Commenting on the resource allocations in the Union budget, Pillai said luxury industries like beauty and fashion were never properly represented in the budgets. “We waited one whole year for our bridal fusion event and demonetization spoiled the show,” said celebrity hair stylist Ambika Pillai. Beauty and fashion being 'luxury requirements' were pushed back so much when there was a currency crisis, she added. “Many weddings were canceled and many clients turned down their appointments after currency crisis. I presume that many big fat Indian weddings are conducted using black money, Ambika Pillai told to Onmanorama.
Commenting on the resource allocations in the Union budget, Pillai said luxury industries like beauty and fashion were never properly represented in the budgets. “I don't think the luxury industries like beauty and fashion are properly represented in the budgets, be it union budget or its state counterpart. I haven't yet heard of a subsidized package for fashion or beauty on from the part of the government. In fact, I am struggling to pay all the taxes - be it luxury tax, service tax or any other. Beauty industry is very different from the fashion world, though people take both names in the same breath,” she said.
Adding that the industry was still under the pressure put it in by demonetization, Pillai said that a recovery was not that easy as it sounded. “Most salons are small home-groom parlous. So beauty economy is all about their day-to-day expenses, the taxes they have to pay, and the crises they face during such cash crunches. So, I can say that beauty industry was brought to a standstill by demonetization. Unlike fashion and designing, beauty is very much into grassroots,” she said. Asserting the point that beauty is never a necessity, she said people prioritized their expenses and focused on serious life issues during a cash crunch. This is where, she says, the industry fumbled.
“All parts of Indian weddings like food, catering, dress, grooming and the like need liquid money. And demonetization happened during our bridal fusion event for which we waited almost a year,” she said. Pillai added that she hasn't heard of any interventions by Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) in this regard. “And I don't know if they are actually doing anything,” she said.
