Wendell Rodricks
Encyclopedia
Wendell Rodricks is a prominent fashion designer based in the western Indian region of Goa
. He has been listed among one of India
's top ten designers. His work has involved a wide range of fashion—from lecturing on world costume history to fashion journalism and styling for international advertising campaigns. He is openly
gay
.
Rodricks started as a catering graduate but later moved to fashion designing. He also acted in a film named Boom
in 2003 and made an appearance in the television play True West
in 2002. Also, he played a cameo as himself in the film Fashion
.
Rodricks was the first India designer to be invited to IGEDO (the world's largest garment fair); and the first Indian designer to open the Dubai Fashion Week
.
Rodricks lives in Colvale
village of North Goa
and since 1993 he has gained the reputation for sending out creative collections for each fashion season. He has argued that it is a remarkable feat for a designer who despite living in a small village can still manage to direct the fashion trend for the country.
Rodricks has researched the theme of the history of the Goan costume for three years and interned at The National Costume Museum in Lisbon
and the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York
.
Rodricks has also argued that Indian clothes bear a strong influence from other parts of the globe. According to him, the Indian sari could be derived from Athenian dress, the West Chinese Kushans brought the jubba-coat and the pyjamas to India under Emperor Kanishka two thousand years ago, and the 'kurta' is a pure Moghul creation. He also argues that the Huns from Central Asia introduced the long cloaks and breeches-pyjamas. Arabs of the eighth and ninth centuries introduced skirts and robes.
The Goa-based fashion designer is critical of attempts to make beauty pageants "more in line with our culture" and what he has termed a xenophobic attitude to even simple fund-raising events which are "not part of our culture".
Rodricks recently designed the packaging of the four new flavours of POLO for Nestle India Ltd.
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
. He has been listed among one of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's top ten designers. His work has involved a wide range of fashion—from lecturing on world costume history to fashion journalism and styling for international advertising campaigns. He is openly
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
.
Rodricks started as a catering graduate but later moved to fashion designing. He also acted in a film named Boom
Boom (2003 film)
Boom is a Bollywood film that was released on 19 September 2003. It stars Amitabh Bachchan, Jackie Shroff, Gulshan Grover, Padma Lakshmi, Madhu Sapre, Katrina Kaif and Zeenat Aman. The film is directed by Kaizad Gustad and produced by Jackie Shroff's wife, Ayesha Shroff...
in 2003 and made an appearance in the television play True West
True West (play)
True West is a play by American playwright Sam Shepard. Like most of his works it is inspired by myths of American life and popular culture. The play is a more traditional narrative than most of the plays that Shepard has written.-Plot:...
in 2002. Also, he played a cameo as himself in the film Fashion
Fashion (film)
Fashion is a 2008 Indian film co-produced, co-written, and directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. The film has a massive star cast which includes Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut and newcomers Mugdha Godse and Arjan Bajwa. Based on the dark side of the world of fashion, the movie depicts it through the...
.
Rodricks was the first India designer to be invited to IGEDO (the world's largest garment fair); and the first Indian designer to open the Dubai Fashion Week
Dubai Fashion Week
Dubai Fashion Week is a fashion week held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates that was launched in 2005 and owned and organised by Capital Marketing FZ LLC, an event management company. It was co-founded by Marc Robinson, a well-known international fashion show producer...
.
Rodricks lives in Colvale
Colvale
Colvale or Colovale is a census town in North Goa district in the state of Goa, India.-Demographics: India census, Colvale had a population of 5475. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Colvale has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male...
village of North Goa
North Goa
North Goa is one of the two districts that make up the state of Goa, India. The district has an area of 1736 km², and is bounded by Sindhudurg and Kolhapur districts of Maharashtra state to the north and east respectively, by South Goa District to the south, and by the Arabian Sea to the...
and since 1993 he has gained the reputation for sending out creative collections for each fashion season. He has argued that it is a remarkable feat for a designer who despite living in a small village can still manage to direct the fashion trend for the country.
Rodricks has researched the theme of the history of the Goan costume for three years and interned at The National Costume Museum in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
and the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Rodricks has also argued that Indian clothes bear a strong influence from other parts of the globe. According to him, the Indian sari could be derived from Athenian dress, the West Chinese Kushans brought the jubba-coat and the pyjamas to India under Emperor Kanishka two thousand years ago, and the 'kurta' is a pure Moghul creation. He also argues that the Huns from Central Asia introduced the long cloaks and breeches-pyjamas. Arabs of the eighth and ninth centuries introduced skirts and robes.
The Goa-based fashion designer is critical of attempts to make beauty pageants "more in line with our culture" and what he has termed a xenophobic attitude to even simple fund-raising events which are "not part of our culture".
Rodricks recently designed the packaging of the four new flavours of POLO for Nestle India Ltd.