Meet the barber behind Travis Kelce's popular but simple haircut
As the aura of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce grows ever-larger, so does his public image, and with it, his now-recognizable, albeit standard, high-fade haircut.
Kelce, who is slated to play in the Super Bowl in February, sports a short and close haircut. It is a common hairstyle for men and a style for which his image has become synonymous.
Patrick Regan, a Florida-based barber in his 30's, told "Good Morning America" he is the man behind the Kelce cut.
"The funny thing is, it's such a simple haircut, you know. Barbers have been doing this haircut for centuries," said Regan, who said that barbers have reached out recently, noting that clients were frequently asking for Kelce's style.
"It's something barbers do every single day," said Regan.
Regan said the haircut is a simple three-blade shave on top and a bald shave on the sides.
"I think it just goes to show how big of an icon that he is that a simple haircut can be named like the Travis Kelce haircut," he said. "It's pretty cool."
Regan said he first met Kelce six years ago when Kelce was training in Florida over the off-season. Kelce contacted Regan on Instagram, asking for a 6 a.m. haircut. Regan's shop did not open until 10 a.m., but that did not matter to the eager barber. Regan noted that Kelce appreciated the early morning haircut gesture.
After cutting Kelce's hair for the summer, he said Kelce asked to bring him to Kansas City every week for the season for a haircut, a pattern he's followed every year since.
Cutting Kelce's hair comes with perks too, like meeting Taylor Swift, who's watched Regan give Kelce his signature cut multiple times, according to Regan.
Regan also said he will be in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl to give Kelce his pregame cut, which he also did last year when the Chiefs played Regan's favorite football team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Thad Forrester, co-founder of Missouri-based Hudson / Hawk Barber & Shop with locations in Kansas City, home of the Chiefs, said he noticed the rise in requests for Kelce-inspired haircuts as well.
"It just sometimes takes somebody like an athlete or a celebrity to be in the spotlight. And for people to see it and be like, 'Man, I'm gonna give that a shot,'" said Forrester, who said he also jumped on the style himself.
Forrester said he recognized a similar gravitation around Brad Pitt's hairstyle in the 2014 movie "Fury," featuring a disconnected slick back.
Regan noted the rise of the Kelce haircut is more of an indictment on Kelce's popularity than the haircut he dons.
"He's just an icon," said Regan.
Forrester and Regan noted how the optics of dating Swift may also add to the intrigue around the haircut.
"This whole thing just shows… how much of an icon he is that they're calling it the Travis Kelce haircut," said Regan.
