Vic Blends: from cutting hair in his mom’s garage to reaching 11 million people on TikTok
Vic Blends is the stage name for 22-year-old Victor Fontanez. He started cutting hair in his mom’s garage in Fayetteville, North Carolina as a side hustle while getting through high school. After going to barber school, he ended up moving to Atlanta and gained notoriety for being a barber in the city’s booming rap scene, shaping the hair styles of celebrities like NLE Choppa, Mozzy, Lil Baby, Nelly, and NBA players like Trae Young.
“In my first few months of cutting hair, they had an event that is hosted every year in Fayetteville, called Cut My City, where they do free haircuts to kids going back to school. So, the guys [at Barber Kings]—you know, they’re like LeBron James to me—they said, we got this event, come cut with us. But I replied, “I got no license, I haven’t been to school, are you sure I can come?” At the time I thought that they wanted me to get experience cutting hair. But really, they were planting the seed of what it means to build community. So, when I was out there, it felt like I was cutting at the Super Bowl. It was one of the most impactful events I had, early on in my career. So, I learned the role a barber has in the community, being a father figure to a lot of young kids.”
But when the pandemic hit, he wasn’t able to work as a barber, so like a lot of us he had to reinvent himself to get by and pivoted to creating videos on TikTok.
“I know what’s really going to be “worth it” for my life. Cutting celebrities is awesome, but what’s my legacy? There’s going to be another hot barber, there’s a million barbers out here that can cut somebody’s hair. But nobody on Earth is going to make sure my legacy will be remembered. So, I’m grinding, just using my voice to be something that this generation will look up to, because that was really my motivation from the beginning.”
Most people tune in to watch his motivational videos, where he asks people on the street if he can cut their hair, then talks to them about their story. But Vic Blends also uses his TikTok and other social media platforms to share his opinions on bad haircuts, issues affecting the community, and even financial advice.
Vic tells the teenager that he went through a similar situation where his parents were scared about him going to barber school instead of college but in the end came around to supporting him, saying, “if you want your family to be behind your dream you got to prove it to them with your acting.”
It’s deep conversations like this that made Vic Blends grow popular on TikTok. They’re stories we can relate to and find inspiration in. Vic shows that one person can make a difference one haircut and conversation at a time.
He is developing his newly product brand. He wears merch with the word ‘MORE’ on it. He teases what he is working on with the brand.
“MORE is a promise to grow. It is being the right seed, the right soil, but not the right sunlight. And in life, it’s always about more. Not always more money, fame, or followers, but more time with your family, or more time by yourself. Sometimes you want more clarity. Whatever it is, we’re always going to fight for more. Some people want more of different things, but you’re never going to settle for less. As for this brand, I want it to be an extension of myself. I can’t be everywhere [at once]. I’m only one person. But if I can create something that other people can have, and can still feel that energy that I put into it, then I want to give it to them.”
Sources:
- https://youtu.be/3u-2FLKILwc
- https://ultranyc.com/vic-blends-more-brand-feature-interview/
- https://wearemitu.com/wearemitu/culture/how-vic-blends-uses-his-influence/
- https://www.thehypemagazine.com/2020/08/vic-blends-is-impacting-hip-hop-culture-one-fade-at-a-time/
- https://us-east-2.console.aws.amazon.com/polly/home/SynthesizeSpeech
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