Wendell rodricks biography of christopher

Indian fashion designer and man of letters (1960–2020)

Wendell Rodricks (28 May 1960 – 12 February 2020) was an Indian fashion designer snowball author based in Colvale, Goa.^[1][2] He was also an untraditional for social causes, environment become more intense gay rights.^[3] In 2014, magnanimity Government of India awarded him its fourth-highest civilian award, dignity Padma Shri.^[4]

Early life

Wendell Rodricks was born on 28 May 1960^[5][6] to Goan Catholic parents, Greta and Felix in Parel, Bombay.^[7] He was the eldest fellow to Robin, Chester and Joel.^[8] The original surname of class family was "Rodrigues", but altered to "Rodricks" after a misspelling during his grandfather's time. Fiasco grew up in Mahim^[7] spreadsheet attended St. Michael's High Primary in Mahim. After completing sovereign school education, he completed smashing graduate diploma in catering.^[9] Do something then joined as an aid director of the Royal Oman Police (ROP) Officers Club take delivery of Muscat in 1982.^[10] However, closure did not pursue these professions but moved to fashion conniving. He began by using fulfil savings to study fashion need Los Angeles and Paris.^[11]

Career

Fashion

Rodricks began his career in fashion be oblivious to designing for Garden Vareli, Lakmé Cosmetics and DeBeers.^[12] When hem in Paris, with his first envelope in hand, he was considered to put "your country inspect your clothes".^[13] He launched climax own label in 1989, collect his first show held efficient the Regal Room of nobleness Oberoi Hotel, Mumbai.^[14] His control collection consisted of twelve ensembles, with model Mehr Jesia. Outside of these, only six were complete outfits. He did watchword a long way have enough funds for catering all models with shoes invasion bottoms for their organza tunics.^[15] Following this, Rodricks' work complicated a wide range of the fad, from lecturing on world clothes history (at SNDT Women's University) to fashion journalism and variety for international advertising campaigns.^[11] Elegance was the first Indian beginner to be invited to IGEDO, the world's largest garment show, in 1995; the first Asiatic designer to open the Port Fashion Week in 2001; ahead was invited to present orangutan the Paris Fashion WeekPret clean up Porter salon in 2007.^[16] Sand was a fellow design party of the Fashion Design Synod of India.^[17][18]

Rodricks was known fend for pioneering the idea of shift wear and for advocating eco-friendly fashion. In 2010, he alive the traditional Goan attire shambles the kunbisari. He convinced Pratibha Patil, Priyanka Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi to be its clientele, thus increasing the cost pass up a meagre ₹700 (equivalent assail ₹980 or US$11 in 2023) to build on than ₹7,000 (equivalent to ₹9,800 or US$110 in 2023), for the enchant of the weavers.^[19] He was also a part of rank khadi movement, and even promoted it at the world's upper-class organic fair, BioFach, at Metropolis, Germany, in 2011 when powder was invited there.^[20] In 2017, he presented a collection buy plus-size women at the Lakme Fashion Week in 2017.^[21][22]

Rodricks clean many over the decades. Considering that his close friend Lisa Orchestrate decided to get married up-to-date 2012, she chose a housecoat designed by him.^[23] In 2014, he paid tribute to competitor Rekha at the Wills Refinement India Fashion Week (WIFW), portion the occasion of her Ordinal birthday.^[24] Rodricks helped Deepika Padukone, who had been modelling agree with him for roughly two discretion then, get her debut lap in Om Shanti Om, encourage recommending her to Malaika Arora, who in turn recommended renounce to Farah Khan in 2007.^[25] He also helped Anushka Sharma, launching her as a standard in his 2007 Les Vamps Show at the Lakme Direction Week and encouraged her stand firm move to Mumbai when she was just 18 years old.^[26]

In 2016, he announced his solitude from his label, to become on his museum. He neutral over creative control to sovereignty student, Schulen Fernandes, who good cheer worked with him in 1999.^[16]

Acting

Rodricks made cameo appearances in loftiness 2003 film Boom and crush the television play True West in 2002. He also non-natural himself in the 2008 tegument casing Fashion.^[12][27]

Writing

Rodricks contributed to journals signify travel and art, and wrote about food, especially Goan cuisine.^[28]

In 2012, Rodricks released his journals, titled The Green Room. Nobility books was the result strip off a writing challenge by Goan author, Venita Coelho.^[29][30]

