(N)ext to an unsuspecting alleyway in New York's Lower East Side stands Freemans Sporting Club, a trio of unassuming shopfronts that collectively house a revered restaurant, a "made local, buy local" haberdashery, and F.S.C. Barber, a throwback gentleman's den specializing in the (thankfully low-fi) art of grooming. There you'll also find Joey Tasca, one in a team of master barbers and stylists who all seemingly share the same, genial, easy-natured attitude.

"Working with these dudes, it's like a dysfunctional family, but it's awesome and I love it. Every day is different," says Joey.

What remains the same is Freemans' low-key vibe and democratic approach to customer satisfaction. Perhaps that's why this "bro-friendly" walk-in hotspot—no appointments necessary!—is favored by everyone from artists to business execs to celebrities.

"We all have celebrity clients," says Joey (who chooses to keep mum on said celebrities). "But I think that's why they come. They know they're not going to be hassled and can just come in, relax, and kick it with us and get a great cut or shave in the process."

What Joey loves most about being a barber is "you can take this trade anywhere." Case in point, he often finds himself giving impromptu chops in the park or even more random locales like backstage at Saturday Night Live or the latest Sleigh Bells concert.

Joey's  "go anywhere" mojo also means he's caught the travel bug. "I eventually want to take off for six months to a year and just see where it takes me. Hopefully far! Pyramids in Egypt, Tikal in Guatemala … jungles, rainforests, mountains, and deserts!"

While 2(X)ISTENCE has Joey Tasca here, we quickly cut to a few questions:

What's you own grooming routine?
Joey Tasca: I keep it simple, which goes a very long way. First of all, throw out your shampoo. It's garbage … a totally made-up product that dries it out and makes it unmanageable.

Then what natural solutions do you suggest for styling?
JT: For grooming, I use coconut oil mixed with a little bit of styling cream. Coconut oil is good for your scalp and hair and acts as an awesome product.

How do you tell a barber exactly what cut or shave you want?
JT: Bring pictures! Some dudes are embarrassed to bring in a picture, [but] we dig it. It's easier to figure out. But mostly just ask us how you really want your hair to look and what you don't like about it, and we will come to an answer.

What about a really insistent customer with a potentially disastrous request?
JT: I usually just tell them what i think as a barber, and if I had his hair, how I would wear it. But at the end of the day, it's your hair and you should wear it how you want it and what makes you feel good. (X)

THE ESSENTIALS: F.S.C. BARBER
F.S.C. Barber (www.fscbarber.com) has two locations in New York City (Lower East Side and West Village) and another outpost in San Francisco's Mission District.

[PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy Joey Tasca; fscbarber.com]

  

  

Murilo Rezende, Rinus Johannes, and Renato Ferreira all wear selections from 2(X)IST ESSENTIAL, available now at 2XIST.COM. (X)

Editor's Note: This editorial marked one of the last shoots for model Murilo Rezende, who passed away shortly after this sitting. The Dasilva photo team and 2(X)IST extend their condolences to his friends and family in Brazil and worldwide.

 

For Bloggers: We encourage linking to this story, but if you wish to share photographs, kindly restrict to two images and credit Mr. Felix Dasilva as the photographer and 2XIST.COM as the original source.

[PHOTO CREDIT: Felix Dasilva (Facebook and felixdasilva.blogspot.com) | MODELS: Rinus Johannes, Renato Ferreira, and in memory of Murilo Rezende (1989-2011) (All at 40GRAUSMODELS) | GROOMING: Alice Brown | LOCATION: Travessa Sta. Leocadia, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | The Dasilva team would like to thank Demberg Marketing Consultants (online and Facebook)]

(I) never imagined that all those years ago, when my mom bought me my first pair of 2(X)IST Underwear,  that I would one day end up on a writing assignment to visit their New York City headquarters and report on their new venture: 2(X)IST SWIMWEAR. With summer coming up, it's an obvious choice for a feature article. Plus, I get a sneak peek at what we (or more importantly, I) will be wearing on the beach this season (Wink! Wink!). 

