Maria Mor

Location and Props: Brothers and Brawlers in Wynwood, Miami. (Click on photo for their Instagram)

Cigar in hand. Sleeves rolled up. Shirt slightly unbuttoned. Black shades. Suspenders intact. Groomed beard. Burgundy pants. Slightly worn out boots. One foot up on the wall. A lean to one side. Gaze somewhere in the distance.

There in that corner stands a rare bird. A mixture of bad ass, good morals, and a classy attitude. A gentleman with an edge.

On the surface Enrique Pineros might be considered the full package; an orderly frenzy, but the truth is he is more than just a face. He is the product of his upbringings, own experiences, self choices, system of beliefs, and a lot of hard work.

Discovered at a very young age by a teacher and some “seemingly” insignificant doodles, Enrique spent most of middle school in a plethora of art classes.  Unfortunately the lack of dedicated instruction and mentor-ship from his fellow teachers caused the arts to feel tedious. At the time, teaching was centered around gimmicky art contests leaving very little room for challenges and organic creativity.

The discouragement of middle school carried over into high school where the arts were replaced by ROTC Air Force program. From creativity to logistics, Enrique climbed the ladder rather quickly to Chief of Command making him responsible for over 300 cadets.

For a man who likes a challenge, versatility might as well be his middle name. Along with ROTC Enrique joined the Science and Engineering Club, Spanish National Honors Society, as well as, the Swim and Water Polo Team. Talk about discipline and ambition.

Yet, it was not until senior year where he found an inspiring professor that the arts began to speak for themselves. It was only a matter of time before creativity would paint its way back into his life. College would be the steering point.

Ironically, Enrique had a very secured plan for after high school, but the Universe had a more interesting path. Let’s just say the Air Force was not it. It was definitely something along the arts or to be more specific; Sculpture.

Florida Atlantic University (FAU) welcomed him with a spot in the architecture department. Enrique described as torture. He gave interior design a chance and found out, like graphic design, he did not want to create someone else’s ideas; he wanted to invest his time in developing his own.

So what was left? Well, opportunity came dressed as a man with mid- length hair, black framed glasses, an eye for potential, and a refined skill in sculpting. Mark, a former professor at FAU, saw in Enrique what every previous influential person saw: pure dedication and raw talent. Soon after taking his Sculpture 1 class, Mark granted Enrique full access to the sculpting room and an internship that shifted his vision drastically. He had finally found his niche.

Along with the passion for sculpting came the sweet love for motorcycles, cigars, and his signature beard. Motorcycles to Enrique went beyond a transportation method. Rather, they were a method of design that required research on the malleability of metals and an exploration of their building process. Through his eyes, motorcycles manifested themselves as sculptures that could easily be manipulated, customized, and altered to be art pieces. It really was not until recently, when he finally got his motorcycle license, that the thrill of riding sparked his interest. His third love, cigars, were introduced by his fraternity. Once again curiosity ignited an infatuation with their history, production, and leisurely appeal. Similarly to the process of carving out a master piece, he didn’t just make the decision to smoke a cigar as a form of peer pressure, he studied the subject and process first.

In his 24 years of life, Enrique has been sculpting his journey through leadership, genuine connections, and sound learning. A craftsman with his tools, he has managed to cast and re-cast the true representation of himself to be clean, honest, and respectful. His iconic beard is a form of self expression questioning all executive Wall Street bearded stereotypes and bringing a more positive outlook into the urban slick style without the lumberjack reference. Social media can be extremely detrimental to the psyche causing people to be critical of others and themselves. The key for Enrique is to stay true to himself. He fervently believes in Beard Brand’s motto: “keep on growing.” Grow your well groomed beard and in the process grow within yourself to surpass the stigmas and barriers overwhelming our society. Interestingly enough, life is one big process. In fact every human being is one long, beautiful, and tedious process being refined and worked on every single day. The secret is to learn to truly get to know yourself!

~M