STMNT Co-Founders Sofie Pok, Miguel Gutierrez & Julius Arriola On Their Cool Grooming Line
Simply put, STMNT is an epic, newly-launched collection of grooming goods born from 3 renowned creators: Julius Arriola (aka Julius Cvesar), Sofie Pok (aka Staygold) and Miguel Gutierrez (aka The Nomad Barber). These creative visionaries are rewriting the standards of grooming, while championing individuality and committed to making a statement in their respective spaces.
After experiencing an August 2020 virtual seminar related to the great STMNT Care Collection, I had the pleasure of doing Q&A with Arriola, Pok and Gutierrez, as shown below. More on STMNT and its creators can be found via www.stmntgrooming.us and www.instagram.com/stmntgrooming.
To you, what makes STMNT stand out for other care brands?
Sofie “Staygold”: What makes us special is that it’s a gender-neutral line that serves all walks of life. We also wanted to make sure that the functionality and performance is strong while the fragrance had a nice blend as well for options as cocktailing different products together. Also there’s a beautiful care line that really helps clean the hair face body to prep for the best styling possible.
Miguel Gutierrez, The Nomad Barber: I think STMNT really stands apart from other brands for the voices and vision that stand behind it. Myself, Julius and Sofie all come from varying walks of life with totally different styles and content but we managed to meet in the middle and create this crazy understated, performance driven grooming range which focuses on heavily on all aspects of the product experience. From the moment you pick one of the products up and feel the packaging, you know it’s high-quality, you then smell the product and realize that these aren’t your typical grooming brand scents. And finally the performance is consistently good across the range which we then one upped ourselves by making these products cocktail-able, which allows for endless possibilities within anyones grooming routine.
Julius Arriola, aka, Julius Cvesar: STMNT is built around more than just creating another hair product brand. It truly is a high-performance range that pays ode to the traditional principles of barbering while truly help define the progressive ideologies of forward-thinking hairstyling and lifestyle-focused grooming. We’ve made a wholehearted effort to keep everyone in mind when we created the collection; from the barbershop backbar to the high-end salon, to back home with the retail consumer and on-set for a styling session.
How will you know when the STMNT brand has “made it?”
Sofie “Staygold”: When we can’t stop hearing how much it has helped artists style their clients as well as consumers using it at home!
Miguel Gutierrez, The Nomad Barber: I think “making it” is subjective to every single person, but for us, the acceptance of our peers around the world will allow this brand to become the powerhouse it deserves. And I am quite confident we will make an immediate impact on the industry.
Julius Arriola, aka, Julius Cvesar: It’s hard to call. So many ways to define “making it.” Product placement and retail shelf space, of course, can give great business satisfaction, but I think one way STMNT can say the brand has “made it” is by being able to receive acknowledgement and mutual respect from other leading professionals and companies.
What is your favorite of the STMNT products?
Sofie “Staygold”: This might be biased to ask me this question, but my absolute favorite is the texture powder spray that comes in the gold aluminum spray bottle, because you can use it for a variety of different things such as a base to mix with other products and create volume, a way to add grit to really clean hair when you’re about to style. It’s great for both men and women, and with minimum spray, it becomes an effortless look for the easy and “go” type of people like me!
Miguel Gutierrez, The Nomad Barber: I absolutely love the dry clay from my range, as well as the cleansing bar. The dry clay is super-strong and matte which with only a small amount works on the textured natural styles I love to create most. The cleansing bar is just the perfect piece of kit for me to travel with as it covers all bases for my shower routine and it smells amazing.
Julius Arriola, aka, Julius Cvesar: My favorite is the STMNT Shine Paste — it’s what I call the “Frankenstein” of the my personal collection, because it was created with the intent to created a product that defines the 18 years of myself being a barber. I’ve taken inspiration from all the attributes I’ve liked from products I’ve used, while making an effort to innovate new attributes to add to STMNT’s already high-performance collection.
STMNT aside what is coming up for you?
Sofie “Staygold”: There’s definitely always something new not only with hair but in photography and videography as well! New portfolio work, new content creating for different people, YouTube, and I know that as long as I’m doing things I’m passionate about many more opportunities will open along those lines! There’s also a secret project I’m currently working on that I can’t say yet, but it’s definitely barbering-related, so that is also something I’m looking forward to! Keep your eyes peeled. Also hopefully by the time COVID has passed and we find a vaccine that I can be on the road again and continue doing education around the world again!
Miguel Gutierrez, The Nomad Barber: I am counting on being able to travel in the coming months and I’m about to start working on my warehouse which I’ll build a barbershop, barbershop sets and a photography area. After that I’m going to try and convert a camper van.
Julius Arriola, aka, Julius Cvesar: I’m focused on continuing to expand in the visual art field, whether it be in fashion or creative direction and now painting on everything- hair, canvases, and everything in between. With opening my new space, All Hail Studio in Downtown Los Angeles, it truly has allowed me to focus on creating more than ever. And now I can finally share STMNT with the world as well.
Finally, any last words for the kids?
Sofie “Staygold”: Always be a student of life. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Follow any ideas that you may be interested in, and allow yourself to really learn at the pace that feels comfortable to you, because that’s where you’ll be able to find your passions in life and really soar!
Miguel Gutierrez, The Nomad Barber: I think the main thing for me, Sofie and Julius is that we really want people to try the products and let us know what they think. We are always putting new ideas together, so any feedback for things people think we are missing would be great for us to hear.
Julius Arriola, aka, Julius Cvesar: Always understand that rules are there to give some type of structure, whether you may agree to them or not. I’ve found it highly helpful to acknowledge that for understanding, so as the saying goes: “Learn the rules, so you can break them.” Use this to help you navigate on the chessboard of life. Find purpose in your process, and allow your wholehearted passion to fuel your journey. Believe in something and be convicted to it. MAKE YOUR STATEMENT.
About the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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