A YOUNG barber who launched his own business after the first lockdown is now cutting the hair of some of the city’s biggest football stars.

At just 20,  Exaucè Imbo started Exstudio on Milnpark Street in Kinning Park - and has since cut the hair of stars like Rangers forward Jermaine Defoe and Celtic player Odsonne Édouard.

The Govan barber opened after the first lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic after seeing a gap in the market for black hair care in Glasgow.

The young barber said: “I first started cutting Karamoko Dembele from a referral from a close friend and since then I’ve been cutting stars from both Rangers and Celtic through referrals from their teammates.

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“As a Rangers fan, it was great cutting the likes of Jermaine Defoe’s hair and seeing my work on TV.”

Exaucè started his own barbering journey when he began cutting hair aged 14.

He said: "My dad was a barber and I used to watch him and think ‘I could do that.

“Eventually I tried cutting my brother’s hair - his reaction was positive and instantly knew I’d found my element.”

After leaving school at 16, he went on to study business. He struggled and did not know what he wanted to do with his career, so he fell back on things he loved to do and worked his way up.

He explained: “After applying twice, I eventually managed to find work at Rebel Rebel, a popular hair studio in Glasgow.

“It was only sweeping and cleaning work to begin with, but it was an invaluable experience and I soaked in a lot of what I saw in my 18 months there.”

The major change that started Exaucè on his own path of cutting hair came when, in 2018, the manager of Rebel Rebel left and asked Exaucè to join her at Frequency Barbers.

Here, he was given real experience to hone his craft and consistently learn to cut hair.

He said: “I was working there when the pandemic hit last year. I was constantly cutting hair until suddenly, all industry was shut.

“One minute I was making money and the next I wasn’t - it was at this point I knew I had to take it into my own hands.

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“Throughout my life, I’ve always been someone who’s had a plan. So, I used this new free time to take a step back and look at the demand for afro barbers in Glasgow.”

Knowing that the demand for black hair care in Glasgow was high, Exaucè knew he could capitalise on it and create an answer to the different cultures that required a central hub for having their hair cut.

Since then, Exaucè has taken on another barber, Martin Desta, who is also building up his own client base and cutting Rangers stars’ hair in the Kinning Park studio.

He said: “I established it after the first lockdown was lifted, with an amazing response.

“Though it was hard getting business going during a pandemic, and the lockdowns since have stopped me from progressing as quickly as I want, the studio’s seen amazing success and we’re looking forward to getting back to normal.”