Sorry Travis Kelce fans, but Philly has had the fade for years

America’s love affair with the Kelce brothers is at an all-time high, especially with the younger of the two sibs, Travis. But there seems to be some love lost when it comes to Taylor Swift’s boyfriend and his haircut.

According to Inside Edition and the New York Times, requests for “the Travis Kelce” drop fade have been flooding barbershops all over the country.

Philly barber Lou Bravo, who cut Travis Kelce’s hair back in June when the NFL player came to town for a Father’s Day get-together, made an Instagram post declaring his Fishtown barbershop as the place to get the fade. “If you want ‘the Travis Kelce’ cut, you can come right here to LB Cuts,” the post read.

With the rising popularity of “the Travis Kelce,” people have taken objection to the disregard of the fade’s origins within Black and brown barbershops.

“I’m trying to figure out which Black barbershop you go in and say, ‘I’m trying to get a Travis Kelce,’ ” former Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe said on Nightcap, the show he cohosts with former NFL star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. “That barber gonna look at you and say, ‘What?’ a ‘Who?’”

“We’ve been seeing the fade for years, Unc,” Johnson said.

Kelce agrees. “These headlines are wild … the fade has been around long before my life even began,” the Chiefs tight end commented on the post.

According to a 2016 Ebony magazine article, the fade originated in the U.S. military in the 1940s and 1950s, in keeping with the strict regulations. When Grace Jones appeared with a hi-top fade on the cover of the 1980 Warm Leatherette, the hairstyle took on a new life and became extremely popular.

The fade later became the signature cuts of artists like Cameo, Big Daddy Kane, and Christopher “Kid” Reid. And while it has seen revivals over the years, the lower, more tapered version has become the standard style of the day.

Chester native Rob Knox said it’s “annoying” seeing outlets wrongfully credit such a common hairstyle to Kelce. “It’s been here for generations,” Knox said. “Numerous people have had that hairstyle, they just haven’t had the platform that Travis Kelce has now.”

For Bravo, “this is all a fun story to put out while such a popular football player is about to play in the Super Bowl,” he said. “His haircut is a part of his image and he’s allowed [to have] any style he desires while not claiming ownership to the origins of anything.”

The longtime barber, who has styled the likes of DJ Pauly D, Rich Paul, and soccer star Kellyn Acosta, said nobody in the city is calling the military-style trim “the Travis Kelce” and he doesn’t believe anyone should. He has, however, seen a rise in requests for the fade in recent years because of Travis Kelce’s popularity, even from die-hard Eagles fans like himself.

One of those fans happens to be Northeast Philly resident Conor Hagerty. He’s always gravitated toward the fade’s sharpness and “low maintenance.” “It just exploded in terms of popularity in the Philadelphia area quite a few years ago now, and it appears to be everybody’s go-to haircut nowadays,” he said.

Even at West Philly barber Jalen Thompson’s shop, more clients have asked for high, mid, and drop fades. But as far as calling it “the Travis Kelce,” he thinks maybe the name gets used in white barber shops, but not Black-owned ones.

“We have ‘the Lil Boosie’ fade, and they got ‘the Travis Kelce,’” he said.

Despite the cut’s existing popularity in Black and brown shops, North Philly barber Kenneth Carruth IV, said the renaming is a part of being a celebrity, and Kelce fits that definition comfortably. “The media will coin something you have or rock what already exists, and then it becomes a thing.”

As a barber for more than 20 years, Bravo said trends like these are commonplace. He remembers when clients used to ask him for “the Brad Pitt,” “the David Beckham,” and the “Nas part.” They were based on known hairstyles, but each of them had a twist that uniquely defined them.

That isn’t the case for Kelce, Knox said. “We all know Travis did not originate the haircut,” he said. “Now, if he shows up to practice with red dye in there, or the Chiefs logo, then OK, Travis you started something.”

Considering the landscape of media and TV, Knox, a former sports writer, says he understands the country’s fascination with Kelce, even down to his hairstyle. And despite the gentrification of the name, he finds it hard to be mad at Kelce. “He probably didn’t ask for any of this stuff,” he said. “It’s just funny how the media jumped on this.”