One of the biggest changes in the hair industry was the long-anticipated introduction of the Barbering qualification in 2016 as a standalone qualification. A rise in the men’s grooming sector highlighted the need for its return, and with that, owners Don and Anna De Sanctis opened Barbery the Craft of a Barber Academy, Australia’s first and only standalone, nationally registered barbering academy.

With Anna’s experience in the public sector and as owners of multiple barber shops across Adelaide, Don and Anna opened the Academy with much fanfare and a new era in barbering education for South Australia and indeed Australia was born.

With the need for a higher level of barber education, the Academy was established to provide nationally accredited training for fulltime institutional pathway participants as well as participants under a contract of training (SA apprentices) as well as school-based SACE students.

A lot has happened since the Barbery first opened its doors. In 2019, only 2 years after launching, the Barbery team celebrated winning Education Business of the Year at Hair Expo, one of the most prestigious awards on the Hairdressing calendar each year. This is a testament to the hard work, world class training and quality course outcomes that take place every day. 

This was repeated in 2021 winning Excellence in Education for the Australian Hair Fashion Awards, Best Business Director/Owner of the Year, Mest Men’s Educator and Junior/Apprentice of the Year for the 2022 Australian Modern Barber Awards and again winner best Men’s Educator of the Year Organisation in 2023.

The growth of the industry and the constant evolution of innovative training is always at the core and indeed heart of everything we do.