Nas...GOAT hairline, now working w/black entrepeneur to develop trimmers

Dusty Bake Activate

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SAN FRANCISCO — Tristan Walker is aiming for a larger slice of the shaving market for people of color with a new addition to his Bevel product line: an electric trimmer.

Walker, 31, says his Palo Alto, Calif., company consulted master barbers and consumers to re-engineer the grooming device to cut and shape coarse or curly hair with more power and comfort, greater hygiene and less skin irritation.

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Martin E. Klimek, USA TODAY

Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker & Company.

"It's far and away, at least in our opinion, the most advanced trimmer out there," says Walker, founder and CEO of Walker & Company.

He also recruited star power. Hip-hop artist and entrepreneur Nas and his barber Marcus Harvey consulted on the design of the Bevel trimmer.


USA TODAY

Nas: Silicon Valley should make products for people of color


In 2013, Walker founded an online, monthly subscription-based health and beauty products company for people of color. He began aggressively pursuing the African-American and Latino markets that he says have been ignored for too long. His company was born out of his frustration with shopping for grooming products in the ethnic aisle at the drugstore.

Last year this Silicon Valley entrepreneur raised a $24 million round of funding from top venture capitalists and celebrities. This year, Walker says he plans to launch 15 new products and his first women's line with the goal of solving key health and beauty challenges for people of color.

"When it comes to retail and specifically health and beauty, we think folks of color are incredibly underserved," Walker says. "When you consider not only how culturally influential of a demographic group this demographic is, how much money this demographic spends on health and beauty ... there just has to be a better experience that is not second class."


USA TODAY

Tristan Walker's inspiring journey to Silicon Valley


Walker & Company is not the only upstart taking on the men's shaving and grooming products. Euromonitor International says U.S. sales of men's shaving products hit $2.9 billion in 2014 while men's grooming products increased to $6.3 billion. U.S. online sales of razors and blades in particular are rising swiftly, analysts say.

Bevel, Walker & Company's flagship brand, is still a bit player. (In coming weeks, Bevel products will also be stocked in some Target stores.) Bevel has 0.5% share of the U.S. online market whereas Dollar Shave Club has 50%, says Ken Cassar, analyst with e-commerce analytics firm Slice Intelligence. Dollar Shave Club is an online subscription service that in just three years has nabbed 8% of the $3 billion U.S. market for razors and blades by appealing to consumers fed up with rising shaving costs.

Bevel faces stiff competition from Dollar Shave Club, shaving giants such as Procter & Gamble unit Gillette and from other shaving clubs such as Harry’s that, like Bevel, sell more expensive shaving products in an industry dominated by cheaper razors made by Gillette and Schick. Walker declined to discuss Bevel sales.

"It's early for Bevel," Cassar says.

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Elton Anderson for Bevel

Nas with the Bevel electric trimmer.


USA TODAY

Tristan Walker raises $24M, Target to carry Bevel shaving products


Walker says Bevel spent a year designing the Bevel Trimmer to address longstanding frustrations from consumers and barbers. Bevel will begin taking pre-orders for the $179.95 Bevel Trimmer starting Monday. Orders are scheduled to ship in March.

"I have been using a trimmer my whole life and it has not been innovated in all that time," he says.

Nas and his barber, Marcus Harvey, were "instrumental" in helping develop the features, which include specially coated blades to repel water and oil and promote cleanliness and a soft-touch grip for a more precise cut and greater control, Walker says.

Says Nas: "This is definitely state-of-the-art stuff. We were all pitching in to make sure this was the No. 1 clipper out there."

Click to expand...​
 

SirBiatch

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Good to see a brotha winning. :salute: Nas was the perfect choice for this

I will invest if its as good if not better than Andis products

I spent $250 for a piece of shyt Braun. One of the worst purchases I ever made. And this is after doing lots of research on good beard trimmers. Specifically typing in "for Black men". I knew most of the recommendations online were straight spam but I have to say I was hoodwinked :sadcam:

I spent significantly less on an Andis and I've been rocking with it ever since. It was unbelievably better than that Braun bullshyt.
 

Apollo Creed

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Good to see a brotha winning. :salute: Nas was the perfect choice for this



I spent $250 for a piece of shyt Braun. One of the worst purchases I ever made. And this is after doing lots of research on good beard trimmers. Specifically typing in "for Black men". I knew most of the recommendations online were straight spam but I have to say I was hoodwinked :sadcam:

I use Andis Fade Masters Clippers to cut, and T-Outliners for line ups, Undefeated combo. These Bevel Joints have my attention because they appear cordless, but I wonder how they will perform? I may just cop to support.
 
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You would've never thunk it 15 years ago, but Nas is a pure fukkin hustler. Like, this dude really bout his paper...

He just don't rap about it in every song like Jay-Z.

This nikka own part of rap genius, this, and who knows how many other investments he's made.

Not even a big Nas fan but his degree of hustling is very surprising.
 

Zero

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You would've never thunk it 15 years ago, but Nas is a pure fukkin hustler. Like, this dude really bout his paper...

He just don't rap about it in every song like Jay-Z.

This nikka own part of rap genius, this, and who knows how many other investments he's made.

Not even a big Nas fan but his degree of hustling is very surprising.
13 replies

I guess that's an improvement :beli:
 
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