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In today's golden age of facial hair, men spend a lot of money on razorsafter all, those perfect beards, sideburns, and mustaches don't coif themselves. This burgeoning trend led Nashvillian James O'Brien and two friends to take a closer look at the mounds of disposable blades in the trashand at their drugstore receipts for the mounting outlay spent to replace them. Like all good entrepreneurs, the trio knew there had to be a better way. And with that, O'Brien, Casey Perkal, and Tim Jeon founded Noble & Porter and developed their first product, the ShaveFace Denim Strop.
While a stropa strip of material used for sharpening a bladeis hardly an innovation, 'this is not your grandfather's strop,” O'Brien promises. The ShaveFace strop, made in the United States with American denim and leather and brass attachments, is designed to sharpen multiblade disposable razors, rather than straight razors, which is what most barbers use them for.
"We are trying to come up with a more intelligent and sustainable way to shave,” O'Brien says, adding that in 19 months of shaving twice a week, he used only seven blades by sharpening them on a denim strop.
ShaveFace estimates the average man will save up to $100 per year on razor blades by sharpening his disposables and, of course, he'll feel green while doing it. The tool can be hung on a towel rack or rolled up into a Dopp kit for travel. The denim and leather are intended to wear over time, just like jeans or a leather jacket. The product sells for $38 and features the company's hand-branded logo, says O'Brien (who, in true Nashville tradition, is both a musician and a yoga instructor on top of being an entrepreneur). For an extra $10, you can personalize the experience by adding your initials; for $15, those initials will be embossed in gold leaf.
In January, ShaveFace launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund the production. They surpassed a $24,000 goal by raising $60,004, thanks in part to being a Kickstarter Staff Pick. The demographic was more international than the team had expected, and more women backed the product than anticipated. The first strop will start shipping this month, just in time for Father's Day.
O'Brien expects Noble & Porter to release other shaving and grooming products by year's end. Packages are in the works for the holidays, as are a series of promotional events. For now, look for the strop in East Nashville's Hey Rooster General Store and other independent boutiques across town. shaveface.co