Old fashioned never ages

Many follow a lead just because it is fashionable, sure Jos Gibson is not one of them. He seeks things that he really likes and enjoy no matter the contest, being authentic to his true self

Human of Light Jos Gibson
Art Director Enrico Magistro
Photography Luca Caizzi
Text Alessandro De Agostini

Many follow a lead just because it is fashionable, sure Jos is not one of them. He seeks things that he really likes and enjoy no matter the contest, being authentic to his true self.
This often happens in design as well, where appearances are somehow used to draw conclusions about the original intent behind the shape. Take Taccia, for instance, many people believe its base is shaped like a Doric column, but it is not. It used to hold inside a warm lamp, that needed to be cooled down, and therefore the lamp was designed to maximize the amount of surface available.

The way people look like, how they dress, it is too often used to anticipate a verdict over them rather than sticking to their behaviors. Jos wears a long beard and wears a leather jacket, therefore he must ride a motorbike as well. He actually does, but as it always happens with real life, the reasons behind it are deeper, and not just fashionable.

Jos is such a widely creative human being, it is difficult to constrain his character into a single caption. He’s always been on the move, seeking to fulfill his need for creativity and beauty. He now lives in London in a nice and cosy apartment in Farringdon with his partner Micka, and it is difficult to think of a better city to match his multifaceted persona.

'I started riding a bike when I was in my early 20’s. I had always been fascinated by motorbikes. I like the freedom you get from riding a bike, there's just something missing about the whole experience when driving a car. One of my favorite things to do is to fly to another country and hire a motorbike and do a little tour for a week or so. I did this a few times in Canada and Australia.'

‘I think it happened really subconsciously, the whole beard thing. I had started to grow one around 2008 because I was really obsessed with bikersploitation movies from the 60’s and 70’s and outlaw culture so it was more of a reference to that. Then Fantastic Man, GQ Style and ShowStudio did cast me for shoots. The whole beard thing started to take off so I just ended up keeping it. It was hard because at one point I looked like everyone, which is a pet hate for me, but I realised after shaving it all off and growing my hair long that actually I own this look really well.’

Sure enough, his aesthetic matches his passion, but it is not a consequence of that. And oddly enough, his look drove him to some special situations, such as enrolling in a contest for the best Ernest Hemingway look-alike.

‘I had trained as a stylist/barber at the Vidal Sassoon salon in Manchester and one of the people I had been assisting whilst training was leaving to become a creative director. I always loved their work and that became a motivation to move down to further my career with the company. I think also I was better suited to teaching people, and the thought of being able to do that full time was great. I’ve worked for the Sassoon brand now for 25 years and most of that has now been in the London academies.’

The care and attention he always took in his own look, soon developed into a profession. He now runs the Vidal Sassoon Academy in London as the Principal, but as many others, he started from the bottom, pushed by great passion and commitment.

A life devoted to the search of beauty, in his professional as well in his personal life. Where beauty is not just pure aesthetic, but also the everyday little moments, spent with his friends, his love, doing the things that he likes.

‘I also built up a reputation as a men’s groomer in fashion too which has given me an additional facet to my job. I also met Vidal a few times, he was an incredible man and was always so interested in the people who worked for the brand right up until the end. One of the things he used to do when he turned up was that he would always make sure he spoke to every single person in the salon from the creative team to the cloakroom attendant. it didn’t matter who you were, he just wanted to get to know you. I think this was because he came from nothing and built one of the most famous and probably one of the oldest now beauty brands in the world: he really understood people. I thought that was really admirable.’ Jos said