STIJN DE SUTTER — Founder. Master Barber. Keeper of the Straight Razor.

In the heart of Ghent, where the cobblestones have seen more trends than a Parisian runway, there’s a place that treats time like a suggestion rather than a rule. This is ROMAIN, and at the helm is Stijn De Sutter, a man who swapped a nursing degree for a straight razor and somehow became the "Big Friendly Giant" of Belgian grooming.

If you walked past ROMAIN Barbershop on a Tuesday afternoon and glanced through the window, you might see a man leaning over a client with the quiet focus of a surgeon. No rush. No one on their phone mid-service. Just a hand, a razor, and about 140 years of Ghent barbering tradition hovering in the air.

That man is Stijn De Sutter. Founder, master barber, and the person responsible for turning a single chair in Gentbrugge into what is now Belgium's most recognized name in traditional men's grooming. He started ROMAIN in 2014. He has since grown it to three locations, launched an internationally operating barber academy, developed his own product line, and — perhaps most remarkably — become the first Belgian to receive the title of Master Barber from the Scapicchio family of Bovino, Italy. The Scapicchio family has been sharpening straight razors and teaching barbers for over 200 years. They don't hand out diplomas at the door.

None of this happened because Stijn wanted to build a brand. It happened because he wanted to do one thing properly.

ROMAIN opened in 2014 on the outskirts of Ghent, with Stijn and a simple idea: appointment-only, traditional shaving, no rushing. Three years in, the client list outgrew the space. The shop moved to Gentbrugge — bigger, but the same unhurried philosophy. By 2021, ROMAIN Yvonne opened as a second location. A third followed at Coupure, operating out of a building with a barbering history dating to 1884, which is exactly the kind of detail that Stijn finds meaningful and that most people would overlook on a Google Maps listing.

Three locations. A 4.9 Google rating. Barbers travelling from the United States, France, and the Netherlands specifically to train with him. All of that, and the website still says: no phone. Email only. Make of that what you will. Regulars don't mind.

ROMAIN is not just a barbershop. Stijn has structured the business around four deliberate pillars, each of which has grown into something substantial in its own right.

•  Groom — The core offering. Traditional straight razor shaving, beard work, and haircuts, all appointment-based, all done with the kind of patience that feels conspicuously rare in 2025.

•  Taste — Cigars and matching drinks. ROMAIN operates one of Ghent's larger cigar houses, with a dedicated smoking room where clients can sit before or after their service. Stijn's cigar expert Thomas Gryson handles this pillar. This combination — razor and cigar — is not a marketing angle; it's a considered lifestyle proposition.

•  Learn — The Scapicchio Academy, operating out of both Ghent and Bovino, Italy. Stijn teaches straight razor technique, honing on natural stone, and traditional barbering craft to barbers from across Europe and beyond. Level 1 is open to any motivated beginner. Level 2 is by invitation, reserved for those who have completed Level 1 to the required standard.

•  Smell — ROMAIN's own fragrance line, created in collaboration with Belgian master perfumer Kristof Lefebre. The flagship scent, Vincenzo, was inspired by Stijn's time in southern Italy — specifically the remote village of Bovino and the moment he received Vincenzo Scapicchio's coat, which carried a scent he decided he needed to keep. The fragrance sells for €150 a bottle and does not smell like a gift with purchase.

Understanding ROMAIN requires understanding Italy. Specifically, a small town in Puglia called Bovino, where the Scapicchio family has been practicing and teaching the art of open razor shaving for more than two centuries.

Stijn first encountered the Scapicchio method and made his way to Bovino, where he began training under Luigi and Enzo Scapicchio. Three years later, he returned for his Master Barber assessment — a process that involved teaching a class of beginners in a foreign language, sharpening Luigi's personal razor on a whetstone in under 20 minutes, and performing a live shave on an Italian client under the direct observation of the family elders. The client gave it a 9 out of 10. Luigi said "Bueno." Then they handed Stijn the diploma.

He cried. He had not expected to. Luigi and Enzo were apparently also somewhat surprised at how far he had come in three years, which is either a compliment or a very Italian way of keeping expectations calibrated.

