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Keeping It Real: V’s Barbershop COO on Authenticity in the Age of AI
At ShopTalk Fall, V’s Barbershop COO Emily Hutcheson-Brown explained why authenticity is the brand’s advantage and why AI must never replace the founder’s voice.
Zihan Lyu
September 18, 2025
At ShopTalk Fall, Emily Hutcheson-Brown, COO of V’s Barbershop, made one thing clear: in an era obsessed with efficiency and automation, authenticity is still the most powerful growth strategy.
Founded in 1999, V’s set out to revive the classic American barbershop - hot towels, straight razors, and conversations in the chair. Today it’s a national chain, but Hutcheson-Brown insists its advantage isn’t scale. It’s staying true to barbering when so much of the category has blurred into salon-style haircuts.
“Most barbering in this country isn’t really barbering. It’s salons doing haircuts.”
That distinction has made V’s a destination for customers who want more than a quick trim. They want the rituals, the tools, and the culture that define real barbering.
The AI tension
Hutcheson-Brown didn’t shy away from the question on everyone’s mind: AI.
“AI is interesting because it’s terrifying. It could make or break. It could make us seem less authentic than what we want.”
For her, AI is welcome behind the scenes - in analytics, targeting, and operational support - but not in the voice of the brand. V’s identity was built by its founder, and Hutcheson-Brown sees her role as protecting that DNA.
“My founder’s voice is the brand. He created it. So I have to load and use AI with his voice.”
The risk isn’t technology itself; it’s losing the human texture that makes the brand meaningful.
Craft and inclusivity
Authenticity at V’s isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about serving people well, across all communities. Hutcheson-Brown pointed to the importance of techniques and products tailored to thick Asian hair, African American hair, and African American skin.
That level of craft and respect for difference is what keeps customers coming back. It shows that authenticity isn’t a static story, but an evolving practice that adapts to who’s in the chair.
A brand built on trust
For Hutcheson-Brown, every decision whether it’s about AI, operations, or marketing comes back to a single filter: does this keep the brand authentic?
It’s a striking stance in a retail world chasing automation and optimization. At V’s, growth is about trust, not tricks.
“AI can help us scale, but it can’t replace the soul of the brand.”
The takeaway:
V’s Barbershop’s story at ShopTalk wasn’t about chasing the next big tech play. It was about holding onto the fundamentals - authenticity, craft, and inclusivity - while cautiously exploring how tools like AI can help without diluting the brand.
In Hutcheson-Brown’s words, the future of barbering won’t be defined by algorithms, but by the timeless experience of the chair.
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