Trendsetters-Zariff, The Obama Cut

The Obama Cut

The name is Zariff, just Zariff. Zariff gets credit for bringing a change to Obama's "look" - from a short, curly Afro to a shorter-cropped cut with subtle natural lines - just before the nation got its first impression of the junior senator from Illinois at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

"He came in and said, 'I have a big speech tonight, can you make me look good?'" said Zariff, 45, of Chicago's South Shore community. "I decided to cut his hair down, change his look. He trusted my judgment." Now the "Obama Cut" is an international hit. And Hyde Park Hair Salon at 53rd Street and Blackstone Avenue, where Zariff mans the third chair on the right, has become an Obama tourist attraction.

"Another guy was cutting Barack's hair, Wally, and he retired," Zariff said. "One day Barack came in and asked if I was busy. I cut his hair, and the rest is history." Obama's trips to Zariff's chair for a $21 clip job and conversations about the White Sox are over. Now, Zariff brings his clippers to the president-elect - which costs Obama $45 plus a nice tip.

When Mr. Obama goes to Washington, Zariff hopes he'll be making White House calls with his clippers. "If I have to move to Washington, fine," he said. "If I have to commute, great. I'll do whatever. It's an honor."
source chicago sun times