Sovereign nominated for seven major awards

Two Sovereign Grooming barbers will go head-to-head in a battle to be named the best in Scotland later this year.

Edinburgh-based Liam Allen and Nathan Robb, of Aberdeen, have been shortlisted in the Barber of the Year category at the Scottish Hair and Beauty Awards, known as the SHABAs.

Sovereign Grooming and its barbers are up for a total of seven SHABA awards, a record number of nominations for the business.

After opening new salons in Edinburgh and Glasgow, the company is in the running to be named Barbershop of the Year.

Sovereign founder Kyle Ross – a two-time winner of Scottish Barber of the Year – has been shortlisted in the Best Barber Colourist category.

Nathan Robb has a second nomination in the Best Wet Shave category, while Michael Stewart has been shortlisted for Best Apprentice.

Sovereign has also been shortlisted in the Best Social Media award, a title the business won last time around.

Kyle Ross said: “It is great to see so many of our barbers receive this recognition for their hard work and talent. Our commitment to quality and service shines through in these nominations.”

Kyle launched his first salon in the West End of Aberdeen's Union Street in 2016 to provide a high-quality grooming service for men.  

The business, which initially launched as 'Huntsman', rebranded as Sovereign in 2018 and now has major city centre salons in New Waverley, Edinburgh, and Renfield Street in Glasgow.

It also operates two unique barber academies in Edinburgh and Glasgow, where students can become fully-qualified barbers in just 15 weeks.

Since launching the business, Kyle has won a catalogue of industry awards. In 2017 Kyle was named Scottish Men’s Stylist of the Year as well as winning Best Barber UK at the International Barber Awards in Germany.

He was subsequently named Best Barber at the Scottish Hair and Beauty Awards 2018 and was named as one of Scotland's 'Coolest People' by The Herald newspaper.

Marketing expert and former journalist Ryan Crighton became a shareholder in the business in 2018.

Together, they are seeking to establish Sovereign as a major player in the male grooming industry.