By Christine Lavelle
A KEEN barber has been handed an odd request – to maintain a 16-feet moustache belonging to Tennent’s Lager brewery founder Hugh Tennent.
As part of a new marketing campaign, the company has launched a billboard in Edinburgh’s Haymarket, featuring their founder who was known for sporting a huge moustache when he created the beer back in 1885.
Scott Williams, stylist and owner of a five-strong chain Boom Barbers, said he was surprised when the company approached him to help out with the campaign, but was keen to accept.
He said: “It’s not every day you get asked to groom the biggest ‘tache in the city, of course I said yes, it’s going to be good fun.
“We’ve been trading in Edinburgh for over 10 years and we’re used to having all kinds of hair and shaving requests, but this is a first.
“I think they picked me because my barbers’ have been quite involved with the ‘Movember’ charity campaigns.
“From the days of Magnum PI to the boys from Biffy Clyro today, the moustache is always a good look and we hope to see Hugh inspiring a few more Scots to get creative with their upper lip.”
The billboard will be up for the next two weeks, and during this time Scott will be on stand by to keep the moustache in tip-top condition.
He said: “Any damage done to it by the wind or rain will have to be taken care of, I’m not exactly sure how I will go about it – I’ll need a big ladder I suppose!
“It will be mainly trimming off the loose bits as they happen and making sure it stays in place for the duration of its stay.”
Steve Parsons, secretary of UK ‘tache-promoting society, said Scott will have his work cut out managing the giant moustache, even if it is only artificial.
He said: “I hate to think what people will do to it on the street.
“But even if left alone, the hair will collect all manner of things being out in the open all the time.
“Our members often find all sorts of things in our moustaches and we have to be careful that we don’t go out with half our lunch in it, so imagine what delights we could find being out all day on the street.
“Can you imagine dealing with 16-feet split ends? He is going to need a pretty large comb to manage all that.”
Mr Parsons, who says a regular watering of beer is a useful fertilizer for growing a moustache, added that the unpredictable weather in Scotland may cause further problems for the barber in charge.
He said: “Wet weather is not good for moustaches – if it gets wet it goes curly and frizzy.
“Most people don’t do much with their moustache on a day-to-day basis but this could be a mess by the end of day one.
“I would suggest he’ll need hair straighteners, lots of moustache wax and hair spray to keep it tidy and ship-shape.”
Jane Cannon, Tennent’s marketing manager, said: “After introducing Hugh to the nation a few weeks ago on TV ads, his moustache has become a bit of a talking point and this billboard is a celebration of this.”