When I arrive, I find the security at 2(X)IST HQ is as tight (but less breathable) as a pair of "tighty whities." Upon announcing myself and proving my identity, I am given a barcoded name tag and escorted through the electronic gates and to the elevators. I've heard that more than often, ambitious fans try to crash 2(X)IST HQ for a look behind-the-scenes, hoping for, as in many a brandfan's mind, half-naked models testing out all the underwear. Though, by this experience, it is clear that their dreams are shattered well before they would have gotten anywhere near the eighth level offices.

As the elevator door opens, Jason Scarlatti, the Creative Director of 2(X)IST, greets me and gets to talking real business—namely, an exclusive on the future of the brand, his insight into one of the world's biggest Underwear (and now Swimwear) companies, and their current face and body, male model André Ziehe.  

When first asked about 2(X)IST's translation from Underwear to Swimwear, Jason says: "I’ve always felt it was right, I’ve been begging my bosses to do it for years … It is a natural evolution of the 2(X)IST brand, and we bring something to the table and to the Swimwear industry that no one is addressing: Fit."  

I subtly let Jason know that I "fit" into sample size (Wink! Wink!), and then he continues, assuring me that the features that make 2(X)IST Underwear so popular are present in the Swimwear line too.  

"We took all the same elements you find in our signature Contoured Pouch Brief, and put that as the liner to the bathing suit for better movement and comfort," he says. Thumbing through the rack of vibrant samples, I can already tell that we will definitely be seeing the many styles and colors of 2(X)IST SWIMWEAR on the beach this year (and hopefully including me). 

As my tour continues at 2(X)IST HQ, one can see it is a well-lubricated machine. There is a visible commitment to their products, customers and surprising to myself, a strong sense of team interaction and bonding. Jason values his "very talented team" and acknowledges the importance of each of his colleagues, including Editorial & Style Director Jay del Rosario, who was my portal to 2(X)IST.

 [A sidenote: Upon launching their online magazine, Jay chose me as the first "(X)-Man," featuring an interview the story of the now-infamous photograph by Kevin McDermott. It's this image that really established my presence amongst the loyal 2(X)IST community, and as Jay notes "crashed the servers" many times.]  

When I get back to chatting up team dynamic of the company, Jason becomes serious. "Nothing means more to me [and] I try and surround myself with people that I trust, and people that want to succeed and think and live positively."

 He references a point in time when things weren't always so perfect: "We once worked with a photographer and an art director that were very demeaning, treating some people on set like minions … It was so ugly and heartbreaking to me and even André noticed and took it all with a grain of salt."

 Today, Jason laughs it off: "We still joke about it to this day that now we have a 'no attitude' policy."

Like the other employees that spend every work day at the office, André has become part of that small inner circle.

 "He delivers on EVERY shoot. He makes my job easier," says Jason.

 I guess that it why 2(X)IST, for the last two years, has been faced by André. As a fellow model, it is rare to get feedback, so I used this time with Jason to find out the brand's perspective and experience of hiring models, from casting the 'right' man for the job to producing the photo shoot. Jason explains that 2(X)IST wanted to shift towards a more "health-conscious lifestyle" and "it was time to reflect that in our body image, packaging, and products." Seeking the best of the best, Jason had all the top male models come into the office, "but it was André who had the full package".

 "As soon as I saw his thighs i was sold," Jason blushes, referring to the fact that many male models lack in the leg department. "These guys look fantastic in suits, [but] when you are looking for a good Underwear model, you need a guy who has both great legs and abs." He continues: "He has the right body type comparable to a stallion with long and lean muscles and a beautiful face, but as we have gotten to know him, everything about him resembles the 2(X)IST lifestyle. He plays soccer, is a family man, and is very caring, gracious and respectful. He is the definition of a gentleman, and happens to be very funny."

 "Damn him!," Jason jokes. "I wish sometimes that he was an asshole. I think it would be easier. No one that handsome should be a good person too. He has it all."