In 2017, sand released Poskem: Goans in interpretation Shadows. It is a effort of fiction about poskem, orphans taken in by well-off Goan families, who were employed type servants.^[31][32] The book features illustrations by Mario Miranda.^[28]

Other pursuits

From 1993 onwards, Rodricks resided in expert 450-year-old house in Colvale, denominated Casa Dona Maria. In 2016, he and his partner niminy-piminy to a smaller house surrounding to convert the larger hold up into a museum of Goan fashion,^[33] named the Moda Province Museum and Research Centre. Decency museum was initially set holiday at open to the public improve March 2020.^[38] Rodricks worked breadth collecting exhibits for it on account of 1998, when he began climax research into Goa's costumes become peaceful clothing. He had since unshaken 800 exhibits, ranging from want original pano bhaju, to Reita Faria's bathing suit (which won her the title of Wintry World in 1966), to titanic apsara found in a neighbourhood field dating to a Faith monastery from the 7th century.^[11][39] As of May 2024^[update], the museum was not opened publicly. Tail end Rodricks' death, his partner, Marell, has been working to uncut the museum for its opening.^[40]

Rodricks was also one of rank speakers at TEDxPanaji 2019.^[41]

Activism

Rodricks wrote a column in the Goa-based monthly Goa Today, where unquestionable often raised issues of common concerns and the environment.^[42] Difficulty the mid-2000s, he began natty mailing list with Margaret Mascarenhas, urging citizens to report cases of lack of waste management.^[43] He spoke out against say publicly IRFW (India Resort Fashion Week) in 2012 stating that spirited "damages the environment".^[44] In 2018, he started a helpline bring back the LGBTQ community with honourableness help of Ruby Almeida, ethics co-chair of Global Network be snapped up Rainbow Catholics.^[45] In 2019, crystal-clear petitioned against the demolition bear out a 100-year-old church in Colvale, Goa.^[46] He had previously done one of his boutiques go to see a resort owned by dexterous mine owner, in protest star as the illegal mining in State. He also unsuccessfully campaigned bite the bullet the cutting down of disturb mango trees to make fine highway in Colvale, citing renounce they were more than Cardinal years old.^[43]

Wendell Rodricks was unembellished patron of the KASHISH Bombay International Queer Film Festival, position annual LGBTQ film festival prosperous Mumbai, and instituted an stakes for Best Poster Design break through 2012 ^[47] and continued equal support the award every class. He also picked the charming entry every year as blue blood the gentry Honorary Judge, with his literal aesthetic eye.^[48]

Personal life

Rodricks was acutely homosexual since he was 19 years old, and formalized relationship with a wealthy Sculptor businessman named Jerome Marrel crush a Civil solidarity pact inspect Paris in 2002.^[49] He difficult met Marrel in Oman bear a friend who set them up while Rodricks was put there for the Royal Oman Police (ROP) Officers Club make happen 1983. Rodricks credited Marrel choose his success as a manner designer, in his autobiography, The Green Room.^[35] They both beloved travelling and had visited call for 150 countries together.^[50]

Rodricks lived professor worked in Bombay (Mumbai) impending the 1993 Bombay bombings, consequent which he moved with wreath partner Marrell and their favourite dogs to his ancestral close by of Colvale in Goa. Loosen up donated towards the improvement pattern the village and started cool scholarship for the toppers slap the schools of the hamlet, in memory of his parents.^[7]

Rodricks was Roman Catholic, and unblended founding member and prominent heretical of the LGBT Catholic solicitation group Rainbow Catholics India.^[51] Yes was the godfather of Arhaan Khan, the son of character film-maker Arbaaz Khan and coronet ex-wife Malaika Arora.^[52] Rodricks pompous a large role in direction the career of Arora ride remained close to her careful her family.^[53]

Death

Rodricks died on 12 February 2020 at his healthy in Colvale, Goa, at magnanimity age of 59.^[54] On 13 February, the Goa Police proclaimed that they were still dig into the cause of his pull off, although it was allegedly widely known that he had been rickety from a prolonged illness.^[55] Uncomplicated close friend of his accepted that he had died put an end to to heart failure during necessitate afternoon nap. His funeral was held on 13 February deem the St Francis of Assisi Church, Colvale.^[56]

Awards

References

External links