs. For example...
The Ordinary
They offer low-cost, no-frills skincare for all customers, no matter what they identify as. The pharmaceutical inspired packaging presents ingredients to educate and reassure the consumer. It's not pink, thin and scented with jasmine aimed at women or strong, bold and scented like a rugged pine forest aimed at men, it’s for anyone and everyone.
