Remembering Wendell Rodricks on his 60th Heavenly Birthday

On the occasion of late Wendell Rodricks’ 60th heavenly birthday, Here are some of the interesting facts about the designer you may not be aware of.   Late Fashion Designer, Wendell Rodricks was among very few names Goan names who made it big in Fashion Industry Worldwide. The News of the Death of this ace designer came as a huge shock for the people across the globe.

On the occasion of Wendell Rodricks 60th heavenly birthday, Here are some interesting facts about the designer :

1. Rodricks was born on 28 May 1960 to the Goan Catholic family of Greta and Felix in Parel at Bombay. He was the eldest of the 3 brothers. The original surname of the family was “Rodrigues”, but changed to “Rodricks” after a misspelling during his grandfather’s time.
2. Rodricks began his career in fashion by designing for Garden Vareli, Lakmé Cosmetics and DeBeers. When in Paris with his first portfolio in hand, he was advised to put “your country in your clothes”. He launched his own label in 1989 with his first show held at Mumbai.
3. Rodricks’ work involved a wide range of fashion, from lecturing on world costume history (at SNDT Women’s University) to fashion journalism and styling for international advertising campaigns.
4. He 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.

   

5. Rodricks made cameo appearances in the 2003 film Boom and in the television play True West in 2002. He also played himself in the 2008 film Fashion.
6. Rodricks was known for pioneering the idea of resort wear and for advocating eco-friendly fashion. In 2010, he revived the traditional Goan attire of the Kunbi Sari.
7. In 2017, he released Poskem: Goans in the Shadows. It is a work of fiction about poskem, the adopted children of well-off Goan families, who are never treated with respect, and in some cases are even victims of abuse.
8. “Moda Goa Museum and Research Centre”. The museum is now slated to open to the public in March 2020. Rodricks worked on collecting exhibits for it since 1998, when he began his research into Goa’s costumes and clothing. He had since collected 800 exhibits, ranging from an original pano bhaju, to Reita Faria’s bathing suit (which won her the title of Miss World in 1966).
9. Rodricks actively involved in issues related to social concerns and the environment. In the mid-2000s, he began a mailing list with Margaret Mascarenhas, urging citizens to report cases of lack of waste management. He spoke out against the IRFW (India Resort Fashion Week) in 2012 stating that it “damages the environment”. In 2018, he started a helpline for the LGBTQ community with the help of Ruby Almeida, the co-chair of Global Network of Rainbow Catholics. In 2019, he petitioned against the demolition of a 100-year-old church in Colvale, Goa. He had previously closed one of his boutiques in a resort owned by a mine owner, in protest of the illegal mining in Goa.
10. Awarded Padmashri the fourth-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, in 2014.

The pioneering fashion designer Wendell Rodricks, passed away after a prolonged illness at his home in Colvale, North Goa, on February 12.

Happy 60th Heavenly Birthday Wendell Rodricks. Rest in Peace.