In 2026, a man can spend thousands of dollars on a beautifully constructed jacket, invest in an important mechanical watch, slip into handcrafted footwear and finish the look with an exceptional fragrance—but if his hair and grooming are neglected, something is missing.
I have increasingly come to believe that hair is menswear. As a menswear editor, designer and critic, I spend an enormous amount of time studying proportion, fabrication, silhouette, color and construction. Yet personal style does not stop at the collar. Hair frames the face, establishes proportion and communicates something about a man before anyone notices the label inside his jacket.
And this is precisely why my conversation with Jay Bulluck, founder of Local Honey Salon, fascinated me. Bulluck approaches hair from an unusual perspective because his professional foundation began not exclusively in beauty, but in apparel design and manufacturing. His family’s private-label manufacturing business worked with major fashion names including London Fog, Anne Klein, Liz Claiborne and Tommy Hilfiger. The operation was vertically integrated—what Bulluck describes as “dirt to shirt”—giving him firsthand knowledge of cotton, fibers, knitting, custom dyeing, finishing and color.
He eventually transferred that knowledge from textile fibers to human hair. And therein lies his superpower.
For me, Local Honey represents something increasingly important in luxury: the transition from simply purchasing a service to investing in individualized expertise. A haircut should not be selected from a social-media menu. It should be designed around the man.
Face shape. Bone structure. Hair density. Texture. Movement. Coloring. Wardrobe. Profession. Lifestyle. Personality. These are essentially the same considerations a great designer or tailor makes when constructing clothing. In other words, your haircut should be bespoke.
Joseph DeAcetis Interviews Jay Bulluck
Joseph DeAcetis: Before entering the hair industry, you built a career in apparel, developing expertise in color theory, precision cutting and the dyeing and finishing of natural fibers. How has that fashion background shaped the way you approach hair design today?
Jay Bulluck: After attending North Carolina State University, I decided to join the family business in apparel design and manufacturing. We were a private-label manufacturer for many prominent fashion lines of the 1990s, including London Fog, Anne Klein and Liz Claiborne. We also worked for Tommy Hilfiger and several others.
When I eventually entered cosmetology school, everything felt incredibly familiar. I already understood color theory, dyeing and finishing because we operated a completely vertical business—what we called “dirt to shirt.” We were buying organically grown cotton, having the cotton spun into fiber, having those fibers knitted to our specifications and then dyed and finished using our custom colors and coatings.
That process taught me how fibers work individually and collectively. When I moved into hair, that knowledge helped me understand movement and architecture: how shapes build or remove mass and how different lines complement one another. Working with natural fibers and then transferring that knowledge to hair was fascinating because, fundamentally, it is all very similar. The shapes don’t change. It’s about understanding how you use the raw material to create the finished product.
As hair designers, we’re working from the ground up—with face shape, bone structure, hair density and texture. I take pride in approaching hair as a fiber rather than through the traditional concept of simply cutting hair. Every hair you cut—and every hair you don’t cut—affects the final result. Every hair you color and every hair you don’t color contributes to that finished design.
I look at hair design almost from an organic, microscopic level outward. I think that’s my “superpower” in this industry. I have all that foundational knowledge and can apply it to this fiber. It gives me an unfair advantage, and I really enjoy it.
Hair Is Wearable Architecture
That answer struck me because it describes precisely what sophisticated menswear is supposed to accomplish. A great garment isn’t simply fabric surrounding the body. Its construction manipulates volume and negative space. A shoulder can broaden a man’s frame. A higher trouser rise can visually lengthen the legs. Suppression at the waist can transform the body’s proportions.
Hair can perform similar visual engineering.
Joseph DeAcetis: You have described hair as a form of wearable design. What parallels do you see between constructing and tailoring a garment and creating a highly personalized haircut?
Jay Bulluck: When I’m designing clothing, I want to understand how the garment is going to move, flow and drape. I consider movement and color. Will it reflect light? Absorb it? Complement or contrast with the colors beside it?
Those considerations apply whether I’m creating a wearable garment or wearable hair design. The truth is that I only work in a bespoke environment now. That’s a true luxury for me because every project is a one-off. It’s an individual process and a highly tailored experience.
I’m no longer running a production line. That gives me complete autonomy over the creative process. My clients come to me because of my reputation for an overall finish and a product they can rely upon. They understand that they’re paying for quality and trust me with the design process.
I always conduct a thorough consultation because I need to understand their expectations, boundaries and limitations. That becomes the pathway to constructing the best version of how they imagine themselves. One of my signature concepts in both apparel and hair is negative space.
