This Barber Gave Out Free Haircuts At 'Made In America' Festival For The Best Reason
When you go to a music festival, you make time for purchasing merchandise, eating, and coordinating set times... but what about a haircut? For the past few years, the Made In America festival has delved into more than just presenting artists. The Philly-based show had a philanthropic experience at this year's event, and one barber's presence was the highlight of the options. Faheem's Hands Of Precision at Made In America is the kind of giving back that should be present at more festivals.
Faheem's is an actual barbershop in Philadelphia that is well-known for aiding the homeless community. On the barber shop's Facebook page, you can see Faheem pictured with celebrities like Ice Cube and Jimmy Fallon. His work has gained quite the recognition over the years.
For Made In America on Sept. 1 and 2, 2018, Faheem's team dedicated their time to give complimentary haircuts. In return, they donated the time back to the local community. People made appointments to get their hair braided, get a fade, or add sparkly glitter to their styles. By the end of the first day at the festival, the shop was booked up to 8 p.m. the following day. It made me wish I didn't get a haircut the day before so I could have joined in on this perk.
So, how did this barber and his team set up shop in the middle of a busy music festival? The barber shop was part of Abercrombie & Fitch's pop-up shop in the Cause Village, which was where the festival hosted over 25 charitable and activist organizations. The Abercrombie & Fitch store also sold Made In America clothing, and in fact, Jay-Z was spotted rocking one of the light pink long-sleeved shirts from the collection on his shoulders. Abercrombie & Fitch is also making a donation to the Pennsylvania affiliate of the ACLU.
Festival goers could get their hair styled by Faheem's team, then walk over to the A&F lounge to get T-shirts, sweaters, or make use of their phone recharge station.
In my opinion, initiatives like Faheem's should be present at more music festivals. Sure, you go to a festival to appease your love and hunger for music, but if you can expose yourself to good deeds and causes along the way, why not? Festivals are very much about unity, so to have the community promoting and fighting for various causes in the same place is impactful. It takes a village, and the Cause Village reflected the importance of staying on top of how you can help your community in multiple ways.
It was enlightening to see Abercrombie & Fitch partner with Faheem and his team because everyone, no matter what economic background, has the right to feel and look their best from head to toe. And by the looks of the waiting list for the barbershop services at the festival, Faheem and his crew are going to give back so much time to the disadvantaged community.
The combination of music and philanthropy was admirably present throughout the festival, but especially in the Cause Village. There's no doubt that Faheem, his team, and the Made In America festival brought an immeasurable amount of compassion to the City of Brotherly Love.
