Whatever you call it, the Islamic-style aesthetic has been around for a while, and the beard in particular - often referred to as a "Philly beard" or a "Sunni" - has come to be identified with the City of Brotherly Love. My friend Anthony Henderson, the fashion stylist who divides his time between Philly and Los Angeles, makes a point of wearing it because of hometown pride.
"I can go to a corner store in Crenshaw or in Watts and people will say, 'You're from Philly,' " Henderson said. "And if I have to go to a new barber here in Los Angeles, I say, 'I need a Philly beard.' They automatically know what it is.
"I love my Philly beard because I think it makes me look attractive and sexy. People like to touch it and pull on it."
Henderson's chin whiskers are in a circle beard that connects his mustache with his goatee, and are darkened with hair dye that gives his beard Philly-esque definition. Barbers such as Darryl Thomas of Philly Cuts at 44th and Chestnut will use a dark wax pencil to give a sharp edge to the beard, a "serious outline."
"We just put that razor on it and make it look real hot," Thomas told me.
The most famous Philly beard-wearer is rapper Freeway.
"In college, we would often call it the Freeway beard, the Philly beard or the Muslim beard, also the West Philly beard," said Ben Piven, who created a short YouTube documentary on the topic. "There's a specific shaping to it, the way it puffs out around the cheeks and the sideburns and extends below the chin, definitely low in the mustache area in keeping with the Islamic style of facial hair.
"It's definitely well-groomed, well-kept. It's a neat look," he added.
