About Uppercut Deluxe

For Steve Purcell, it was tradition as a young boy to visit the local barber with his grandfather. Years later as a teenager to throw off the shackles of school, he signed up to do an apprenticeship and the rest they say, is history. With best mate Luke Newman along for the ride, the boys opened their first Barbershop in March 2008. Struggling to find hair products that did what they wanted, Steve began mixing a variety together to give to their clients. Together with Steve’s partner Kiera, they sourced a local chemist who after almost 100 painstaking rounds of testing, concocted their first product named Deluxe Pomade. Luke, a skilled graphic designer, was tasked with the job of developing a creative vision that personified their product: high quality, masculine and one of a kind. In a nod to the industry’s traditional roots, inspiration came from Newman’s grandfather Willy (Uppercut) O'Shea who was a touring bare-knuckle boxer during the Great Depression. Willy was always known for looking sharp and would never go a day without his tin of pomade. the influence of Willy O’Shea heavily influenced Luke in developing the branding and even helped him coin the first tagline, “Uppercut Deluxe, for that knockout look.” But most importantly, the trio wanted a brand that evoked a sense of who they were and what they loved- barbering, surfing, skating and punk rock culture. In September 2008, Uppercut Deluxe was created.Read their story