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Meet Jose Vazquez of Gibbmatic in Oak Cilff

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose Vazquez.

Jose, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m sure you would like to get to know the artist formally known as Gibbs, aka Gibbmatic but to tell her correctly, I have to introduce you to Jose Vasquez is I grew up in oak cliff Texas south of Dallas county. I’m the oldest of three siblings which made life interesting especially being the only boy the group as a proud child of two very had working Mexican parents whom immigrated to the United States. They always instilled in that to always work hard take pride and joy in to everything we choose to pursued and above all stay true to yourself, I carried these trade with me till this day and I feel it’s had a hand in making me the man and the reason artists I am today well let’s take it back to where this all started back in middle school I will get my haircut with a childhood friend now coworker and mentor Edgar Salazar aka pillow who always intrigued me and together came up with some of the coolest designs in our neighborhood and always getting complemented school. I realize this might be something I want to look into. I do remember asking him what he thought about me come here remember him saying I could do it scar be patient dedicated and willing to learn the craft properly and then one day I remember I had a quinceañera. I was standing in pillow was not available at the moment so having to go to modern barbershop in our neighborhood. I met a man who truly inspired me every time I got a haircut I nailed every single design and crazy request. I had and later became my mentor and can call a brother his name was Manny Medrano now the owner of the parlor barbershop with the knowledge that I gained from both of these gentlemen artistic and creative background, I felt I could offer something new to the game, so I started by cutting up some of my friends and although they weren’t the best cuts they weren’t so bad if I do say so myself. I would really set it off was series of unfortunate events you see my senior year in high school I took a blow to the stomach that ruptured my lower intestines and causing me to be hospitalized for six months with I will the major damage to my body doctor said that I would’ve had to live with a colostomy bag for the rest of my life and no guarantee that I would regain any of my motor skills it being my senior year. I knew I meant not finishing the football season with my friends not being able to go to homecoming.

I’m losing a scholarship I was working towards getting and after a good cry I decided I wasn’t going to give up and with both the love and support of my amazing friends and family. I regained my motor skills and later was told I could reattach my intestines so went back in three months later full recovery. At that time I remember I haven’t gotten a haircut and as a favor I asked pillow if he could come cut my hair so he came by I remember it was just so happy to get a haircut we talked about everything that happened with my plans were and where do I go from there and it was there and then when I truly realized the power of a haircut there’s something as simple as one could change your whole life or your perspective at the time and I was there and then when I realize I knew that I wanted to do that for other people so right after high school I took my last paycheck enrolled into what was known as oak cliff barbers college who is there where I met some of the coolest people I ever met in my life I was one of the youngest to enlist at the time so they all looked out for me like a little brother even taught me how to drive a little I was there where I say I got baptized and was granted the name Gibby which later on Shaundale to Gibbs in barber college who is a good thing to get a nickname nobody really knows how one ends up getting your nickname it just happens and somehow it seems to fit and while I was attending barber school shadowed at heights barbershop in oak cliff under old man tom as we once knew him your kindness toughest meanest of a teacher Clint Eastwood in Grand Orino you’ll ever meet for but one hell of a barber I want incredible human being very patient with me very understanding and the reason I know traditional style barbering i’m cutting to styling to shaving he taught me all I know can’t say. I don’t think about him and how grateful I am every time I said that your back and do a shave I was honored just to know him and after I completed barber school and record time of six months going every day from morning to close I went to work there for a while and hold my skills and after he passed things were the same. I felt I needed to expand my horizons so while was talking to some fellow barbers at my church one night he suggested the idea of perhaps coming to work with him and his partner and after thinking about it we sat down and met eli escanuela and nick villa owners of gentlemen culture knowing little to nothing about me and only nine traditional style nothing about the modern painting techniques they saw a drive and meet that hired me on that time help me channel focus and develop my skills as well as go above and beyond helping me grow and mature to the person and in my business in fact they help me come up and create gibbmatic the reason I was in lone star barber alliance they took a chance with me when others wouldn’t have taken a second glance to me they were more than just friends or mentor they were family enter these people I got my start and the rest is history.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course, I’ve always said life wouldn’t be fun if it is easy and I’ve had my fair share of them for instants. It’s never been an easy thing for me to say this. Still, I have diagnosed a form of dyslexia and reading comprehension disability dyslexia is a learning disorder that affects your ability to read, spell, write, and speak. People who have it are often smart and hardworking, but they have trouble connecting the letters they see to the sounds those letters make for a long time I felt like a curse because those around me could never understand why something as simple as reading could be so hard for me I try to read a sentence was I trying to this member bomb of course and I had it twice as hard having to learn Spanish and English all in all had to work twice as hard just to get by in barber school I will study the chapter the night before just to so that I could keep up with the others on my break and lunch I would study the say chapter in right now to better understand the exams at the end of the week and I made a recovery from the accident. I was still left with a lot of health issues. I developed hypoglycemia and diabetes to name a few.

