Enrico Springfield, a talented young barber from Johannesburg, South Africa, has set a new world record for the fastest time to complete five skin fade haircuts, doing so in 18 minutes 57 seconds.
The record is now open to all challengers, but there was no one better to set it for the first time than Enrico.
He may be only 23 years old, but he already has a decade of experience under his belt, having learnt how to cut hair at the tender age of 13.
Enrico opened up his first barber shop in his uncle’s shed, with just a simple wooden sign nailed to the front advertising his service. Many clipped, razored and shaved heads later, he now owns a proper barber shop in the same shopping centre where he learnt his craft.
As there was no previous record holder, a competitive time to beat was put in place.
Enrico had to finish all five skin fades in under 20 minutes – an average of four minutes per haircut – or he would fail the attempt.
A skin fade is defined as a hairstyle that begins with the hair being cut down to the skin at the back of the neck and head, then tapering to longer hair as it works up the head.
To add to the pressure, Enrico had to adapt his regular cutting style as he was not permitted to use a clipper with a lever that adjusts the trim length. Rather, he was required to use clippers with separate guards, which he had to swap in and out throughout the record attempt. Each haircut must fade at least three grades to the top of the head, requiring the use of three different clipper guards in total.
Enrico got off to a speedy start, completing the first haircut in four and a half minutes. However, if he was going to achieve the record, he would need to go even faster.
Being a master of his craft may have worked against him as he wasted precious seconds perfecting the fade. Enrico even brushed the loose hairs off the participant after, despite not being required to.
"He did the first haircut and then changed his technique, so you could see him figuring out how to be most efficient." – official Guinness World Records adjudicator Sofia Greenacre
After 10 minutes, Enrico was about halfway through the third haircut and on track to achieve the record.
However, the fourth participant had much more hair than all the others, which threw Enrico off slightly. In an effort to quickly cut the hair down, he almost ruined the fade entirely.
"I was very concerned during the fourth haircut that maybe Enrico took too much off on top and I really wasn’t sure how he was going to blend it through," said adjudicator Sofia. "I wasn’t sure if he’d left enough hair to actually create the fade required."
Despite the initial doubts, Enrico’s fourth skin fade passed the check and he moved onto the final one.
After completing the hectic haircutting session, Enrico was quietly confident he had set the record. When adjudicator Sofia officially confirmed the successful result, the young barber was overcome with happiness.
"I’m definitely overwhelmed. Most definitely overjoyed and it’s really good to know that now I am Officially Amazing," he said.
"If there’s really something you want, there’s no limitation to it. You can do anything you really put your heart to." – Enrico Springfield
In addition to barbering, Enrico has a passion for teaching and inspiring others. He has a YouTube channel where he posts haircut tutorial videos – check it out to learn how to do a skin fade on yourself (or a brave friend!)
Enrico's record attempt featured on episode seven of Stumbo Record Breakers, airing every Sunday on e.tv
Related Articles
