PHOTOS BY: SHAHANAH ZAYNAH

Dimemond Mentality's core mission, purpose and initiative is aiming to bringing the underrated, quality-based individuals to the surface, more specifically bring them to the surface out of Vancouver. We deliver quality in everything we create, share and collaborate upon. We raised the stakes by creating a new initiative, Dimemond Hall of Fame. 

These Dimemonds have managed to create their own platform, have exceeded many goals and have begun to flourish in their brand, their craft and most of all their individuality. Dimemond collaborates with these more established names, to further help market who they are, what they do, but also, to raise the bar and provide even greater inspiration, and mentorship, for the readers and audience who are always questioning their potential to be something great!

We introduce you to Status Barbershop.

What is Status? 

Status Barbershop is based in Victoria, British Columbia. Its locally well known, and has the recognition to prove it. It currently is the winner of the No.1 Barbershop based in Victoria, placed in the Top 20 under 40 on Vancouver Island, and has been voted and awarded Best of the City in Victoria 2 years in a row (2014 & 2015) from The Ageless Living Magazine based in Victoria as well. Also, every client you see come in and out of Status, will be more than happy to agree with the well deserved recogition, that they are indeed the best in city, and only heading to taking over British Columbia as a whole. 

So what makes Status the place to be to get a great, fresh and fly cut? It's all about the experience.

Troy "T-Bone" Wilson

Troy Wilson is the founder and owner of Status Barbershop, and he is the complete ball of energy that got the shop running at full speed! 

Troy first opened the shop October 1st, 2009, and has continued to push the brand, the experience and customer service to the top, and hasn't looked back. However, Troy has a massive resume which helps even more prove to his clients and the readers, as to why he can gurantee you a great experience when being in Status Barbershop. His background of many career choices and as well as life experiences, has brought him to be the great, quality individual he is today. He is indefinitely listed as the number one mentor on the Dimemond Mentality brand and platform!

Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he excelled into sports throughout high school into post secondary, and making into Connecticut for University basketball. From that chapter of his life, that is where his barbering experience began. How? He simply cut hair for his fellow team mates. He admitted that he used to pay the janitor on the campus, $50, to assist with clean up and use of space. Who says jocks can't be entreprenuers? From then on, he began to continuously cut hair on his porch and his basement at the time.

T-Bone is beyond what we call a "multi-faceted" individual, when it comes to what he has experience with, and integrated with his business mentality. He has worked in past environments which range from Footlocker, TD Canada Trust, and currently a teacher, in both the Status Barbershop and in the school district. His experience within the teaching industry, is his vast 20 years within the school board in Victoria. He also admits "the barber-life was a hobby for me", and it slowly evolved into a full fledged business plan, idea, brand and now team and storefront! He is here to raise the bar and excel!

Why "Status"?

Troy's main mission when creating Status Barbershop was to allow clients and customers "to get swagged out in one go". And he chose the perfect name for that experience.

When creating and opening the shop, he had to make sure, and still does, that he can trust and have consistency of work ethic, service and positive energy throughout the team he wanted to put together. He believes that the Status Barbershop business and environment, is about being more than barbers, they are groomers. The team and Troy "care more about the aesthetic of each of individual", and providing them a true VIP experience.

Troy's teaching ability and energy is heavily felt when you enter the Status Barbershop. When sitting down with the rest of the Status team, one question that Dimemond asked all of them was, "What do you appreciate the most about being here, working at Status Barbershop?"

There was zero hesistance from all 9, current barbers who craft and create at Status. They all agreed and used the same word, FAMILY.

Each of them truly appreciate the family Troy has been able to create within Status, and infused even in the environment for clients and customers. Some of team members of Status, were and are being taught by Troy Wilson, on various barber techniques and skill palettes, but also he also infuses them, with what it means to provide great customer service, and quality when you are embosseed with being able to give an individual a hair cut. At times, most of the team members said that giving the hair cut, makes their customers day, and that's what they appreciate the most about being able to take on the art form of cutting, styling hair and having the barber lifestyle.

Troy Wilson is also very strategic with how he places his team. He wants to always stay consistent, and true to his brand, and to always being able to provide each client and customer that steps into the shop, they are given the full experience. What makes Status Barbershop different, from all other barbershops and even salons in Victoria BC, and even Vancouver BC? The multi-talented team has began to build and is continuing to grow.

The Status Barbershop is different from other shops and salons for many reasons. One of the top reasons is the amount of service the shop offers and provides for their clientel and customers. Troy has began to look at Status at a bigger scale, and strives to create a team that is both passionate about barbering but also, willing to break the norm, and integrate hair-styling within the shop. His team is mixed from traditionally trained hair stylists and also self-taught barbers that continue to create successful lookbooks of fresh cuts, and endless customer satisfaction! Satisfaction is probably not even the right word, but they consistently exceed customer needs.

