Wendell Rodricks that's the fashion designer who has made Goa the hot new place to be in. And not just for the beaches but also for the fashion and food.Yes, and it all started six years ago when Wendell packed his bags and left Mumbai for Goa. Where he fast became the style czar of Goa. He designs just about everything you could need. From shoes, accessories and beachwear to formal eveningwear for both men and women.Wait! There is more. Wendell has also turned his hand to running a restaurant and his latest project involves promoting Goan art.How did this designer become an art promoter?"Goan art is refreshingly different and affordable. I have bought quite a bit of it." And in the process became somewhat of an authority on the subject. The net result: Wendell has curated a Goan Art festival on view at the Jamaat art gallery in Colaba, till the end of the month. Not satisfied with just that the fashion designer is also working on writing a textbook on design. When did hebecome the last word on design?It is to be noted that Wendell studied fashion design in California at the college of Applied Arts (one of his teachers used to design for Marilyn Monroe). He also pioneered a cutting technique that combines western draping with Indian geometry (soon, he will be touring fashion colleges giving seminars on this technique). And now, he is going to make picking up a Wendell original possible even in a bookstore.So when does he get the time to do all this?His routine is simple. Wendell designs every morning. Spends his afternoons at his boutique attending to clients. And in the evenings, he's a waiter.A waiter did you say!!!Yes. He has his own restaurant called Aubergine, which even houses a cigar bar called Havana. "Our cigars are the most reasonably priced cigars in India." Wendell is also trained in the food business he is a graduate from the Dadar catering college. So on the Aubergine menu you will find dishes created by the designer himself.His favourite dish: A salad that combines lettuce, spinach, sweet lime, basil leaf and a secret dressing conjured up by the master chef himself.Does he get the time to miss his old hometown Mumbai?Wendell is very happy in Goa. "Though I do need to come back to the city every two months for an adrenaline shot." The things he does not like about Mumbai is its fakeness and pollution. "I am happy to come to Mumbai as an outsider."So, is Goa paradise on earth?Well there are some things that he would like to change about Goa too. He's busy campaigning against plastic which is clogging up the rivers of Goa. "I am truly passionate about Goa." And one of his favourite past times is walking in the Goan hills. Where some of his most creative ideas take seed. And given that the next few months are going to be very busy, the time away is actually time at work.In December, Wendell is planning a fashion show in Goa. "It will be a prelude to the millennium." Where he will be hosting abungee jumping site and he hopes to get some of the models to actually jump! "It will be an international collection with an Indian spirit." Does that mean that this fashion designer is moving away from the Indo-West designs he is so well known for?Wendell has been considered a pioneer of Indo-West and eco-friendly designs since he entered the industry over a decade ago. "I am fed up with doing muted clothes. Actually Indo-West fashion started with the British Raj. For my latest collection, I am bringing back colour. We have lost our sense of Indian colour." His latest show Waves hosted by The Indian Express and the Oberoi Hotel, this Thursday will be the perfect palette for this promise.
