From L.A. to the U.K., this Calgary barber has hundreds lining up for a cut

Dami Lare Sulola started out cutting hair by experimenting on his brother. Now, he has hundreds of people sliding into his direct messages on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter asking for an appointment. 

With millions of followers across platforms, Sulola's popularity has him fielding requests from Atlanta, Los Angeles, the United Kingdom and, of course, Calgary, where he lives. 

But he's selective about the clients he takes on. 

"Some people offer me a lot of money for a haircut, but I could tell they're not doing it to connect," Sulola said. "I care more about the person than just the money."

Sulola's TikTok is full of videos showing dramatic before-and-after images of his clients. In one, a man can be heard saying "best I ever had," as he admires his new look in a handheld mirror. 

"Once you start to clean [the hair] up, it starts to shine," he said. "A lot of people don't know their full potential."

Sulola said he used to be bullied when he was younger for wanting to be a barber. But he hopes he can inspire others to continue to pursue their dreams, even if others don't understand them. 

"I want to show people that you can change other people's mind. You can prove them wrong."

He used to do up to 20 haircuts a day, but Sulola now limits himself to just three so he can intentionally focus on each client. 

"To me, it's more quality than quantity," he said. "If you do something solely for the money, 100 per cent you start to lose the passion for it. I don't want to lose that passion."

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.