Left-handed hair stylists have a friend in Stephen Pavlick.
In addition to his work as president of DWA (2010) Ltd., which distributes beauty products and equipment across Canada and beyond, Pavlick is the founder of Panther Shears Ltd.
It specializes in reasonably priced cutting tools, including items designed for left-handed users.
During his nearly three decades in the beauty supply business, Pavlick has observed that the selection of shears and other products for southpaw stylists is sorely lacking.
Of particular concern is the situation in many beauty schools, where left-handers often must make do with standard-issue equipment.
“They get used to cutting left-handed with right-handed shears, and it’s very difficult to change (back).”
That reduces even further the incentive for manufacturers of shears and related products to produce two types of equipment.
About five years ago, Pavlick set out to address the problem when he started Panther Shears. It now produces a variety of cutting tools, using four Asian factories.
Pavlick, who is president of the Allied Beauty Association, hopes that giving left-handed student stylists appropriate equipment will increase demand for left-handed equipment in the future, and prompt manufacturers to expand their offerings.
Panther Shears also provides an affordable option to stylists and students on a tight budget.
Kasho Shears, which DWA has the Canadian rights for, produces some of the best cutting equipment in the industry. But these cost between $390 and $1,500.
“It’s a real high-end premium brand of shears,” explained Pavlick, who can offer an alternative under the Panther name.
“I’ve got school kits that start with a shear and a thinner, in a case, for like $60.”
Panther is carried by six distributors in Canada, and is also being sold into the United States and Mexico.