National| 03 October 2024: In its bid to strengthen beauty specialists workforce in the Indian Beauty and Wellness Industry, Airblack, India’s leading beauty academy, celebrated its graduation ceremony having skilled over 800 aspiring make-up artists from 300 cities. In organising the largest beauty graduation ceremony ever to be organised in the country, Airblack showcased its deep commitment to strengthening the industry workforce while demonstrating the tremendous potential of its specially designed, learn-from-anywhere makeup programs in democratizing the vocational course for skilling of thousands of industry aspirants.
The Airblack graduation ceremony was graced by the renowned Celebrity Makeup Artist Ms Shraddha Naik, known for her work with Bollywood stars such as Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Shraddha Kapoor, and Ananya Pandey, along with Mr Videt Jaiswal, Founder & CEO of Airblack, Mr Vaibhav Raj, Founder & CTO, and other dignitaries.
In her keynote address, Ms Shraddha Naik, renowned celebrity makeup artist said, “The beauty industry is a special sector to work in because we beauticians and makeup artists we not only make the world more beautiful but also demonstrate our artistic talents to project a myriad of expressions, beliefs, and attitude for our subject. We are doing this for the bride in a wedding to the 21st century business professionals to the theatre and film artists. With the sector holding so much potential, it is really exciting to witness the incredible talent nurtured by Airblack in preparing the next generation of makeup artists. I congratulate all the graduates for a successful and meaningful future in India’s beauty industry and advise them to keep honing their skills and enhancing their knowledge they have gained every day.”
Sharing his excitement on the achievement of the milestone, Videt Jaiswal, Founder & CEO of Airblack, said, “We thank Ms Shraddha Naik for mentoring the graduating students. Her presence was an inspiration to the students who look-up to her as their role model. We are absolutely thrilled to be successful in shaping the careers of 800 plus aspiring makeup artists and empowering them with required skill sets to succeed in the space. The demand for makeup artists is emerging from corners of India, generating huge employment and entrepreneurial opportunity. Over the past few years, Airblack’s learning programs have helped over 35,000 women in various towns in the country to establish themselves as entrepreneurs. Learn and earn programs like ours will redefine the future of work in India, and Airblack is proud to be creating impact in the lives of thousands of women every month”
Airblack also launched several new initiatives on the occasion, such as programs offering content creation gig opportunities worth INR 10 Lacs, and an initiative leveraging social media advertising to help graduates connect with potential clients in their local markets, and access to industry mentorship on Airblack’s application. These programs reaffirm Airblack’s commitment to helping graduates succeed in the ever-evolving beauty industry.
Growing rapidly on the back of a thriving middle class population and transforming economic potential of the common citizens, the Indian Beauty and Wellness (B&W) industry is scripting a strong rebound since the pandemic, growing at over 18% CAGR. The industry employs over 12.3 million people with two-third being women. The Beauty and Salon sector, which is a key employment space for makeup artists, accounts for over 30% of the B&W industry and is projected to grow by INR 250,000 Crore by 2030. While the B&W industry would generate employment for 26.3 million people by 2030, 70% of jobs would be generated in the beauty and salon sector.
Airblack’s endeavour is to tap into the growing demand and empower people to become beauty professionals all over the country. The graduation of 800 candidates proves to be a significant contribution by the company in strengthening the workforce of INR 240,000 crore Beauty & Wellness Industry.
About Airblack
Established in 2019, Airblack is a leading skilling venture backed by investors such as Elevation Capital, Info Edge Ventures, and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. It runs online vocational programs for women in the beauty sector, and has trained 35,000 women in over 500 cities across India & UAE.