As I wrap up the interview, I've had more than enough time to eye the pair of 2(X)IST SWIMWEAR that I covet most: the NEON Rio Swim Suit in Mediterranean Blue. Before I can confess my want for them, security enters the room. Jason thanks me for my time, while security quickly ushers me out of the showroom. The door closes, shutting out the view on my favored aqua pair of swimmers. In the elevator on the way down, I text my editor, "Now it's personal…"

 What happens to Daniel Garofali next? Watch the video to find out…

 

 

(X)

THE ESSENTIALS: DANIEL GAROFALI IN MI:2(X)IST
Starring Daniel Garofali (www.danielgarofali.com), Directed by Jaclyn Amor, Produced by Whiskey Glass (www.whiskeyg.com)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(S)téphane Haffner's life really is a three-ring circus. But the 34-year-old Parisian juggles his hectic life as Artistic Director of Les Farfadais—a global performing company that blends his talents of gymnastics, artistry, costuming, and storytelling—with aplomb.

"The shows of Farfadais are about creating a dream or fantasy so the audience is transported through the feat of acrobatics and visual beauty," says Stéphane.

Exactly how Stéphane came to be a master showman is far from the cliché of "running away with the circus" and reads more like something out of that aforementioned dream. 

Born in Epinal in the Vosges region of France, Haffer showed a talent for gymnastics at the early age of six. "I asked my parents to sign up for gymnastics because I wanted to become a superhero," he says. "Being small, it felt like being a gymnast allowed me to do incredible things that other people couldn't."

After 11 years of training and competing at a high level, Stéphane suffered an unfortunate injury to his spine, sidelining any future gymnastics career and also leaving him "depressed."

Rebounding, the Swiss-French-Italian Haffner set off to Paris to study fashion and costume design. There, he found the hustle-and-flow of the metropolis thrilling, but also rather costly. The solution? Stéphane merged his acrobatic skillset and knack for costuming and started to perform for street crowds.

"The first day was very hard … but at the end of the day I had a nice surprise—I went home with a backpack full of money and after I counted it, I realized I earned about 500€ [Ed. Note: about $715 USD] for two hours of work!," he says.

Before long,  Stéphane became a street-performance fixture in a prime location: smack in front of tourist-and-pedestrian-heavy Centre George Pompidou, where his show became so popular that he started receiving requests for private events and television tapings.

Sensing an opportunity to grow his surprising enterprise, Stéphane enrolled in night classes at a Nanterre-based circus school while simultaneously keeping up his fashion curriculum in the mornings and street-performing in the afternoons. At Nanterre, the young Stéphane excelled at his now-expert "fabric air" (wherein he is suspended from the ceiling by yards of material whilst twisting, turning, and flipping), as well as the trapeze hoops, hand contortion, and other varied circus-worthy feats. But more importantly, he met fellow students who would eventually join his yet-unnamed troupe.

Three years later, Stéphane formed the company he runs today and named it "Farfadais." In addition to being the design director, Stéphane shares a Co-Technical Director title with his own brother Alexandre, an expert in Industrial Design. Together the brothers combine their collective talents.

"Our shows are a mix of different disciplines that we learned throughout our training, where the stunt is as important as the costume and industrial design," he says.

And with his Alexandre as a co-captain, Stéphane shares a common muse in their shared childhoods in Switzerland and Italy. "My brother and I are inspired by all the things from our infancy to our youth to our adulthood," he says.

This includes mythology (which lends heavily to Farfardais slant towards fantasy), and films like The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which was the catalyst to create a unique wiring system used to stage large-scale aerial "combat" scenes.

"It is important for us to perform on stage all that may seem impossible or completely unreal, " exclaims Stéphane. "We are real superheroes!"

And there seems to be no kryptonite in sight for Mr. Haffner. Currently, Le Farfadais boasts over 70 artists in the company, which travels around the world to far-flung locales like China, Japan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and North Africa … not to mention all over the European homebase. Next up? America, who will no doubt react favorably to Stéphane's passion.

Says Haffner: "I dedicate myself heart and soul into my company, and with my brother we are able to carry on in this fabulous adventure!" (X)

Mr. Stéphane Haffner is photographed by Kevin McDermott wearing the SLIQ Brief, available in other colors now at 2XIST.COM.

Editors' Note: This story is a reprint. A version of this story ran previously on 2XISTENCE.COM.

[PHOTO: Kevin McDermott (kevinmcdermott.com)]