MILWAUKEE — Jose Perez is a proud Mexican-American from Milwaukee who worked his way up to become the official barber of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Perez, a husband and father of three, cuts hair with extreme precision. He said giving the perfect fade is his passion.
“I got into the industry out of necessity, you know,” Perez said. “My family, my mom, had low resources and so one day she didn’t take us to the barbershop because she was running late for work, but my brother had a band recital at school that night and needed a haircut. We had a pair of clippers at home, so I picked them up and I cut him up and it turned out pretty nice.”
Perez enjoyed doing it, and as he got older, started shadowing local barbers. Little did he know that years later, he would become the barber of choice for players on the Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks and Green Bay Packers.
“I started with Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis. That is who I call my trampoline,” Perez said. “Pretty much he was the platform to get to all these athletes and stuff like that. So I’ve cut up Eric Stokes and [Josiah] Deguara from the Packers.”
This summer, Perez became the official barber of the Milwaukee Brewers. He also operates his own shop, Flashy Faded, in the Bay View neighborhood.
Ethan Ortiz is a long-time customer and said it has been great to watch Perez grow over the years.
“I’ve been coming to him before he had all the blue check marks, and is fading up all of these celebrities,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz said good cuts are just part of what Perez does. Perez regularly offers free trims for kids. He also hosts conversations in his barber shop about the importance of talking about mental health and supporting one another.
“That was really cool to see, just him bringing people into the shop and having that conversation on mental health,” Ortiz said. “Especially in this day and age where it is just very prevalent and very important to have.”
Perez said he hopes his story of pursuing his passion and working hard to build a name for himself will inspire people of all backgrounds to follow their dreams.
“I just don’t want to inspire them to do barbering but do whatever they want,” Perez said. “Barbering has been my pillar and has kept me from doing other things. It is all I know how to do. I say, ‘If they have a dream just go for it,’ you know? I am a Mexican-American and I love my culture. We live in a great country where we can come together and make something special happen.”
If you’d like to learn more about Flashy Faded, follow the barbershop on Facebook and Instagram.