When Terrance Evans was a child he was always fascinated by barbers.
The way they could turn one look into something totally different with the swipe of a pair of scissors and the buzz of trimmers seemed like magic to Evans.
“I always was infatuated with cutting hair,” Evans said. “(And) trying to figure out how the barber makes it look, the way it looks (with) the blend, the tapers, the fade. I was curious about that.”
Evans, 35, known on social media platforms as fadedbytd, is a contract barber at Anthony’s Barbershop in West Point who creates haircut consultation videos with clients. The videos show the conversation between Evans and those who come in for a new hairdo, and the drastic transformation process that follows.
The West Point native said he is the exact same barber whether the cameras are rolling or not.
He offers the same experience to all clients, whether they’re young or old, by offering them his personal opinion on what style and cut would look best based on their head shape and hair.
“It allows the client to be more interactive with their hair choice, so we can collaborate together,” Evans said. “… Some clients don’t know what type of hairstyle to get or what type of design that they want for their hair. So we just kind of collaborate together and that kind of content helps other potential clients look at it like, ‘Hey, I don’t know what I need to do. Can you help me?’”
Evans has amassed more than 76,000 followers between his YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram accounts. On TikTok, his videos routinely receive anywhere from 3,000 to 1.4 million views.
Evans has made more than 60 videos since 2022, with people traveling from as far as North Carolina, Georgia and Washington, D.C., to take a seat in his chair, he said. Evans typically averages between 40 and 50 haircuts a week and tends to stay booked out with only a few slots open a week, he said.
Even with his recent notoriety Evans said his ultimate goal hasn’t changed.
“It hasn’t changed the (fact) that I’m still here to give the client the experience that they’re looking for in my chair,” Evans said.
Before becoming a barber, Evans had experience dabbling in content creation for others, and in 2022 he decided to put those same skills to use by making videos from his station at Anthony’s Barbershop, he said.
“There’s a lot of great barbers out there, but I want to be able to be that, and also put my work out there for other people to come to my business,” Evans said. “A barber has always been (reliant on the) word of mouth, but as I’ve learned over time, social media is an outlet to be able to reach more people.”
Anthony Calvert, the owner of Anthony’s Barbershop in West Point, said Evans has been one of the most innovative barbers he’s seen come through his doors since opening his shop about seven years ago.
“Terrance always loves to try something,” Calvert said. “He’s going to try every pair of clippers that come out. He’s going to try them and use them. He’s going to make sure to go to the hair shows and stay up on the latest styles.”
While Evans now enjoys being a barber full-time his journey to his craft wasn’t quite a straight line, he said.
Tools of the trade
After graduating high school in 2009, Evans said he enrolled in East Mississippi Community College, where he spent about three years taking courses with the idea of pursuing a lucrative career as a lawyer or doctor.
Evans eventually dropped out after realizing he wasn’t quite sure what he was truly passionate about, he said.
Evans worked stints in fast food, retail and even a full-time position as an active treatment technician with North Mississippi State Hospital.
Even though these weren’t where Evans ultimately found his passion he still credits his time at each of these positions in making him a stronger people person and barber, he said.
“It kind of allowed me to see people differently and be more patient with everyone, because … we don’t know what everyone’s going through,” Evans said. “So it’s (my job) to be courteous to anyone that (I) come in contact with and that also helped me … with being a barber.”
In 2015, Evans enrolled in a couple of barber schools before being certified in 2016 and eventually making the leap to go into work full-time in 2020, he said.
Going through the process of cutting someone’s hair and seeing the difference it can have on someone’s day has been Evans’ favorite part of being a barber these last five years, he said.
“To be able to see how a client comes in and to see the ending, that really is the best part to me,” Evans said. “Seeing the client get the vision that they wanted out of the haircut, that’s been the biggest thing for me.”
Eventually Evans would like to own and manage his own barbershop, but until then he’s content getting to cut the hair of both locals he’s known for decades or those that stop in from out of town, he said.
“I pride myself on whoever comes in or sits in my chair, I’m going to give them whatever they need,” Evans said. “… Because I want to be able to give that to them no matter what.”
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