Negative space allows a design to breathe and move. It creates kinetic energy for the eye. When there’s an absence of something, it gives more gravity to the presence of everything else. That unique emptiness animates the beauty of the overall project.
Why Men Need to Think About Color Differently
Men are becoming increasingly sophisticated about color. We understand navy versus midnight blue, cream versus optic white, tobacco versus chocolate and olive versus military green. Yet many men still rarely consider how the color of their hair interacts with complexion, eyewear and wardrobe. Bulluck does.
Joseph DeAcetis: Color theory plays an essential role in both fashion and hair. How do tone, contrast, proportion and harmony influence the way you develop color for a client’s complexion, wardrobe and personal style?
Jay Bulluck: One thing I always keep in my bag or at my station is A Dictionary of Color Combinations based on the work of Sanzo Wada. It’s an essential reference whenever I’m pairing colors, particularly when I’m working within an unfamiliar range.
Color is incredibly personal. I don’t necessarily try to change someone’s wardrobe through color. I challenge them with new interpretations of the colors they already love.
People naturally gravitate toward tones that complement their personal story. If a client considers herself blonde, for example, my job isn’t necessarily to convince her otherwise. My responsibility is to create the best blonde possible—one that complements her complexion and wardrobe while still representing my own standards as a designer.
Discretion and nuance are incredibly important. I’m constantly pulling ideas from other sources. Sometimes they’re from fashion; sometimes they’re completely organic. I might discover colors within a landscape that reflect where someone comes from.
I’m not there to write the client’s story. I’m there to be the editor. I’m the producer helping make what they already have look slicker, sharper and like the best possible version of themselves. I don’t believe in disposable design.
Stop Bringing Your Stylist Someone Else’s Face
Social media has created one of grooming’s strangest contemporary problems: men and women now arrive at salons armed with hundreds of images showing what they believe they want. But sometimes they don’t actually want the haircut. They want the person wearing it.
Joseph DeAcetis: What is the biggest misconception clients have when translating an inspiration photograph into something appropriate for their own face, hair and lifestyle?
Jay Bulluck: Damn, Joseph, that’s the question we have to ask every time we consult with someone new—or even an established client.
If someone shows me something completely inappropriate for them or something that simply won’t translate, one of my trade secrets is putting my thumb over the model’s face. Then they’re left looking only at the hair. I ask, “What do you like about this picture?” Usually, they begin to understand what I’m trying to communicate. Sometimes they don’t actually want the hair. They just want to look like Sabrina Carpenter.
Runway Hair Is Fashion
Bulluck’s career has also included work connected to New York Fashion Week, and his understanding of runway hair parallels my own view of runway fashion. Consumers frequently make the mistake of asking, “Who would actually wear that?” That’s not always the point.
Joseph DeAcetis: How has runway and editorial work influenced your creative perspective, and how do those experimental looks eventually filter into mainstream consumer style?
Jay Bulluck: Editorial hair exists in the same space as runway and couture fashion. Couture pieces help define a season even though they aren’t necessarily what consumers will walk into a boutique and purchase. Editorial hair works the same way. These designs might not be the most wearable looks, but they create a vision, atmosphere and conversation. Everything becomes hyper-focused and exaggerated.
Those are the hit makers. I have tremendous admiration for stylists who continue creating seasonal collections simply to push the limits of hair design—color, texture, length and shape. Consumers don’t have to copy an editorial look verbatim to absorb its influence. The point is to pull people away from the commonality of simply going into a salon for another maintenance trim. Even something as traditional as a bob can become exciting. Create six bobs with six different variations and suddenly you have a theme and a collection. That’s where the intersection between fashion and hair becomes most obvious.
Personal Style Wins
In my opinion, the modern luxury consumer increasingly wants something that cannot easily be duplicated. Personalization has become the ultimate status symbol.
Joseph DeAcetis: How are changing ideas surrounding individuality and personal expression influencing contemporary hair?
Jay Bulluck: The great thing about living in the twenty-first century is that virtually anything goes. People can choose a hair design that works with what they believe their best self looks like. Hair is an incredible form of expression because it grows back. You can change it constantly—even several times within the same day through styling. That’s the beauty of having hair to work with. You can express yourself, experiment and make bold statements. It’s especially valuable during periods of self-discovery. Hair allows someone to experiment with different looks and discover not only what looks best on them, but what feels best.
