‘It’s simply thrown away however it’s gold’

Zeeshan Ali has been a drag artist for 10 years and has taken his display everywhere Bharat.

Central to his efficiency is a selection of round 45 wigs.

“It’s an alter of identity, helping me transition from my everyday self into exaggerated, glamorous or whimsical characters. The right wig makes me feel more authentic and empowers me to command the stage,” says Ali, who is based in Mumbai.

But getting that look right wasn’t easy in the early days.

“When I started my career the accessibility of the wigs was extremely difficult in India. Most of them were to be sourced from abroad or I used to make wigs sourced from whatever was available to me like wool, fabric,” he says.

But things are different now.

“The trend is changing. Wigs are no longer just meant for drag or movie artists, but many straight women wear wigs to look different. It’s no longer just a hair accessory but a style statement.”

Indian hair has always been in demand for wig-making. The nation is the world’s biggest exporter of human hair, supplying 85% of global demand.

Kolachi Venkatesh, based in Avadi, Chennai, has been collecting hair for 20 years. He started at the bottom of the industry as a picker – collecting hair from households and rescuing it from the rubbish.

“My parents were hair pickers and then I started doing the same,” he says.

Hair collected by pickers from homes, salons and barbershops is called non-Remy hair.

It requires more processing than Remy hair, which is carefully shaved straight from the scalp. Nevertheless, it has value.

“It’s just thrown away but it’s gold,” says Mr Venkatesh.

Those pickers typically sell hair to local traders like Mr Venkatesh for between 10 cents and $1 (£0.80) per kilogram, depending on the quality and length of the hair.

Shorter or damaged hair fetches less, while longer strands bring higher prices.

For the individual picker, there’s not much money in it.

“A diligent collector might gather 1–5 kilograms of hair in a day, earning anywhere from 59 cents to $6 per day. This income level is often below minimum wage standards, particularly in rural areas,” says Mr Venkatesh, who has 50 pickers operating for him.

“While our work contributes to a billion-dollar global market our earnings remain meagre. Intermediaries control prices.”

Lots of the Indian hair gathered by way of investors like Mr Venkatesh is exported to China the place it’s made into wigs.

“China has a huge wigmaking industry which is worth five to six billion dollars,” says Benjamin Cherian from Plexconcil, the hair industry body that promotes the Indian industry and liaises with the government.

If India wants a slice of the lucrative wig market, he says, then it has a lot of catching up to do.

“When we look at China there are hundreds of factories spread across the country which add value to the hair industry, whereas in India the value addition still needs to be picked up,” Mr Cherian says.

He says the federal government must assistance advertise funding within the hair business.

“It needs automated sorting systems, sophisticated hair treatment procedures for the hair collected, innovative production techniques for manufacturing of wigs which will make India stand out.”

Instead of exporting hair for hundreds of dollars, India should be selling wigs worth thousands of dollars says Mr Cherian.

“We have started working on it but it’s a long way to go. We need to have research and training centres,” he says.

One Indian industry seeking to assemble inroads is Delhi-based Diva Divine Hair, co-founded by way of Nidhi Tiwari in 2009.

The theory was once to manufacture top quality hair extensions and wigs that will attraction to a broader space of shoppers.

“There is a growing need for these solutions due to rising issues of hair loss and thinning among women in India,” says Ms Tiwari.

The corporate has been helped by way of a shift in perspective.

“Once considered a niche or taboo topic, wigs and extensions are now openly discussed, thanks to evolving social norms and a shift toward acceptance,” she says.

Wigs have additionally not hidden a accumulation of building making them extra horny and at ease.

“Technologies such as 3D-printed wigs and digital colour-matching tools offer highly personalised options. Lightweight, breathable wig caps and improved adhesives have given customers to wear it for long time without discomfort,” says Ms Tiwari.

On the govern finish of the hair marketplace is Temple or Remy hair.

A lot of the provision comes from Hindu temples within the south of the rustic the place hair is shaved off in an work of veneration and religion.

Raj Hair World is among the largest investors within the Temple hair industry.

Craftsmen on the corporate’s Chennai manufacturing facility kind and grade the hair in step with color, texture and territory.

“Remy hair has aligned cuticles, hair flows uniformly in one direction, which leads to less tangling and a silkier texture. This is high-value hair,” says George Cherion, the corporate’s leading government.

The company tries to wastefulness as modest of the hair as conceivable. To assistance with that it advanced a system to untangle the hair. It’s allowed them to paintings sooner with fewer body of workers.

“Our mission is to constantly upgrade the technology,” says Mr Cherion.

Industry is booming.

“Indian human is in demand globally due to its high quality, natural look, and thinness. The demand is skyrocketing,” he says.

Again in Mumbai Zeeshan Ali needs to peer extra Indian wigs available on the market.

In addition to making them extra reasonably priced, he has a design recommendation: “A wig that can create a wow factor.”