Habib Ahmed, the legendary hairstylist whose scissors shaped the public images of India’s leaders, passed away on September 25, 2025, aged 84. As news of his demise spreads, the nation pauses to remember the man who made hairstyles into quiet statements of power and elegance. He has created an unmatched legacy in the hairdressing and barbering industry.
Born on October 2, 1940, in a modest town near Muzaffarnagar, Habib inherited a legacy of grooming from his father, Nazir Ahmed, who served high-profile clients during the British Raj and in post-Independence India. A few of his prestigious clients included Lord Linlithgow and Lord Mountbatten, and later he extended his services to major political leaders of independent India.
What began as a familial craft soon transformed under Habib’s vision into a full-fledged art. He went to London, trained with elite institutions, and returned home to revolutionise how hair was perceived in Indian society.
Over decades, he became the go-to stylist for figures whose images mattered: from crafting Indira Gandhi’s signature hair to shaping A. P. J. Abdul Kalam’s flowing locks, Habib’s work became woven into India’s visual memory. But he never confined his legacy to the salons of elites. He founded salons and an academy, training generations of stylists across the country, elevating hairdressing from a humble trade to a profession of dignity and creativity.
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His son, Jawed Habib, carried forward his commitment, but the foundation was always Habib’s own disciplined artistry and belief in the craft. With his passing, India loses more than a hairstylist— it loses a pioneer, a visionary who helped define the way leaders looked, and in doing so, shaped how we saw power itself