What Luxury Service Really Means
This is perhaps where Local Honey differentiates itself most clearly for me. Luxury isn’t merely an expensive shampoo, impressive interior or premium appointment price. Real luxury is being understood.
Joseph DeAcetis: Today’s luxury consumer increasingly values personalization and experience. What defines an elevated salon experience?
Jay Bulluck: Relationships are the core family value upon which I’ve built Local Honey. We champion relationships with guests rather than the one-off experience. Every time we work with a client, we’re working on that particular day—but we’re also thinking about the next session. Everything includes a “what next” component, whether that’s color, maintenance or the next evolution of the hair design. We’re providing that bespoke personalization. We’re creating a tailored garment for someone to wear, but we’re also teaching them how to wear it and maintain it. I don’t want to give somebody one static hair design they’re going to take to their grave. I want to create something they’re excited to come back and see me about.
The Human Side of Grooming
Joseph DeAcetis: After more than two decades as both a creative professional and entrepreneur, what have you learned about maintaining creativity while sustaining a successful business?
Jay Bulluck: In 2026, my answer is to always be mindful and intentional.
Everything I do has a purpose. When I’m focused and genuinely present, I appreciate the gift I have—and the gift isn’t necessarily my creativity or technical skill. My gift is that I get to show up and provide a little bit of luxury service to someone who may be going through some shit.
Everybody’s going through some shit. My salon is a safe space. My chair creates a unique relationship with somebody who places an enormous amount of trust in me. They’re trusting me not only to listen to what they want from their hair design, but sometimes what they’re looking for within their life. To be included in that is an honor I don’t take lightly.
AI Is Coming for Your Haircut—But Can It Replicate Taste?
Perhaps the most fascinating part of our conversation concerned what comes next. Artificial intelligence is already entering the salon.
Joseph DeAcetis: Looking ahead, what will define the next era of hair and personal style?
Jay Bulluck: Without question, the biggest influence over the next five years will be artificial intelligence—and I mean starting right now. I’m already seeing clients arrive with AI-generated images of themselves using modification prompts. Some even arrive with AI-generated step-by-step instructions telling me how I’m supposed to create the makeover.
That’s when alarm bells go off for me. If someone is telling me precisely what to do, which techniques to use and which tools to use, then they’re wasting their money paying for my expertise. AI is absolutely going to influence salon consultation. But I will reinforce how important it is to develop a strong, trusting relationship with an experienced stylist who knows what they’re doing.
Someone who apprenticed under a master and spent years honing their craft remains, in my opinion, a better choice than simply following a prompt generated by an engine. There is certainly space for valuable information from artificial intelligence within the salon industry, but it has to be curated correctly. It also has to possess the appropriate level of taste. And right now, one of the hardest things for AI to emulate is taste. Who knows? That could change very quickly. For now, I’m staying right here in the moment—and that’s where you’ll find me: at Local Honey.
Joseph DeAcetis: Why Men’s Hair Matters More Than Ever in 2026
After speaking with Bulluck, I returned to something I have believed increasingly strongly as menswear continues evolving: grooming is no longer separate from fashion.
The contemporary man understands clothing better than generations before him. He understands sneakers, watches, fragrances, eyewear, denim and increasingly sophisticated performance textiles. Yet the haircut may still be the single design element closest to his identity because he wears it every waking hour.
You cannot take it off. For me, the sexiest men’s hair in 2026 isn’t necessarily perfectly coiffed. I prefer movement, healthy texture and an ease that suggests confidence rather than obsession. Hair should complement the architecture of a man’s face while connecting naturally with his wardrobe. And grooming should evolve as a man’s life evolves.
The haircut you wore at 25 doesn’t necessarily serve you at 45 or 60. Hair density changes. Texture changes. Faces mature. Wardrobes become more sophisticated. Careers evolve. Personal confidence changes. A talented stylist understands those transitions. That is what I find compelling about Bulluck and Local Honey. His philosophy isn’t about selling everyone the haircut of the season. It is rooted in construction, fiber, proportion, color, negative space and individuality—the very vocabulary designers use when creating clothes.
And that brings us back to luxury. Luxury in 2026 is not simply about price. It is about knowledge. Craft. Time. Taste. Personalization. And the confidence to reject something merely because an algorithm says everyone else should want it. A man can purchase the jacket everyone wants. He can buy the watch everyone recognizes. He can wear the fragrance everyone is talking about.
But truly exceptional personal style happens when all of those elements begin telling his story. And perhaps that’s why the most important luxury accessory a man owns in 2026 isn’t hanging inside his closet at all.
He’s wearing it on his head.
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