Cutting a New Path: Faded & Co. Gives Second Chances Through Barbering

Since 2014, Antoine Carey has been aiming to provide redemption and purpose.

“I earned my barber license while incarcerated at Haynesville Correctional Center. That program changed my life — it gave me more than just a trade; it gave me a vision of who I could become,” Carey said. “When I was released in 2014, I didn’t just walk out with a record — I walked out with a barber license and a new sense of direction.”

Carey, founder and owner of Faded & Co. Barbershop and CEO of the F.A.D.E.D. Foundation in Fredericksburg, was inspired by his own story to begin a home for second-chance advocacy for those released from incarceration.

“I didn’t read about the system — I lived through it. I know what it feels like to be counted out, to walk through life with a label that makes people look at you sideways before they hear your name. But I also know what it feels like to find purpose, to earn a skill and to rebuild your life one day at a time,” Carey said. “… I saw firsthand how a trade could restore dignity, how mentorship could change your mindset, and how someone believing in you could shift everything.”

The founder said he specifically chose barbering as the vocational focus because the skills learned in the trade extend further than the chair.

“Beyond the clippers and fades, barbering teaches discipline, communication and consistency. It turns clients into conversations, and chairs into counseling sessions,” Carey said. “It’s a career with dignity; one that allows people to rebuild not only their own lives, but also uplift others along the way.”

Following the opening of the barbershop in 2016, Carey decided to launch a new aspect of Faded: a nonprofit and barbershop academy, which would offer scholarships, barber kits and mentorship, in 2020.

“When I came home and opened Faded & Co., I knew it had to be more than a barbershop. It had to be a safe space — a launchpad for others walking the same path I did. Starting the F.A.D.E.D Foundation was about giving structure to that mission: creating real opportunities for returning citizens to thrive, not just survive,” Carey said.

Carey said F.A.D.E.D. provides full or partial scholarships for tuition, professional barber kits, mentorship and life coaching, job readiness training, transportation assistance, community engagement opportunities and mental health/emotional support referrals.

The academy has three tiers, all of which are approved by the Commonwealth’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. The academy tiers include the Barber I program, which requires 1,100 hours of school training; the Master Barber program, which requires an additional 400 hours of school training, and people are eligible following the Barber I program; and the Dual Barber/Master Barber program, which is a 1,500-hour program.

“The program is designed not just to teach a trade, but to transform a life. We focus on accountability, consistency, and connection. Graduates don’t just leave with a license; they leave with a renewed mindset, a support system and the tools to thrive as professionals and contributors to their community,” Carey said.

A graduate from the program, who chose to stay anonymous, said they were not expecting to learn as much as they did from the academy.

“Initially, I expected to just learn how to complete a haircut from beginning to end. Over time, I realized that I needed to have patience with myself and to trust that everything I’d encounter was a part of the process to professionalism, as I learned everything about barbering from the history, chemistry, safety and laws of barbering,” they said.

The graduate said they had to learn to “get out of their own way” to allow themselves to grow while going through the program; but, ultimately, they learned this is an important way to invest in your future.

“Don’t hesitate to invest in yourself and take a chance at a life-changing opportunity that will help you build character, confidence and a purposeful position that will grant you great fulfillment through the action of satisfying others’ needs,” he said.

Carey said he wished more people understood that formerly incarcerated individuals are not lost causes, and this is oftentimes their first fair shot in life.

“They grew up in broken systems, faced trauma early, lacked access to education or were surrounded by environments that pushed survival over success,” Carey acknowledged. “But that doesn’t mean they’re beyond redemption. What they need isn’t judgment — it’s opportunity, guidance and belief.

“They’re not hopeless. They’re hungry. Hungry for change, for stability, for purpose,” Carey continued. “And when we meet them with that understanding, we don’t just change their lives — we change the world around them.”