The Status Team

GARY

Gary has been apart of the Status team for 2 years. He is originally from Toronto and was trained in barbering there as well. He some how managed to make his way to the West Coast (THE BEST COAST!), after visiting his family, and decided to start a new chapter in Victoria BC. Right off the bat, Gary was recommended to go and meet Troy at Status. With his resume already including his experience doing fades, Troy was able to help integrate Gary's existing barbering palette into a new skill of using clippers and more simplification techniques. Through his experience being with Troy and the Status team, he has already experienced many different textures, and continues to diversify his resume.

Gary found throughout his experience of cutting hair back in Toronto, it was very monotone almost, and a greedy industry. He described how he worked in a shop with a team, but it didn't feel like they were working together. As oppose how Status can be some days, where more than one barber will work on one client, and they will work together as a team, to give the customer the highest quality in service. 

One thing Gary appreciates about the shop is having the shop be incredibly multi-cultural and the integration of both barber techniques alongside hairdressing.

Salute to Gary on his grind! 

KANE

Kane is a born and bred Victorian. His experience with the barber-life started at the ripe age of 11 years young. At the time, he was sick and tired of getting really bad hair cuts, and made the executive decision, that he was going to cut his own hair!

Kane was not always focusing his barber skill set as a career choice. At the end of his senior year at Esquimalt High School, and he completed a culinary progam, and became a certified foodie, who baked more than creating savory dishes. However, he decided he really wanted to pursue his barber craft, as a full-fledged career. He barely cooks nowadays incase you were wondering!

Just 3 years ago, he chose to take on the Barber title as a profession. He knew Troy through networking and through friends, and he heard the shop was opening. 

Kane is known in the shop for his great strength at perfecting the beard game, and surprisingly, one of the top barbers to cut afro-based hair and giving a fresh fade! Kane is also determined to major all of barbering and all of hair-dressing and be the full package!

Salute to the WolfMan. Barbershop over the Bakery life!

LEFTY

Andrew, also more known as Lefty, is the only left handed barber at Status, hence the nickname. 

He is a Calgary born barber, who came to Victoria in 2010 to attend the University of Victoria and majored in Geography and Oceanography, with a minor in English. As he resided in Victoria for his post secondary chapter, he was a regular at the Status Barbershop, and Mo was his barber. And, in 2013, he decided he wanted to start cutting hair, and that is exactly what he did. He started at Status just this past April-May, and hasn't felt anymore passionate than he does at Status!

His interest in entering the barber career, came from his interest in the fashion lifestyle and how artistically-intergrated hairstyle as apart of it. Since entering Status, he has been an observer of the trade, while being self taught and as well as having Troy showing him the ropes!

Lefty is very keen on being apart of the West-Coast, style and fashion movement, as it is slowly becoming more and more recognizable here in BC, more specifically, Vancouver. 

As Lefty continues to become a better barber, he is extremely happy to be apart of a great team, shop, and brand, and his willingness to learn is shown through his enthuiastic energy within the shop! If you decided to hit up Status, introduce yourself to Lefty! He'll be the one in one the many retro Jordans and rapping and singing along to all the songs that are played in the shop!

Salute to the Left Hand man!

JOY

Joy is literally full of joy! She has a vast amount of experience within the barbering indusrty as a career, and has only joined Status within the last few years, to only have her passion re-sparked and higher enthusiasm for working within an energetic team.

A born and bred Victorian, Joy began hair dressing in 1977. She gained her styling experience from 1978-1979 while working at the House of Glamour in Victoria, where she apprenticed under Charles Laker. She recalls this experience being a great way of learning how to be a good person and how to conduct yourself professionally.

From 1979 and onwards for about 8-9 years, she was the barber on the Military Base in Victoria. She remembers when she was on the base cutting hair, there was really only one style for cuts. She also recalls that she would work the 9-5 lifestyle, and cut close to 30-40 heads a day. Her record is currently 55 hair cuts in one day.

She was also the only woman barber on the base for the first half of her experience cutting on the base, and felt first hand how men felt about women cutting their hair. Eventually, most to all of the male barbers who worked alongside her left, and more females replaced them. Joy encompasses so much passion and energy when speaking about her experiences, and has definitely proven the stereotype of women not being able to cut mens hair. She has an exceptional skill palette and background, that she doesn't see gender when cutting hair, but more of an individual experience that happens everyday at the shop!

Joy met Troy through family and friends, and discussed having a new opportunity and experience of cutting hair.

One of the many things Joys loves about the hairstyling generation now, is how all the older styles are making a come back into the current generation! She appreciates working at Status, while being able to have younger clients, feeling accepted and working on a family-oriented team!

Big ups to Joy, she has been a massive inspiration for Team Dimemond!

