How it started
I started in hair at fifteen. The man who first taught me how to hold a pair of scissors properly was Harish Bhatia at BigBoss in Mumbai — that's where it genuinely started, and I still credit him for it. Over fifteen years in now.
It was never quite the plan, though. For years I ran two careers in parallel — senior learning and development work in the NHS, then recruitment and outsourcing, while building the hair side alongside it. I've got an MBA and a psychology degree, and I don't think either was a detour. Understanding how people make decisions is most of what this job actually is.
The work
My speciality is technical scissor work. I came up through hairdressing at Vidal Sassoon and I've spent my career combining that discipline with modern men's styling. Most barbers don't have that hairdressing foundation, and it shows in the shapes you can build.
The part I've spent years getting right is sectioning. It's the least glamorous thing in the job and it's where everything is decided — how you section determines whether hair moves properly or just sits there. That's straight out of the Sassoon training, and applying it to men's hair is what makes a cut look different without anyone being able to tell you why.
If I could change one thing, it'd be that more people asked for creative scissor cuts. That's where the real craft is, and it's the work I most enjoy.
Who taught me
Harish Bhatia first. Vidal Sassoon gave me the technical foundation. Vikas Vij at Professional Beauty India was the first person to properly trust me and open that market up. Tim Brace helped me turn an idea into an actual business. Seema Jerajani and Josh Lamonaca both changed how I think about the craft. And Curvel Baptiste and the Squire team gave me a UK platform and opened up CT Expo in the States.
Why Wellingborough
People assume you have to leave a town like this to work at that level. You don't — I fly out, do the job, and I'm back behind the chair here that same week. The town gave me the craft.
What clients say
"Best barber in Wellingborough."
Nokib
"JJ is an artist — very welcoming, friendly and polite. Extremely skilled barber. I won't go anywhere else now."
Patrick
"JJ is the best in the business. Always a top trim and great attention to detail. Highly recommend."
Josh · Haircut & Beard
"Excellent service from JJ at ONE — Originality Never Ends. Always a great cut, attention to detail is spot on, and the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming."
Oliver
"JJ is top tier."
B
Beyond the chair
Stylist for Zegna at Dubai Fashion Week. Global Grooming Director and Pageant Judge for Mrs India Worldwide 2026. Named one of the Top 5 Educators at the Modern Barber Awards 2024. Main judging panel for the Modern Barber Awards India across 2024, 2025 and 2026, and the Professional Beauty India SNAP Awards in 2024 and 2025. BTC One Shot Hair Awards Top 100, fade category. Shortlisted in Wahl Pro UK's Top 5 British Barbers two years running.
Work featured in GQ India, and the ONE Classic Collection covered by Estetica. I've styled Divine for the GQ Most Influential Style Awards and Yuvraj Singh ahead of Wimbledon — that one with no knowledge of cricket whatsoever.
Outside the shop: blackout shades, always. Travelling the world and teaching — that's genuinely the part I love most.
JJ also runs jjsavani.com and The Global Stylist Blueprint, his international mentorship for hair professionals.