Parramatta Mona Vale Sydney

Karel Lloyd

Barber and Partner at Sonder Mens

He asked for a job the day his mum brought his brother in for a haircut, and started the next Monday. Years later he is a partner in the business, still in the chair, still starting every cut the same way: with a proper consultation.

Book with Karel See the work
The fade, by the numbers 0skin, 0.5 mm

A fade is a gradient you wear. Pick a guard to see where the blend starts.

Who he is

Started on a Monday. Never left the chair.

Karel Lloyd did not plan on barbering. He was at a crossroads when his mum took his brother in for a haircut, so he asked for a job on the spot and started the following Monday.

He built Sonder Mens alongside the founders from the first day. He became a partner because he wanted to lead without having to run a company on his own, and he has stayed on the tools the whole way through. He is a father and a husband, and the shop describes him as proof that this trade changes lives.

You will find him in the chair at Parramatta and Mona Vale.

Role
Partner, on the tools
Chairs
Parramatta, Mona Vale
Known for
Leadership, culture, barbering
In one word
Human
Karel Lloyd
Karel at the chair

The consultation

Nobody gets clipped before they get asked.

Every Sonder haircut opens with a five step read of your head, your hair and your week. It is the part Karel is known for, and it is why the cut still works once you are washing it yourself.

  1. 01

    Face shape

    Oval, square, round, oblong, diamond or heart. Where the weight goes, and where it comes off, is decided here.

  2. 02

    Facial thirds

    Your face maps into three bands. Balancing them tells him how much height the top can carry.

  3. 03

    Hair texture

    Fine, medium or coarse. Texture decides the technique and the product, long before the clippers move.

  4. 04

    Density

    How much hair is actually there, and whether the answer is to thin it, texturise it or build volume into it.

  5. 05

    Lifestyle

    The honest question. How many minutes do you really give this in the morning? The cut gets matched to that.

Watch Karel break a consultation down

The cuts

Six shapes, and how long each one lasts.

A short read of the Sonder library, with how often each one wants revisiting. The maintenance window is the bit most people wish they had been told.

Skin fade

Zero at the base blended clean into length. Sharp on day one, so it wants tidying while it still reads sharp.

Revisit every 2 to 3 weeks

Textured crop

Messy on purpose, styled forward. A modern read on the Caesar, and the kindest cut there is to a higher hairline.

Revisit every 3 weeks

Quiff

Volume with a direction. Styled forward off the crown, then lifted through the fringe to lengthen the face.

Revisit every 3 weeks

Crew cut

Short back and sides done properly. Anything from a skin fade to a four on the sides, up to three inches on top.

Revisit every 3 weeks

Mod

Sixties shape, heavily layered, everything sitting forward. Structured chaos with an actual point of view.

Revisit every 6 weeks or longer

Long layers

Length that sits near the shoulders, broken with layers so it moves instead of falling flat. Long hair is still a haircut.

Revisit every 5 weeks

In their words

What clients say.

Short extracts from public reviews on Fresha that name Karel.

Extremely knowledgeable, and made me feel really welcome.
Client via Fresha
First barber that actually understood how to cut, style and layer longer hair.
Client via Fresha, Parramatta
Karel and Jimmy make you feel right at home.
Client via Fresha, Parramatta
Always good vibes at Sonder Mona Vale.
Scott N. June 2024, via Fresha

5.0

Sonder Mona Vale, from 2,300 or more Fresha reviews

5.0

Sonder Parramatta, from 500 or more Fresha reviews

Both figures are the shop rating for the venue Karel cuts at, not an individual score. Check Fresha for the current count.

Find him

Two chairs, one standard.

Karel splits his week between Parramatta and Mona Vale. Live availability sits on Fresha, so book the chair rather than guessing the hours.

Want Karel specifically, either shop?

Book with Karel

Follow along

The work, as it happens.

Instagram @karel.lloyd Skool Community profile Sonder Mens Full profile