RAYNE

Rayne is one of creators at Status Barbershop, where she has both barbering and hairdressing experience. She's become of the leading ladies at Status, consistently motivated to try new things, whether it is a challenge in cutting and buzzing the perfect fade, or styling one of her favorite styles in the game right now, the Pompadour.

One of the interesting experiences Rayne has had at Status so far, is putting the stereotype of women not being able to cut mens' hair to rest. She carries confidence and quality, where she feels 100 about that she can deliver the same, if not, exceedingly more quality in a cut than a man. As Troy brought Rayne on to team, he is also confident that Rayne can deliver quality, in the integration of barbering and hairdressing, and does believe the intergration brings a greater signature to the Status team and brand!

With having her background in hair cuts, starting out primarily in hair dressing, she enjoys the male styles a lot more, as there is more exploration, more room for creative freedom and male hair cuts tend to be more flexible, and evolving in style!

Hit up Rayne for a dope fade and styling. Salute to Miss Rayne as she continues to become a confident barber and breaking the norms of the "barbering lifestyle"!

KAREN

Karen has been with the Status Team for last 6 months and has been loving every bit of the experience!

She has had formal training in hair dressing and worked at a Salon prior to being apart of the Status Team.

She was born in Comox, moved to Alberta and came back to the island. She recalled when she was in high school, she didn't know what she wanted to do, however her father was a barber and told her "you're going to do this". Just at the ripe age at 18 years young, and out of high school, she attended her hair dressing program, and began to put in the hours for new career choice. However, she began to realize, that maybe the salon lifestyle wasn't for her. She found the salon lifesyle lacked personal growth, consistentcy and she found not everyone was passionate about what they were doing.

She recalls when working at the salon previously, she decided to explore barbering and took a class, and instantly fell in love. 

As she always wanted to work at Status, Troy contacted her, and instantly she jumped on the opportunity, and couldn't be more happy to be apart of the Status team!

Karen has never worked on a more passionate team, and appreciates each and every one of them!

Salute to Karen for taking the plunge and finally being closer to goals and achievenments with the Status experience!

MO

Calgarian born Maurice, aka Mo, is one of Status's senior team members. When you walk into the shop, Mo is one of the first faces you see, he's either giving a cut, making sure clients are greeted or helping out his team mates, making sure all services and team work is up to par!

Mo joined the Status shop in March 2012, and was primarily trained by Troy for more formal based barber techniques.

He initially came to Victoria for the CJFL league, where he unfortunately took a hit and injury to the ribs, and essentially coached in the league for 4 years. During that time, he began cutting hair in his kitchen for the football team.

Mo, who comes from a family full of barbers, was known to be the worst barber in his family. But, now he has been able to become a part of family, a team, and work alongside one of the best in Victoria!

Just this past year, Mo took part in a barber competition in Vancouver, and left with two first place awards: Best New Talent and Best Artistic Freestyle.

One of Mo's goals is to be able to hit up Dubai, and cut hair there. His passion for the barber lifestyle is quite evident, when you have quality discussions with him. Salute to Mo for progressing and finding one passion (football) leading him to another passion (barbering). How many times does that happen to individuals?

STRETCH

The baby of the Status family is Conrad, also known as Stretch.

He is one of the barbers in the shop and on the team that carries the integration of both barbering and hair dressing.

He just recently finished his formal training in hair dressing based in a institution in Nanaimo, and completed his practicum with Troy and the Status family, this past July. His enthusiasm for being apart of the Status family is incredibly evident when you meet Stretch, and his passion for hair, is just as evident.

He was drawn to the Status lifestyle that is created within the work space and describes Status at "being the best" at what they do, give hair an opportunity for a quality experience!

He initially was majoring in Business at UVIC, and he wasn't having a clear vision of a career path. However, one day he walked into a barbershop and realized this is what he wanted to do. 

Stretch appreciates hair dressing and barbering for many reasons, one being more significant than others, is the hair being a "blank canvas", as Stretch see's barbering as an art form. He also calls it the "modern day sculpture". His passion for understanding hair as a potential blank canvas, has led Stretch to re-entering school and majoring in Art History this fall.

Salute to the pretty boy of Status, and his ambition to always want to learn and understand his craft!

Status is Hall of Fame

Nothing is more gratifying than to be in the prescence of individuals who are driven and passionate about what they want, and what they do. This is why Dimemond Mentality was created. It is here, to help push, motivate, and present quality. Status Barbershop is a hidden gem, that is guranteed to continue to flourish throughout Victoria, and potentially Vancouver BC, for it's incredible team of barbers and hairdressers, and most of all well known for their leader, Troy Wilson. He is slowly becoming a big name and face in Victoria, not only known for being bringing Status to life, but his willingness to continue to work hard at many, goals, whether it is in the school system, his business and brand or even just being a name to know in Victoria. He shows and proves.

Follow Status on social media platforms:

Status on Facebook