At one point, I was taking about eight pills and 3-4 shots a day all along the time. I was in school and the first half of my career which caused me to be in at the shop light along with having a move from shop to shop to better accommodate my current situation at the time closer to home closer my doctor’s office there be times where go to work in the morning go to my doctor’s appointment and lunch and be right back to work because other than the shop owners no one really knew about my situations and it’s always complicated thing to talk about because I didn’t want people to come to me to feel sorry for me I wanted people to like me for who I am and what I do at one point I also have to stop working for a while, Because things have gotten so bad that my doctor said you had to take some time off and take your treatments seriously or we go on dialysis possibly for the rest of your life so I had to leave the current shop I was at ft. barbershop and release just start taking my treatments. At the time, I had a close Barbara friend Adam Mendez the owner of the barber’s lab checking in on me from time to time and I remember one day telling him how my doctor said I can ease my way back into cutting hair but wouldn’t recommend to do it full-time in our industry if you’re not full-time it’s kind of hard to get hired on but not for adam without hesitation said well come on with it bring your stuff you can start this next week and we’ll work it out just make sure you keep up with your doctor’s appointments and medication having agreed to the terms started the following week.

I was there set a time they relocated there current location but in that time Adam and his wife Diana we’re always on top of me Gibby take your shit Gibby don’t forget your appointment in 20 minutes hurried up Gibby really supposed to be eating that shit and let me tell you the I will not always kept me on track but I also had another person looking out for me as well that man was Frank Ibarra you may know him better as @frank_louboutin the creator of kicks101 and the founder of kicks for kids remember reaching out to him talking about the time we went to the NFL experience back when I was a kid and informed him of the situation. I was in told me to keep my head up and keep going not knowing that the next day he would show up to get a haircut and support me he invited me to my first kicks 101 event say I should set up I was very hesitant to be honest, I had no set up no product no flyers or anything and I can remember him saying is just show up sunday I got you just bring your chair your clippers and I’ll see you then showing up there was very nervous just walking in rolling my chair and my clippers and a little small table and then he showed me where I’d be setting up this man prepared everything for me I had a backdrop. A table a couple of my flyers set up and a light bar ready to go next to the stage he truly believed in me and made me look a legit and gave me all the confidence in the world and since then looked out for me like a little brother till this day the next shop wasn’t any better I went to go work at scissor hands some great people mike aka the legend Mike Biggins and his wife Vero Varela which by the way this is the fastest hands this side of the rio grande new about my situation and where on me every single day they saw me slacking would be escrowed get on me as quick as I hook up and sent me back on track and although I’d be so frustrated at times without a doubt I knew every time that the reason they did this because they actually cared and honestly I think them as well every day knowing that they didn’t have to do what they did for me I can honestly say I probably won’t be here telling you my story if it wasn’t for these people for not only looked out for me to help me grow as a person and as a barber but I also would’ve never met a beautiful wife Raquel Gaitan has been my biggest supporter has inspired me motivate me and push me and has taken care of me ever since.

Please tell us about your business.
Gibbmatic was an idea that I started out in the back of the break room at gentlemen culture. One day, I originally was so inspired by the work we were doing collectively in the lonestar barber alliance and of course at the time I was the youngest member in the group and also one of the only members who was in the shop owner and I thought to myself well maybe there’s a way I can help reach out to the younger crowd students are in rolled in barber college as well as those who were interested in the industry helping them bringing them together learn from one another inspire guide and teach what I’ve learned from my experience and the knowledge. I have learned going through both a barber college education but also a traditional apprenticeship as well as the mentorship and leadership I was receiving with isba I felt I could hope the new wave of barbers and bridget gap between the traditional style. In the new style as well as how to educate our clients on the different products styles and techniques they could use at home to help them make their daily styling routine just a bit better and pass on the traditions that have been passed down to me and make sure that in our industry still lives on. And so with that, I set out to start something but I didn’t want my name Gibbs the barber plastered everywhere because I didn’t want to make it all about me I wanted it to be about what I was doing and I told around for days and days on a logo is coming up with different names and so one day on one of our slow days. At the shop well the guys put on nas’s documentary illmatic being a big fan of the genre of course I cut my attention so he starts talking about his life story and what was the goal in the making of his album which to this day is one of the greatest musical compositions and hip-hop history and I realize that the product illmatic was the same objective and goal so there and then is where I hit me and that’s when I went with gibbmatic and that’s how the brain was created now you’ll see me. I trade shows sneaker conventions fundraisers events continuing to do what I said out to do all those many years ago when I first come up with the gibbmatic I’m glad I’ve had a helping hand helping to inspire and motivate some of the new barbers and show them the very thing that has always been instilled in me anything is possible in our industry we just got to be patient were so quick about getting to where we need to go that we don’t tend to enjoy the journey and work hard have pride and joy and everything you do whether it’s an intricate design a hot towel shave or an even all over do you best and the nothing less.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Well, as I’ve said before, I was installed by my parents at a young age always to work hard and be passionate. Whatever I choose to do no matter what it is at the time it was so crazy is that even with dyslexia I always felt even when I was so cursed I also felt like it was my gratis attribute as I felt it allowed me to see things in a different way which has allowed me to create my path and surprisingly has made me very successful. Still, it’s like the coach always said hustle outweighs talent any day of the week.

Pricing:

  • (The Average Joe) Haircut & Style – $30
  • (The Modern Man) Haircut & Beard – $35
  • (The Kingsman) Haircut & Hot Towel shave – $45
  • (The Emperor) Haircut & Hot Towel shave & Facial – $60
  • (The Empress) Women’s Undercut & Design – $25
  • Beard Trim – $15
  • Eyebrows – $10
  • Hot Towel Shave – $25
  • Lineup – $15
  • Designs – staring at $5
  • Facial – $25
  • Beard Dye – $20

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