108: Barber Deep Dive: Joe Mills
Update: 2025-12-26
Description
Welcome back to a special Boxing Day edition of our Deep Dive limited series, where we sit down with the industry figures who have truly defined the craft. Today, we are in King's Cross with the man who needs no introduction: Joe Mills. From his beginnings in Margate to the heights of Soho’s cool Britannia era, Joe’s career has been a 40-year masterclass in innovation, resilience and survival…
Joe takes us through the electric energy of the 90s Soho scene, where his brands The Lounge and Joe and Co led fashion trends and drew global attention from the likes of Vogue and GQ. He reflects on the immense pressure of scaling - detailing the highs of the ‘Primark x Mills’ rollout and the brutal reality of managing a massive team while navigating a divorce.
He recounts the harrowing experience of his business flooding during the height of the pandemic, battling insurance companies while suffering from panic attacks and depression and the "final straw" moment that led him to close his legendary Soho shops for good. Now "accelerating" at 56, Joe shares why he chose to open Woolf King's Cross and launch his own agency, proving that even after the darkest chapters, there is an opportunity to rewrite your story and find true happiness in the craft.
Follow Joe!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joemillshair
FOLLOW US 🐂 ✂️
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thenoblebarberpodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenoblebarberpodcast
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thenoblebarber
Credits:
Filmed & Edited by HAMLIN STUDIOS: https://www.instagram.com/hamlinstudios/?hl=en-gb
THE NOBLE BARBER PODCAST
Hosted by industry professional and award-winning barber Anthony Laban. Joined weekly by industry professionals to talk about barbering, becoming and maintaining a barber shop, hiring, employment, money and cutting through the crap of the industry.
Joe takes us through the electric energy of the 90s Soho scene, where his brands The Lounge and Joe and Co led fashion trends and drew global attention from the likes of Vogue and GQ. He reflects on the immense pressure of scaling - detailing the highs of the ‘Primark x Mills’ rollout and the brutal reality of managing a massive team while navigating a divorce.
He recounts the harrowing experience of his business flooding during the height of the pandemic, battling insurance companies while suffering from panic attacks and depression and the "final straw" moment that led him to close his legendary Soho shops for good. Now "accelerating" at 56, Joe shares why he chose to open Woolf King's Cross and launch his own agency, proving that even after the darkest chapters, there is an opportunity to rewrite your story and find true happiness in the craft.
Follow Joe!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joemillshair
FOLLOW US 🐂 ✂️
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thenoblebarberpodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenoblebarberpodcast
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thenoblebarber
Credits:
Filmed & Edited by HAMLIN STUDIOS: https://www.instagram.com/hamlinstudios/?hl=en-gb
THE NOBLE BARBER PODCAST
Hosted by industry professional and award-winning barber Anthony Laban. Joined weekly by industry professionals to talk about barbering, becoming and maintaining a barber shop, hiring, employment, money and cutting through the crap of the industry.
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