A Journey of Fashion Tycoon Wendell Rodricks

A Journey of Fashion Tycoon Wendell Rodricks: His Best Works and Achievements

Wendroll Rodricks a Goa-based renowned designer was born on 28 May 1960 into a Goan Catholic family. He grew up in Mumbai and began his career in fashion after a successful tenure in hotel management. He studied fashion in Los Angeles and Paris and returned to India in 1988. After a short span of two year and designing for companies like Garden Vareli, Lakmé Cosmetics and DeBeers, Rodricks established his own label in 1990. He later moved to his ancestral village in Goa in 1993, and there has been no looking back since.

He was known for creating designs that brought together the traditional with the relaxed Goan vibe.

Rodricks was the first Indian designer to be invited to IGEDO (the world's largest garment fair) in 1995; the first Indian designer to open the Dubai Fashion Week in 2001. He made cameo appearances in television play True West in 2002 and in 2003 film Boom.

Rodricks was invited to present at the Paris Pret a Porter salon in 2007. Also, he was a fellow design member of the Fashion Design Council of India. In the 2008 film Fashion he played role of himself.

In 2010, as a designer, he has been credited with reviving the traditional Goan attire of the kunbi saree. He convinced well-known personalities Pratibha Patil, Priyanka Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi to be its patrons, thus increasing the cost from a meagre Rs. 700 to more than Rs. 7000, for the benefit of the weavers. In 2011, he promoted khadi movement at the world's largest organic fair, BioFach at Nuremberg, Germany.

He contributed to journals of travel and art with books such as "Moda Goa - History and Style", his memoir "The Green Room" and "Poskem: Goans in the Shadows".

Wendell Rodricks has been named for one of the highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, back in 2014 by the government of India. He was also awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts Et Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture in 2015.

In 2016, he announced his retirement from his label, to concentrate on Moda Goa Museum, which is dedicated to the history of Goan costumes. He was overseeing the ongoing work.

Rodricks had dressed many over the decades like Lisa Ray, Rekha, Deepika Padukone, Malaika Arora, Anushka Sharma, Bipasha Basu.

He presented a collection for plus-size women at the Lakme Fashion Week in 2017.

On the eve of the 65th Republic Day, Rodricks has been named for India's fourth highest civilian honour in the art (fashion designing) category in the list.

Wendell Rodricks a well-known gay activist was married to Jerome Marrel.

The fashion world has lost a gem as Wendell Rodricks, died at his residence in Colvale village in Goa on 12 February 2020 at a very early age of 59 due to heart attack.

Many Celebs passed their condolences to the Rodrick's family: