THE WILSON BARBERS
SOLIDARITY HAIRDRESSING ASSOCIATION
The Wilsons Barbers
The Wilsons Barbers are of diverse origins and administrative status. They are all volunteers.
Some work in salons, at home, are in apprenticeship or are talent amateurs.
Among them, many are in the same situations as people they take care of : they are asylum seekers or undocumented and do not have the right to work.
Thanks to their voluntary action, they then themselves become “those who give” and not only “those who receive”.
The association lends them equipment and if possible finances their transport costs to enable them to get to the sessions.
Be part of the team
Today there are more than 60 hairdressers and barbers in the association. Everyone comes according to their availability to the different sessions offered.
Would you like to become a Wilson Barber? Nothing's easier !
Just register on the insta-page dedicated to the hairdressers on which the sessions are announced.
But there are not only hairdressers or barbers in the team! At each session,non-hairdresser volunteers help with logistics, distribute tickets, organize the queue...
At the beginning...
The adventure began in February 2021 when the first Wilson Barbers (who weren't called that yet), accompanied a street-hairdresser, Hasni Bekheira, from the Grenoble associationStreet'Coiff during a session at the Parc des Expos de la Villette.
When we saw the importance of a haircut for people on the street, we decided to continue this action.
At the time, we were all volunteers of Solidarité Migrants Wilson, a citizen collective that helps exiled people abandoned by French Government.
Little by little, the collective of solidarity hairdressers grew, became structured and took the name "Wilson Barbers".
In January 2023, the collective became an association in its own right.
"It was the best volunteer time I have ever had"
A volunteer
"Oh no, sir, it's not free, here we are paid with smiles"
A Wilson Barber after being asked if it was free
"Now I'm beautiful,
I can flirt"
A gentleman who lives on the street, who didn't dare look at us before getting his hair done
"That way, the police won't stop me for at least 15 days"
An unaccompanied minor who was proud to look like any teenager with his cute haircut
