A few months ago, Wendell Rodricks had led the fight to save the two-century old mango trees of Colvale from being axed to make way for road windening. He campaigned via an online petition and even appealed to the President of India to save the trees from being cut. Then suddenly one day the news filtered through that the trees that he had attempted to save had been axed. Sadly, just as suddenly yesterday (Wednesday) evening , came the sad, and for a few moments unbeliveable, news that the fashion designer of international renown, who had even been decorated with the Padma Shri, had passed away.
The death of Wendell has sent shock waves across the State, as he did not just earn his fame as a fashion designer – which he primarily was – but also stood up for Goa and Goan issues that he felt strongly about, especially those related to the environment that was under pressure. The messages of codolence that poured in within hours from across the country, bear testimony to how much Wendell had touched lives of people. From politicians, to fashion designers, to film stars, to performers, to social activists, they all felt the loss of the man who departed quite suddenly from this world.
It may have been on the fashion runway where he first shone, and later as he built his brand and his name, came to be known for minimalism. Along the way he designed and clothed some of India’s best known models and actors, perhaps it was his designs that got some of them noticed and made some of them what they are today. But apart from rubbing shoulders with the glitterati, he also went deep into rural Goa and from there plucked the humble Kunbi saree for special attention. He successfully placed it on a pedestal that none before had imagined. That was what made him different. He saw potential where others didn’t and worked to make it happen.
There are a number of unfinished dreams Wendell leaves behind, one being the Moda Goa Museum and Research Centre that was due to open in May this year, to coincide with his 60th birthday. The old Goan house when fully renovated and opened as a museum was to showcase over 800 artefacts that would take visitors on a fashion or costume journey from the 7th century AD to the current times. He won’t be there to see that vision realised. And there is also another dream will remain unfulfilled. In an interview, Wendell and his partner Jerome Marrel had said that it was their wish to visit all the 193 countries on the UN list. They had visited around 150 already and sadly Wendell just missed achieving that target.
Wendell’s death leaves a void in the fashion world, in the movement for social causes, and among the voices that would be raised whenever there was a wrong in the State. Goa has lost a son who had returned home from Los Angeles and Paris, had returned to the red soil of Goa and to Colvale from where to craft his career through designs and keep the name of Goa flying high. In his letter as the trustee of the Moda Goa Museum and research Centre, Wendell wrote, “A dreamer stays a dreamer. And I am one big dreamer who made most of my dreams come true. One dream was to give back to Goa, society, state and country.” That last dream he most definitely did fulfill, no doubt in more than many ways. RIP Wendell, you will be missed in Goa, in India and in the fashion circuits across the world.
