Minimalism lost its favourite child
The film and fashion fraternities poured out their hearts over Wendell Rodricks’ sudden death
Amidst the maximalist glamour came a humble voice of refined elegance when Wendell Rodricks unveiled his design house in 1989. Over decades, the Goabased designer has magnetised the Indian fashion ecosystem with the power of his compellingly chic minimalism. His sudden departure due to a massive heart attack at the age of 59 has left a deep void in fashion.
Sunil Sethi, Chairman, FDCI says, “As a designer, he has made invaluable contributions and also, in the handloom space, he has revived the indigenous Goan Kunbi sari. It is shocking to hear about this as we were talking about his dream project — the museum. At the peak of his career, he gave up designing and chose to fill in a chasm that existed in the industry — archiving. It is disheartening that he passed away just a month before the first exhibition.”
The emissary of beach chic, Wendell redefined resort style season after season. “He was solely responsible for creating the easy, laid-back, resort lifestyle in fashion,” says designer Suneet Varma.
Choreographer Prasad Bidapa, who attended Rodricks’ wedding with his partner Jerome over 25 years ago, recalls, “He was an evolved soul, his work reflecting a purity and spirituality with simplicity and total elegance.”
Actor Anushka Sharma who walked for him at the fashion week in Mumbai posted, “Woke up in NZ to the sad news of Wendell Rodricks having passed away in his sleep. He was one of the most iconic & original designers in fashion & A champion for LGBT rights.”
Actor Malaika Arora posted on Instagram, “A master couturier andn his muse. RIP our dearest @wendellrodricks .... I first sat n cried , n then I sat alone n smiled n laughed , jus thinkin of all the beautiful beautiful memories ...”
Besides being one of the visionaries who shaped up the foundation of fashion weeks in India, he also proved his mettle as a veritable author. He wrote about Goan fashion in his 2012 book Moda Goa: History And Style, unveiled his memoir The Green Room in the same year. A gay rights activist, he was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2014 and the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres in 2015.
With inputs from Akshay Kaushal and Prerna Gauba Sibbal.
Superimpose Wendell Rodricks’ down-to-earthness and good manners with an imperiously chic design vocabulary and you’ve captured just one aspect of the epoch-defining designer.
In 2010, he revived the traditional Goan kunbi sari and convinced politicians Pratibha Patil, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Sonia Gandhi to be its patrons, thereby increasing its cost from a meagre ₹700 to over ₹7,000, for the benefit of weavers.
He also promoted khadi at the world’s largest organic fair, BioFach, at Nuremberg, Germany, in 2011. In 2017, he presented a collection for plus-size women at the Lakme Fashion Week.
The late designer’s colleagues, students and contemporaries from fashion and glamour industries share their thoughts on his sudden and shocking demise.