South Jersey barber Nicholas Vendetti is making a name for himself cutting the hair of star Philadelphia Eagles players.
When athletes are in front of the world, their hairstyles are forms of self-expression, symbols of pride and even displays of confidence.
“Hair is a big part of that, fashion, style all that, but haircuts are a big part of that, too,” said Vendetti, owner of Creators Barber Studios in Marlton.
Vendetti cuts the hair of several Eagles players, often posting his work to his Instagram pages: @vendetti_cuts_vii and @creatorsbarberstudios.
The barber has cut cornerback Darius Slay’s hair before. He said wide receiver DeVonta Smith is a regular, as well as quarterback Jalen Hurts.
“When Jalen first got drafted here – I actually cut Darius Slay first and then he reposted me. Jalen saw it and slid in my DMs right away and the rest is history,” said Vendetti.
Vendetti transformed Hurts’ look a few months ago from cornrows to combing it all out and then cutting it off, ending up with a fresh fade.
The star quarterback is now focused on the Super Bowl, but spoke about his haircut during Opening Night in Arizona.
“I feel like when I get a haircut, it don’t even matter what I put on, I’m going to make it go,” Hurts said.
Vendetti said he’s worked hard to build trust with his clients.
“All my clients come in, they get their haircut, they don’t even look in the mirror, they just already know,” Vendetti said.
He said he grew up in South Jersey, started cutting hair in his garage and then got his barbering license.
Vendetti said he opened Creators Barber Studios a couple of years ago at 386 W. Route 70.
Posting to Instagram has helped him get his name out.
“I would have kids come in and say ‘I want the Jalen Hurts’ design,'” Vendetti said.
He said his family is a huge part of his early success and are major supporters.
“It’s funny, I’d get texts from my mom, grandmom, my aunt.. saying they’re so excited, it looked amazing,” Vendetti said.
The lifelong Eagles fan is now scoring big, while keeping a razor-sharp focus on the goal.
Vendetti recently cut the hair of his first NBA player, Sixers forward Tobias Harris. He’s hoping it’s the beginning of a new opportunity in a different pro sport.