David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust hairstyle "flopped" at first

Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz Managing Director Rick Sky at the inaugural ZIGGYFEST at Ziggy Green in London on Saturday (07.09.25), Suzi Ronson - Bowie's trusted hairdresser, stylist, and close confidante - said: "He was a hippe kid, he finished that first album with his long wavy blonde hair, he finished Hunky Dory then he was working on Ziggy.

"He showed me this photograph of this girl with short red spiky hair and he said 'can you do that?'

"That's a girls hairstyle, surprisingly, and I thought 'how am I gonna do that?' But I did it and it failed miserably, it flopped."

At the time, hair dye options were limited and products almost non-existent - but Suzi improvised with whatever she could find.

The stylist went back to the salon, grabbed Schwarzkopf Red Hot dye, and used Gard, an anti-dandruff treatment, as a firm-hold solution.

She said: "I didn't have the dye. No one had products in those days. I went away, found the colour, and used this anti-dandruff treatment that set the hair like stone."

When Bowie finally debuted the bright red hair, Suzi said: "He looked incredible. He looked like Ziggy Stardust - like what he was. I didn't even know he had make-up or costumes, I knew not much."

The Spiders from Mars - Bowie's backing band in the early 70s - complemented Bowie's striking look with their own glam style.

Suzi laughed: "It takes a real man to wear pink. They were skinny as rails, had great hair, and were incredible musicians."

When Bowie and his band hit the streets in their flamboyant outfits, they quickly caught attention, often being called out and wolf-whistled by onlookers.

She said: "David and their band could not be seen walking around in tight jeans and high heels.

"I was there to go get their shopping.

"The consequence if they were out, boys would wolf whistle at them 'Hello Darling' ... The ladies even more."