Bearded Villains

NationInspiration discovered a diamond in the rough. One that led to a treasure chest movement of bearded men uplifting communities worldwide. Here is our interview with Hubri Bruyn, Captain of Bearded Villains Johannesburg, South Africa.

1.Hi Hubri, please tell us a bit more about yourself!

I’m Hubri Bruyn and Captain of Bearded Villains Johannesburg in South Africa. I’m 37 years of age, been married for 10 years and have one son that is 9 years old. I’m employed as a Claims Officer in the public sector and my passions in life are woodwork and photography.

2.What’s the story behind your beard?

I started growing my current beard in November 2014. In this month my mother had a severe stroke and with us living far apart I connected the initial itch and constant awareness of my facial hair to thinking of her.

3. How did you get involved with the Bearded Villain movement and what exactly is it all about?

My mother passed away in February 2015 and a week after that someone commented on one of my Instagram posts about joining the club. I saw this as a sign and have since been very passionate about the charitable element of our brotherhood.

Bearded Villains is so much more than what I can put into words. If I had to define it in one sentence it would be: “Real life friendships, from all walks of life, that has to be experienced.”

Bearded Villains was founded by club President, Frederick Von Knox (@von_knox) in 2014 to showcase bearded gentlemen from across the world, unite them and change the perception and label of the bearded guy as a bad guy. Bearded Villains, worldwide, has done so much for charities and their communities that I could write a book just about this element of the club. Today I literally have a friend or contact in every corner of the world. Priceless!!!

4.Is Bearded Villains a global community and if so how many of you are in South Africa?

Bearded Villains have chapters across the globe with an estimated 2500+ members. In South Africa we have up and coming chapters in Cape Town and Durban. Currently Bearded Villains Johannesburg is the only official chapter with a member count of 20 and growing.

5. How can others get involved?

It’s a beard club and you need a solid beard to join. Our doors are open to positive, down-to-earth-bearded-men in the Gauteng area that would like to connect, do some charity work or just meet up for lunch and a few beers.

You can contact us on the following platforms:
Instagram: @beardedvillains_jhb
E-mail: beardedvillainsjhb@gmail.com
Facebook: Bearded Villains Johannesburg

6. What inspires you, as a bearded villain, and how would you like to inspire?

Other bearded men inspire me daily. People I might form a perception of according to appearance or based on what one sees on social media. I suppose that in many ways this is human nature. I will use my friend Mauro from Argentina (@mauro.ponti) as an example; At first he looked scary as hell (Love you Mauro lol) but he is a kindhearted family man, just like many others, he cares greatly for his community. A good man. I hope to inspire others by my actions, just like Mauro. To force people to look a little bit further than their initial visual perception of each other.