Wendell Rodricks does not fall into the basket of middling fashion designer rather the jack of all trades and inherently master of many; he has written special features for Apparel, regular columns for Femina, Goa Today and freelance fashion journalism in major Indian news media. The flexible designer`s work includes theatre design, advertising styling and forecast portfolios!
Career of Wendell Rodricks
Wendell Rodricks is a pioneer fashion designer who specialised in resort wear, minimalism and eco-friendly fashion before the words were coined. He is a frequent participant in some of the world`s biggest fashion fairs, including IGEDO, the Salon Pret-a-Porter Paris and BIOFACH Nuremburg. The Wendell Rodricks style is recognised for its unique fluid emotion and lack of embroidery. Wendell has done three grand finales for Lakme Fashion Week and his work has earned respect in the corporate world as well. He has written two books - Moda Goa: History and Style (Collins) chronicles the evolution of Goan costumes, and The Green Room (Rain Tree) is an autobiographical account of his rise in the fashion industry. Apart from writing, he has done various design projects ranging from designing for the Goa Police to designing the packaging for the Blenders Pride carton for the festive season in 2012.
Wendell has also directed photography shoots of diamond jewellery for De Beers. He designed and illustrated the cover of Meher Castellino`s fashion epic Fashion Kaleidoscope - which went on to be a runaway success. Recognizing his contributions, the Government of Goa appointed Wendell as Chairman of the Courses Committee, The Board of Technical Education. Wendell Rodricks is also a Managing Committee member of the Alliance Francaise, Goa.
The designer is a keen art patron and promotes Goan artists through special promotions at the Wendell Rodricks Couture Salon. The Fundacao Oriente awarded a scholarship to the designer to intern at the prestigious Museu Nacional do Traje in Lisbon, Portugal. Wendell Rodricks also interned at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York to learn costume preservation and conservation - and wants to open a Costume Museum in Goa.
Wendell Rodricks is currently working on a smorgasbord of projects - he is writing two textbooks on his Cutting on Squares technique and World Costume History. At the moment, Wendell Rodricks is researching The History of Goan Costume, which will be published in 2002. It is the sheer hard work and creative expression of the designer that has put Goa squarely on the fashion map and created a unique, pioneering style statement in India.
Fashion Shows
LIFW 2003
Wendell Rodricks showcased his collection at the grand finale of the event for three Indian weathers in geometrical Indian shapes. He kept his emphasis on concrete themes, experimental colour combinations and exotic fibre weaves. Skirts were with deep slits, trousers, tops, shirts, wraps and jackets. The fabrics used were lycra, crepe, georgettes and synthetic fibre. The colour palette ranged from blue, light green, red and turquoise.
LIFW 2004
A keen patron and promoter of Goan talent, Wendell`s signature styles unique in India is blending ancient Indian geometry with the relaxed Goan attitude. Using natural Indian fabrics, cut in a linear line and emphasizing on concrete themes and experimental colour combinations is what defines his style. It is through his sheer hard work and successive creative fashion expressions that Wendell Rodricks puts the tiny Indian state of Goa on the fashion map. The theme `Fashion Democracy` uses a palette of Indian dulls and brights, in clothes of all sizes, shapes and ages. The collection displays the Indian design elements of geometry, drape, knots and nadas.
LIFW 2005
This year Wendell presented a soft and serene line of clothes. So there were lots of soft aqua blues, sand beiges and muddy browns in his "Oceania" collection. For those looking for the sexy look, Wendell presented ultra short skirts and backless blouses. For the more conscious there were kurtas and empire line over shirts.
LIFW 2006
The theme of the collection was Isadora in India. Isadora Duncan, pioneer of modern dance in the world was a free spirit. The Wendell Rodricks Resort 2006 collection was inspired by Duncans` dance philosophy that shocked and fascinated the world at the beginning of the last century. In this collection, Wendell Rodricks had combined the beauty, grace and fluidity of modern dance with Indian details. He used primarily washed crinkle cotton in white, ivory, pale rose, acid green and daffodil yellow. One could observe layers of soft cotton, textured treatments and ultra feminine details in the designs. Most garments were made using 17th or 18th century Indian patterns blended with Wendell Rodricks cutting technique. Volumes of draped clothes were layered in pre-washed soft cotton with rose petals as embellishment.