Published 21:38 IST, February 12th 2020
Wendell Rodricks breathes his last at home in Goa, State Chief Minister mourns loss
Wendell Rodricks, the ace Indian designer, passed away in his Goan home today. Reason for death is yet to be confirmed. Read on to know more about it.
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Padma Shri recipient designer, Wendell Rodricks passed away in his Goa home at the age of 59. Condolences are pouring in from the industry and people are reaching out to the late designer’s family. Chief Minister of Goa, Vishwajit Rane and The Fashion Design Council of India also mourned the loss of Wendell Rodricks.
Ace fashion designer, Wendell Rodricks’s passes away
The Fashion Design Council of India broke the news of Wendell Rodricks’s passing away to the world. Tweeting about it the organisation said, “FDCI is deeply disheartened with the sudden and untimely demise of one of the country's iconic designer, Wendell Rodricks’s. The fashion fraternity lost a legend today. Wendell, we will miss you.”
Family members of Rodricks' have confirmed according to reports that the ace designer breathed his last in his home in Colvale, Goa. The reason for Wendell Rodricks' death is being reported as a heart attack. However, nothing has been confirmed yet.
Chief Minister of Goa Vishwajit Rane expresses his condolences
Deeply saddened to hear about the sudden demise of my very good friend and designer, Wendell Rodricks. His excellency in his work & skills are irreplaceable & shall always be cherished.
— VishwajitRane (@visrane) February 12, 2020
We will truly miss him. My heartfelt condolences to his family & dear ones. pic.twitter.com/CzRnQJjbxf
The last post on Wendell Rodricks’s Instagram account showed him working on his costume museum in Goa. This was three days prior to his death. Rodricks’s project, The Moda Ga Museum is touted to be India’s first costume museum located inside a 450-year-old traditional Goan villa.
Wendell Rodricks was born in a Goan Catholic family but grew up in Mumbai. He showcased his first collection in 1990 which also earned him the title, “Guru of Minimalism”. He, later on, became famous for his resort wear and eco-friendly attires.
He also reportedly revived the traditional Goan clothing, the kunbi saree. Rodricks’s was also a member of the Khadi movement. He even promoted khadi as a fabric at the BioFach, the world’s largest organic fair at Nuremberg, Germany in 2011. He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2014. Wendell also presented a collection of attires for plus-size women at 2017’s Lakme Fashion Week.
After a successful career for over two decades, Rodricks had bid goodbye to the fashion industry. He also reportedly handed over his label to this prodigy, Schulen Fernandes in 2016. However, in his lifetime, Wendell Rodricks was an environmental activist and a spokesperson for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community.
21:38 IST, February 12th 2020