The title of Master Barber from the Scapicchio family is not a certificate you print from a website. It is awarded by a family that has watched every other master they trained come up through years of direct contact. Stijn is the first Belgian to hold it.

ROMAIN sells a curated range of grooming products, straight razors, and honing kits — all of them things that Stijn and his team actually use in the shop. The ROMAIN Hollow Edition razor is handcrafted in Solingen, Germany (which Stijn will note is exactly where razors should be made), with a wooden handle, round tip for safety, and carbon steel blade. The ROMAIN All-In-One Honing Kit, developed in collaboration with Ardennes-Coticule, uses three natural Belgian stones and comes with a seven-step guide. Both ship worldwide.

The shop also offers gift cards framed, without irony, as "a free pass to the men's candy store." Prices start at €15. At the top end, €150. Which, coincidentally, also gets you a bottle of Vincenzo.

The Scapicchio Academy at ROMAIN operates on a simple principle: entry is selective, and there are no shortcuts. Motivation, discipline, and respect for the craft are the listed prerequisites for Level 1. No prior experience required. All materials provided. Level 2, by contrast, is strictly reserved for those who have completed Level 1 — because the point is not to fill seats, but to maintain standards.

Students have come from Chicago, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, and across Belgium. Several have described the experience as career-redefining. One wrote that Stijn had "re-ignited the passion" they were missing in the craft. Another said it made them emotional. After a course taught partly in French, delivered by a Fleming, in a Belgian barbershop with Italian certification roots. Which tells you something about what happens when craft is taught by someone who actually cares about it.

Beyond ROMAIN itself, Stijn has accumulated a set of external roles that reflect both his standing in the international barbering community and his willingness to show up, rather than just talk about showing up.

•  Master Tutor, Scapicchio Academy (Italy) — He teaches at the academy's original Italian location in Bovino, as well as in Ghent.

•  Master Barber with Proraso (Italy) — Certification from one of Italy's most respected grooming heritage brands.

•  Belgian Ambassador for Captain Fawcette (UK) — A British grooming brand with a focus on traditional men's care.

•  Co-founder of 'A Shave & A Cigar, Sir!' — A concept that does exactly what it says.

•  Product collaborator with Ardennes-Coticule — The all-in-one honing kit, developed together with Belgium's premier natural whetstone producer.

He has also been featured on Belgian national television (VRT) and participates in international barber events including the 10th edition of Barber Society Live in Amsterdam. His YouTube channel — where he describes himself as "shaving expert, educator, and storyteller" — covers technique, history, and the kind of specific detail that enthusiasts find useful and casual viewers find unexpectedly interesting.

ROMAIN's philosophy is not complicated. It is simply harder to execute than it sounds.

Every object earns its place. Every service takes the time it takes. Nothing is rushed, nothing is decorative, and heritage is treated as a responsibility rather than a marketing angle. The website says: "In the chair, we test. At the table, we refine. Only what earns its place becomes part of the house."

Stijn's own shorthand for it: Men. Do. Care. Three words he signs off LinkedIn posts with, which is either very Belgian in its restraint or very Stijn. Probably both.

•  Founded: 2014 (Gentbrugge / Ghent, Belgium)

•  Current locations: Three — HQ (est. 2014), Yvonne (est. 2021), Coupure (heritage building, est. 1884)

•  Google Rating: 4.9 ⭐

•  Booking: Appointment-only, online via Optios

•  Contact: Email only — info@romainghent.be (no phone, by design)

•  Key credentials: Master Barber — Scapicchio Family; Master Barber — Proraso; Master Tutor — Scapicchio Academy

•  Products: Straight razors (Solingen), honing kits (Ardennes-Coticule), fragrance (Vincenzo), gift cards

•  Academy: Scapicchio Academy — Level 1 & Level 2, Ghent and Bovino

•  Online: romainghent.be | IG @romain_ghent | IG @desutter_stijn | YouTube: @desutter_stijn

Look, it’s a learning curve. The first few times will be slow and awkward. But once that muscle memory kicks in? It’s the best shave you’ll ever have.