At BrilliantRead Media, it is our constant endeavour to bring meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. As part of this, we invited Balambika Parikh for an exclusive interview with us. She is an Entrepreneur, Leader, Internationally Certified Image Consultant and the Founder & Creative Head of Crimson Hues. Let’s learn more about her incredible journey, background and advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Balambika:
Could you please talk us through your background and your journey?
My professional journey started as a junior merchandiser in the garment export house, where I learnt from some of the very talented people in the world of garments. I realized I had a passion for creating garments and a keen eye for details.
After a decade plus in the industry, I decided to venture out on my own. I decided to explore the idea of wardrobe strategy, which was creating a wardrobe that was practical, professional and sustainable for the clients. This also included personal shopping. This was one of the most fun and learning years in my life.
Today as an internationally dual certified image consultant, I help my clients discover their authentic style keeping in mind their personal and professional goals. My motto is that your look should be Real, Relatable and Sustainable.
“CRIMSON HUES” is such a unique name; talk us through more about it, please. Our audience would also love to know what kind of problem you are solving?
Crimson Hues, actually refers to rich deep red colour inclining towards purple colour. Crimson also symbolizes passion, love, and strength. Hues of course refers to gradation of the colour.
When I was looking for a name that would convey what I do and also clearly show the uniqueness of each colour in the gradation and its impact and beauty, just like that, every individual is unique and so is their personal self-image.
Crimson Hues believes in helping individuals discover their authentic personal style, which aligns with their personal and professional goals keeping it Real, Relatable and Sustainable for the individuals.
Despite the challenges, what keeps you going when things get tough?
As the song by Billy Ocean goes “ When the going gets tough the tough gets going”.
Everyone faces challenges and the key to not let it affect you is to have a positive attitude and trust the process. Secondly, understanding how to navigate any situation. For example, when COVID happened it was difficult to keep ourselves motivated as the situation was beyond our control, at that time I decided to use the time to upskill myself.
I always believe that no situation is permanent, so if we are calm and have a ability to deal with the tough times in an organized manner, nothing is impossible.
What are the three most important lessons you have learned in your life?
I think the first lesson I learnt is to have clarity and conviction in the decisions I take. This helped me to tackle any situation with confidence and strength.
Secondly, I learnt patience and empathy from my dogs Zoe and Ivy. They made me realize how the voiceless can give you so much of unconditional love. This encouraged me to start an initiative called the “Four Paws Initiative.” Which is involved in feeding approximately 100 stray animals and caring for their medical health.
Lastly, life can never be the same, rather it’s like a rollercoaster, we just need to hop on and hold tight.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
1. Accepting that situations change, so adaptability as a skill is important
2. Taking responsibility for my actions
3. Having a positive attitude
4. Believing in myself
5. And lastly, being consistent with my efforts
Last but not least, what about your journey makes it satisfying/exciting?
I think it’s the pure joy of seeing individuals evolve and feel confident and in turn go in to the world to achieve their desired goals that makes it all worthwhile to be an image consultant.
I was recognized for my work and awarded as the iconic women entrepreneur in image consulting 2023 by Nandish Communication in December 2023.
I was also recognized for my work with the Women’s Indian Chamber Of Commerce and Industry – Image Consulting Council and was awarded with eminence in philanthropy by the Indian Institute Of Image Management in May 2023.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
