Male grooming has never felt more lethargic in 2026, and this is an issue with the category that hair care brand Monte is acutely aware of.
Innovation is released at a snail’s pace, meaningful differentiation is rare and brands can often rely on tired tropes, such as the dreaded barbershop aesthetic.
But indie hair care brand Monte Club is on a mission to change all of this.
Founded by Matthew Newstead and model and influencer James Edward in 2022, the Pure Beauty Award-winning business has been growing its reputation through its sole product, the Montx Hair Texturising Tool.
Designed to be versatile across most hair types and styles, it adds natural lift and texture without weighing it down.
But backing all of this is a marketing strategy that seeks to break conventions, which places Edward in the spotlight of genuinely creative social media content – and whether that sparks a sale or simply entertains, the result is a win for Monte Club.
Read on to find out how Monte Club wants to make the male grooming category exciting again.
What gap in the market did you identify when launching Monte Club in 2022, and how has the business been growing since that time?
Newstead: “When was the last time you genuinely got excited about a brand in the men's hair care industry? We saw an opportunity to change that.
We started by solvi
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