Shining in the Shadow: The journey of a Syrian barber working in a Swiss mountain town

Nihad Kasem has a client in his chair: a sturdily built middle-aged man with a thick neck, dark hooded eyes and tattoos on his arms. He looks like a Turkish mafioso, the kind of guy who would send someone to ‘take care of things’…He’s intimidating.

Examining his reflection in a gold-rimmed mirror, the customer mutters a comment to Nihad who, briefly assessing the coiffed scalp, grabs a pair of scissors. Snip snip. A little off the left. Snip. A bit off the right. The client, eyes shining with pride at the new ‘do, enthusiastically shakes Nihad’s hand before settling his bill and exiting out into the sun. There’s a visible pep in his step.

Few people can boast that they’ve worked in a profession for nearly half their life, especially before the age of 25. Nihad, a 23-year-old barber from Syria, can confidently make that claim. The refugee-turned-entrepreneur owns Shadow Studio, an upscale barbershop tucked away on an unassuming avenue in Interlaken, Switzerland.

Dressed like an American R&B star, the brown haired, brown-eyed entrepreneur navigates his business with a purposeful swagger. Swagger rooted in the confidence that accompanies people who had to be resilient at a young age.

In the shop, black marble countertops and black walls are illuminated by a honeycombed network of fluorescent lights on the ceiling. The space glistens in the sunshine pouring in from the wide, street-facing window. British singer Adele’s hit ‘Someone Like You’ spills out of the shop’s sound system. The heady scent of mens’ grooming products lingers.

An older woman emerges from behind a closed door at the opposite end of the shop, holding a mobile phone and a handful of shopping bags. Quickly and quietly, she addresses Nihad and leaves.

“My father told me that I had to learn something, so I started barbering at the age of 12” Nihad explains.

The following year, Nihad and his family fled Syria. An uncle, already living in Switzerland, agreed to sponsor their asylum applications. After a months-long stint in Turkey, they were granted asylum in Switzerland. Nihad and his family joined the ranks of roughly 7 million displaced Syrians living abroad.

It wasn’t easy for a teenage Nihad to make friends. During the first year in Switzerland he only had one pal, another male youth from Syria. There were cultural barriers. Nihad explains that he had to learn German and then Swiss German. “They’re two different languages.” He also learned that he had to keep his facial hair short. “With a beard, people called me a terrorist.”

Adapting to life in Switzerland had its challenges, but Nihad sees them as necessary steps in his evolution. Grounded in the support of his family and equipped with an in-demand craft, he sought to build a stable life for himself. A life that his family would be proud of. He is completely self-reliant, and does not have to ask his parents for financial assistance.

“The lady in here earlier was my mother. She comes in here every day to bring me lunch and tell me she loves me. I think that she and my father are proud of me.”

Being different isn’t a handicap, it’s a strength. Nihad opened Shadow Studio earlier this year. He chose the name carefully. “At first I wanted to use the word Royal, but when I looked on Google all of the businesses with the word Royal were kebab shops.” He credits a customer with the studio’s name. Nihad flashes a toothy grin, “There are only a few barber shops in the entire world with the name Shadow… I want to be memorable… When you fade someone’s hair, it looks a little like a shadow.”

In order to be memorable, Nihad says that you must have a good memory. Remembering your customers, their lives and their stories, makes them feel valued. The young prodigy believes that every customer matters. When they’re in the chair, they trust you. “They might be going to a wedding, or a job interview, or somewhere else important. Some barbers rush the job to get to the next customer, but every person matters.”

Shadow Studio is the culmination of talent, hard work, and ambition—but for Nihad, it’s not the end. Within the next two years he hopes to have more barbers in the shop, working alongside him. Nihad currently works six days a week, from 8am to 8pm. It’s a grind, but one that he believes will pay off. “By forty I will leave barbering. I’ll retire.” Switzerland, he argues, is a great place to make money—but not a very good place to enjoy life.

What does the future hold for Nihad? Many of his family members, including a sister, are still in Syria. He hopes to visit when the country’s situation isn’t as dangerous. If he chooses to eventually leave Switzerland, Spain and Portugal are on his radar, but Nihad prefers to stay grounded in the present. “The barber is a place where you can feel good, so I try to be good to people… Can I get you a coffee?”

Grae Minors is from Berlin, Germany. He attended WJI Europe 2024.