An ode to the guru of minimalism

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An ode to the guru of minimalism

Thursday, 13 February 2020 | PNS

An ode to the guru of minimalism

Designer Wendell Rodricks’ death is a huge loss for the Indian fashion industry

Heaven is surely going to be a better dressed place now,” insists textile conservationist Madhu Jain about the death of her friend fashion designer, Wendell Rodricks. The gay rights activist and Padma Shri awardee died on Wednesday evening following a prolonged illness.

Nilakanth Halarnkar, BJP MLA from the Thivim Assembly constituency and a longtime associate of the 60-year-old designer confirmed his death. “Yes, it is true. He died at 5.45 pm. He was ailing for a long time,” Halarnkar said.

Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) is deeply disheartened with the sudden and untimely demise of him. “The fashion fraternity lost a legend today. Wendell, we will miss you,” FDCI wrote on social media.

Rodricks studied fashion designing in the USA and France from 1986 to 1988. His first collection from Goa earned him the title ‘guru of minimalism’ and his next collection in 1995 pioneered the concept of ‘resort wear’ and ‘eco-friendly’ garments at a time the words were not yet coined in India.

Rodricks’ silhouettes were what made him stand out and make a mark in the industry. In 2010 Wendell revived the weaving of the traditional Goan Kunbi saree, a two year project involving identifying and training weavers in the use of saree looms. This unique Kunbi saree and other garments using the same weave were showcased at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. Saree lovers like Sonia Gandhi, Sheila Dixit and Pratibha Patil have bestowed praise on the designer for reviving a dying craft.

Jain added, “This is a huge loss for the Indian fashion industry because Wendell was not only a designer but he also mentored talent. “If I talk about my generation of designers, when you saw talent, you didn’t try to suppress it, rather enhanced it. His sense of style and generosity was legendary. Wendell was the master of silhouettes. He did a lot to revive the Kunbi sarees. I pray for his soul. I remember this last session we had where we discussed about some of the unpleasant things happening in the fashion industry. He was very concerned, which is a rare thing in the fashion industry. But he spoke his mind, always.”

In January 2012 Rodricks turned author with Moda Goa — History and Style published by Harper Collins. This book got rave reviews for its portrayal of long forgotten aspects of Goa’s cultural history and costume history. In August 2012, Wendell’s memoir, The Green Room, was published by Rupa Raintree and launched at Lakme Fashion Week.

A designer with an international presence, Wendell has presented his unique garments, inspired by Goa and India, at major fashion events. Rodricks has the honour of being the first Indian designer to be invited to show at the World’s largest garment fair IGEDO in Germany (1995), Dubai Fashion Week (2001), Malaysia Fashion Week (2002), the prestigious Paris Pret-a-Porter salon (2007) and the world’s biggest organic fair BioFach in Nuremberg, Germany (2012). In 2007, the Confederation of Indian Industries invited the designer to showcase two fashion shows in Bryant Park, New York to celebrate the 60th year of India’s Independence. Rodricks has also, shown at Festival of India (1993) in Beijing and Shanghai in China and has shown in Sri Lanka.

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