BENGALURU: As the fashion industry is plunged into mourning, the loss of one of India’s greatest designers creates a vacuum that will not be easily filled. Wendell Rodricks’ extraordinary vision elevated Indian fashion, taking it far beyond the usual tropes of bridal extravagance and lavish embroideries that typify most Indian designers. He was the master of minimalism, a designer far ahead of his time! Wendell never set out to be a designer. He was a student of catering and food technology, having studied this in Mumbai. His first job was in Muscat, where he even came to the attention of Sultan Qaboos, who frequently complimented him on the changes he made to existing menus and his serving of exquisitely presented haute cuisine.
I think it was Jerome Marrel, who later became his husband, who was the first to encourage Wendell to study fashion. He recognised in Wendell a passion for art that would become the foundation of his label. Wendell moved to LA and then to Paris to study fashion, and his life was never the same again. He returned to Mumbai to set up his eponymous label, and never looked back.
His work was minimalist even before Japanese designers like Rei Kawakubo and Issey Miyake made minimalism famous. Not for Wendell the frills, frippery and furbelows of decorating a dress till it doubled and tripled its weight. His was the purity of vision that stripped everything extraneous and laid bare the bones of its construction. He studied origami to see how it could relate to his vision, and incorporated elements into his designs that were simple, classic and timeless. A master draper, he often cut fabrics in geometrical shapes, which he then moulded around his models to create stunning silhouettes. Many women treasure his clothes for years, wearing them often and never tiring of them. Such is his classical perfection, of making a beautiful ensemble that was beyond trends.
When Wendell moved back with Jerome to his ancestral home in Colvale, Goa, he immersed himself in the renovation of his home. He filled it with local craft and precious artefacts, his favourite paintings and his beloved dogs. He created a space that reflected his finely developed sensibilities.His collections reflected inspirations from Goa, the sea, the sun and the sand. He often worked with shades of white, which remained his favourite colour. His primary muse was Malaika Arora, whom he dressed to perfection. Other favourite models included Aishwarya Rai, Marilou Phillips and Noyonika Chatterjee, on whim he presented his heritage Kunbi sarees.
In collaborative projects with photographer Farrokh Chothia, he immortalised his collections, often shooting on the beach and accessorising his models with tumbleweed, twigs and leaves. These images, like his clothes, are timeless, looking as fresh today as they did when he created them.
I loved the passion with which Wendell lived his life. He engaged himself with everything from environmental issues to politics, a fearless commentator who never hesitated to take on the high and the mighty, or to help the lowest in the land. The villagers of Colvale revered him, and he worked to help every one of them. He remains one of the few in this industry to be awarded the Padma Shri. His book, The Green Room, is considered the definitive statement on the Indian fashion industry.
In recent years, he created a line of succession with Schulen Fernandes, whom he mentored to take over his label. He was free now to travel, sing, read and enjoy the rich tapestry of his life and loves.
We shall miss him deeply, for he died too young. At 59, he had his most significant years ahead of him, and it will forever be our loss. Farewell Wendell, we will always celebrate your life, and try not to mourn your death. I close my tribute with the immortal lines by poet Nicholas Evans:
Be still. Close your eyes. Breathe.
Listen for my footfall in your heart.
I am not gone but merely walk within you.