We often wonder how our favourite celebrities manage to have the perfect look, both on screen and off screen. So we sat down with celebrity hair designer Darshan Yewalekar, who’s the ace behind some iconic looks ranging from Ranveer Singh in Padmavaat to Aditya Roy Kapoor in Guzaarish. His artistry orbits from creating role specific looks to easy going everyday styles. As his hairstyling resume looks beyond impressive, we decided to feature him in our new “Pro Code”.

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by डी (@darshanyewalekar)

As we sat down at Darshan’s “D Barbershop”- which is an amalgamation of a barbershop and an art studio, we knew this guy had taste and a hell of a story to tell. His energy lifted up the whole room as we spoke to the man who has been behind the camera for so many years.

Darshan recalled his first interaction with hair- he described his mother having a parlour in their house since he was a child. Having the urge to be a ‘city kid’ and explore his horizons, he decided to take up a hairstyling course in Pune and move away from his town Bhusawal. 

After starting off with his hairstyling course, Darshan went with the flow which led him to Mumbai. Always having Bollywood dreams- he was mesmerised by set design and actors. Hardwork, determination and being prepared for everything- has gotten him to reach the position he is at now. 

Now, Darshan considers his craft as more of a hobby rather than a profession. Hair styling comes easy to him- and having his vision validated by so many industry experts, Darshan says hair designing just comes naturally to him now. Being privy to so many conversations and stories has inspired him to be what he is today. Namely Ranveer Singh- a superstar Darshan works closely with, has inspired Darshan’s skillset as he experienced the effort Ranveer puts in his craft firsthand. 

Moving on to talking about how D Barbershop came about, the story begins back in 2008 where he decided that he wants to venture into something of his own. Darshan remembers his first venture failing miserably, as he knew his work was exceptional, but overlooking the business aspect of a new venture made it fall through. Facing a lot of losses and being completely desolate, Darshan then turned to Mr. Sanjay Leela Bansali, who introduced him to Ranveer and the rest is history between the pair. 

The dream of having his own place never died out- but after some time Darshan made sure he had all the right pieces in order to open up a brand of his own. In 2015 he opened up Dshave Barbershop-  and this time he made sure he made the correct transition from a professional to an entrepreneur. Having a successful business this time around with the correct team as his backbone- Darshan decided it was time to go bigger and revamp his current studio, now called DBarbershop.

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by D Barbershop India (@dbarbershopindia)

Having big dreams of expansion and trying to destigmatize the “Barbershop”and making it inclusive for men and women, Darshan has big plans and the conviction to make it happen. Lastly we asked Darshan what the “Pro Code” is to his craft to which he replied having a strong team who is not afraid to point out your mistakes or where you go wrong. Having people around you that always sing your praises gives you a sense of delusion which does not keep you true to your craft. Also, learning from your mistakes and keeping your head down in testing times can truly make or break a person.

Darshan’s success story is a testament to the importance of hard work, determination, and a willingness to learn from mistakes. His story only proves that trusting the universe and always putting your right foot forward may just lead you to the kind of path to success that Darshan has achieved so early in his career.