Wendell Rodricks was known to sashay through the green rooms of top-billed fashion shows in India and global fashion capitals, as easily as he lent his touch to civic activism movements in his native state.
Veteran fashion designer Wendell Rodricks, who was also known as the green crusader of his hometown, Goa, passed away on February 12. He is survived by his partner Jerome Marrel. The fashion doyen was instrumental in planning the first Lakme India Fashion Week (LFW) in 2000 and shaping it in its formative years. In 2014, Rodricks was awarded the Padma Shri for his work - a collection called Visionnaire to be precise. Showcasing outfits with Braille scripts giving details of colour and material, this was another addition to his extensive pool of innovative work undertaken to reimagine the indigenous culture and drapes of Goa.
Goa state minister Vishwajit Rane wrote on Twitter, "Deeply saddened to hear about the sudden demise of my very good friend and designer, Wendell Rodricks. His excellency in his work and skills are irreplaceable and shall always be cherished. We will truly miss him. My heartfelt condolences to his family and dear ones."
Union Cabinet Minister for Textiles and Women & Child Development Smriti Irani also took to Twitter to express her condolences, "Shocked to hear about the untimely demise of Wendell Rodricks, one of India’s most renowned designers. My heartfelt condolences to his loved ones. May his soul rest in peace."
Raised in Mumbai, the designer who moved to Goa several decades ago and worked out of his grand mansion in the idyllic riverside village of Colvale, lent his unique touch to several projects related to the state.
"He designed our first Goa Bachao Abhiyaan band 'Save Goa', which was distributed at the first press briefing on the Regional Plan on December 3, 2006," says convenor of the Abhiyaan, Sabina Martins. The Abhiyaan was a people's movement against a proposed move by a Congress-led coalition government to convert large swaths of pristine forest and agricultural land into settlement zones.
In the 1990s, Rodricks was also roped in by then Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane to design a new 'people-friendly' uniform for the Goa Police to replace the dour khaki. Rane had just returned from a junket to Singapore and had returned impressed by the natty attire of the police in the Southeast Asian country. Rodricks responded with a white (shirt) and blue (trousers) uniform, complete with depiction of a badge of coconut palms on the shoulders. While the uniform was a refreshing change, a subsequent regime headed by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar reverted the police uniforms to khaki after cops complained that white uniforms were tough for upkeep, especially in the sultry and dusty weather conditions in Goa.
Rodricks' legacy continues to an extent, with the Goa Police traffic department personnel continuing with the uniform which he had designed. He was also requested to design a uniform for the Enforcement Directorate in 2014, soon after he was conferred the Padma Shri, but the proposal did not catch on. He was also instrumental in leading an agitation to save six, nearly two century old mango trees in his village of Colvale, which were on the chopping block to make way for an expanded highway connecting Goa to Mumbai. While Rodricks along with a few locals rushed to the site and prevented the chopping of trees in March 2019, the trees were eventually hacked in December last year, when the designer was sailing on an international cruise liner.
Until a few days back, Rodricks was working on India's first costume museum in Goa, which was to be housed in a 450-year-old traditional Goan villa Casa Dona Maria. The passion project, envisioned as a tribute to the textile legacy of Goa, was all set to open to the public in May 2020. Rodricks started working on the museum after a request from the late cartoonist Mario Miranda to explore the history of the traditional pano bhaju costume (a nine-yard sari worn with a heavily-embroidered, jacket-like blouse).
Many celebrities took to social media to pay their condolences. Anushka Sharma wrote, "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. He had given me an opportunity to close his fashion week show in Mumbai after spotting me in Bangalore at a fashion show and was gracious, kind & encouraging. He was one of the reasons I had the courage to move to Mumbai from Bangalore to pursue modelling when I was just 18 years old. RIP Wendell. My love and prayers for Jerome and the rest of his family and friends."
Malaika Arora, in her post wrote, "RIP, our dearest Wendell Rodricks. I first sat and cried, and then I sat alone and smiled and laughed just thinking of all the beautiful, beautiful memories and moments we shared."
Arjun Rampal spoke about the magnitude of the designer's smile. "This is such sad sad news, a beautiful human and such a talented designer, the fashion industry and the world has lost today. It was such joy whenever I met him. His smile always made me smile...you will be missed Wendell. #ripwendellrodricks".
A look at the other celebrities who mourned the loss:
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 "Wendell Rodricks passed away on February 12 in Goa. (Source: File Photo)")
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