An Interesting Man: The World-Famous Schorem Barbers

Leen and Bertus refer to themselves as the Scumbag Barbers and are the men behind what is possibly the most famous barbershop in the world: an old-school, male-only barbershop in the heart of the city of Rotterdam in Holland. The duo are currently on a world tour and in New Zealand this week with their travelling interactive barber show, which sees them cutting hair on stage.

Their shop in Holland specialises in traditional, classic and signature haircuts, as well as hot-towel, straight-razor shaves. Their approach to cutting hair is an effort to preserve a vanishing craft from a lost era of time. Customers must opt for a haircut from a menu of 12 offered styles. Leen and Bertus do not take bookings and have a strict first-come, first-served policy.

Bertus’ first memory of cutting was when he tried to do his own hair when he was a young boy after trying to dye it black with a sharpie. “When my mother saw that she freaked out of course, so that was not really the thing that got me into barbering, I guess that was the first mohawk I cut on a mate in my parents’ house with my dad’s Wahl Super Taper. "Leen’s brother was a hairdresser so I’m pretty sure that’s where Leen got it.”

Leen and Bertus opened the shop five years ago with a very specific idea in mind, says Bertus, and have since found cult status when it comes to men’s hair. “I had the idea of a barbershop for quite some years. I had already bought myself two barber’s chairs, I knew exactly what I wanted but as easy as good ideas come to me I’m just not an entrepreneur so I called in the cavalry, Leen. When we found that 125-year-old back bar we knew we had something special and built the rest of the shop around it, turning it into a place where you felt like stepping back in time.”

People now travel from throughout the world to their salon. Bertus tells of one customer who has remained particularly poignant in their memory: a boy in a wheelchair who came in with his father, with visiting Schorem on the boy’s bucket list.

"Leen gave him a shave and a cut and we were told he had only a few days to live. The guy had a great time and his dad was standing next to him holding in his tears because he saw his kid was having so much fun. We were cracking jokes and fighting back our tears as well.

"Two days later the kid died and his father came to thank us and broke down, so did Leen and I and the three of us stood their crying. It made us realise again that life is short and you should turn it into a meaningful one."

BERTUS
An average day looks like... I don't do average days, average kills me. I wake up, spend some time with my boy and dog, eat my veges, take a run or go to the gym to get the motor started. I work in the barbershop, in the academy, I do photoshoots, I make movies, I do all our social media. I try to travel a lot, spend times with my team, train them on Monday. For me there's just never enough hours in a day, I'm a bit of an ADHD bomb, always busy coming up with crazy stuff, I love being overproductive.

Grooming routine... Shave tattooed skull under the shower and put some Captain Fawcett in my moustache.

Favourite bars, restaurants and cafes... Tiki Bar in Rotterdam.

My personal style is... Rotterdandy mixed with my old punk ethos. I love my three-piece handmade suits and Dr Martens. Dress to Impress, dance like no one's watching.

In my spare time... I don't really do spare time, I like spending time on my kids, I actually have some hobbies: fishing, reading, running and Lego and, to be honest, I love girls.

I listen to music like... rock'n'roll in all it's beautiful dark assets, from Hank Williams to Slayer, from Demented are Go to Motorhead.

The best book I've read... Too many. I love fantasy, thrillers, horror. But I like to dive into the classics as well. I guess Lord of the Flies is my all-time favourite.

Favourite places for travel... I will tell you when I'm done travelling the world. But for now Australia, Sweden and Ireland.

LEEN
An average day looks like... Wake up, take a swim, check emails, go to the shop and talk with the team, phonecalls and meetings, cooking, to bed.

Grooming routine... Shower, towel-dry hair, Pink Reuzel Pomade slicking it back.

Favourite bars, restaurants and cafes... Tiki Bar, and the Prachtig and Genova restaurants.

My personal style is... Rotterdandy.

In my spare time... Spare time?

I listen to music like... All day long. My all-time favourite artist is probably Willy DeVille.

The best book I've read... Not much of a reader, but I love Belgian writer Herman Brusselmans.

Favourite place for travel... Bali.

WATCH: The Scumbag barbers of Rotterdam: