In most major cities, there is a new subculture quickly developing. Competitive Bearding is not something new but is a widely growing phenomenon amongst men and the women who support them.
Los Angeles is no different. Embarking on their own beard journey, Nathan “Chops” Johnson, President; Daniel Lawlor, Vice President; and Ally Echevarria, Treasurer, set out to start something amazing in the world of bearding.
The Gentleman’s Social Club of Los Angeles was established August 6th, 2015 with the intent to bring the men and women of Los Angeles together for not just friendship and camaraderie but also in hopes that together, as a whole, they can give back to the community they know and love.
At least once a month, members from the club make a long trek to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and volunteer their Saturday mornings to help bring in food for over 75,000 hungry families in and around the greater Los Angeles County.
For the club’s one-year anniversary they held their first Moustache and Beard Competition entitled Beard Battle LA. In addition to the hundreds of local competitors that swarmed The Federal Bar, located in the heart of the North Hollywood Arts’ District, hundreds of competitors flew in from around the nation in hopes to land themselves the title of Beast in Show, the nights’ most highly sought after prize. There were ten categories in total: Natural Moustache, Styled Moustache, Partial Beard, Partial Freestyle, Full Beard Styled 'Stache, Business Beard, Whiskerinas (a female category), Full Beard Under 12", Full Beard Freestyle, and Full Beard Over 12".
The Federal Bar was packed with bearded fellows, crafty women, and most importantly a set of volunteers from the Gentleman’s Social Club Los Angeles that were running a raffle table and canned food drive. The club sought out to use the money they earned via door sales and raffle tickets to help the Food Bank. In partnership, the club put together a canned food drive and were able to collect and contribute not only hundreds of canned food items, but were also able to donate $1,000 to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank providing resources for thousands of families in need.
