Meet Jawed Habib: The superstar hairdresser with a £24million global empire
EXCLUSIVE: Delhi-based celebrity hairdresser for the stars Jawed Habib speaks to the Express about his passion for India and cosmetology.
Meet the hair expert with a 10,000-salon global empire
“India made me what I am today,” Jawed Habib told the Express in one of the roughly 1,000 unisex hair salons he owns.
Mr Habib, who is wearing a studded black jacket and sunglasses, comes from a hair-dressing dynasty with his family boasting a 100-year legacy in the profession.
Forbes reported in 2016 that Jawed Habib Hair and Beauty Ltd was worth $30million (£24million).
It caters for between four and five million clients a year, Mr Habib told us.
And with salons spread across 120 cities in India and the world, it is a truly international operation.
“There is a huge demand for this service,” Mr Habib says, speaking in South Delhi.
“India has changed. India has become a middle-class country where people have a lot of disposable income.
“People want to spend. People want to look their best.”
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Mr Habib came from humbler beginnings, having worked in McDonald’s during his younger years.
But his stint at the fast food chain gave him his multi-million dollar idea.
His business empire now functions with a franchise model much like the American corporate giant.
He jokes: “We are the McDonald’s of hairdressing!”
All of Mr Habib's clients get VIP treatment.
He told us: “Anyone who sits in this chair should feel like a Bollywood star.”
But for visiting Brits, it need not cost the earth.
In Delhi, the Express spoke to West Midlands sisters Alisha Kainth, 28, from Sutton Coldfield and Karina Jassal, a 19-year-old student nurse from Handsworth, Birmingham who booked a last-minute trip to India.
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The British-Indians got pampered every day they were in the Indian capital, getting their hair washed and blow-dried for just £4.
Ms Jassal said: “That was the best thing getting lovely head massages every day and they were really professional.”
All Mr Habib’s staff are trained by him in his network of around 80 academies all over India where they are among a cohort of roughly 10,000 students a year.
Although he studied and trained in London, the hairdresser credits his roaring success to his home nation of India.
He said: “India gave me my popularity. India gave me my brand. India gave me my name.”
Mr Habib’s efforts and contribution to his field have been recognised by the Indian Government and he was appointed a skills tsar by PM Narendra Modi as part of the “Skill India Mission”.
He also runs a lucrative YouTube channel where videos wrack up millions of views and posts under the handle Jawed Habib Hair Expert on his successful social media accounts.
Mr Habib is an ambassador for Sunsilk, a Unilever hair care brand, having appeared in adverts and shoots as well as helping to develop new product lines.
He is excited to tell us a production company is now making a documentary about him.
He said: “India is a country for dreamers. If you dream big, you can become big.”
