Fashion designer Wendell Rodricks has penned a book ”Moda Goa: History and Style” which talks about the factors that shaped Goa’s distinct garment style. Rodricks, who has begun a grassroot campaign to revive the Kunbi sari woven by Kunbi tribes of the region in a designer avatar through his fashion shows, said being a designer it’s important to bring forth the fashion of his region first.
“It’s important to revive one’s own fashion first. There are many tribes in India which have distinct fashion but are lost amidst western influences in fashion. If our fashion designers start working on their own regions then automatically our own style can be reprised,” said Rodricks, during the launch of the book here.
Rodricks started his research 12 years ago and found how the various cultures coloured the Goan clothing range. ”I used to dedicate three hours regularly for my research and after collecting massive information I started writing the book in 2009. It was in Goa that first ever Indo-Western garment evolved because of the influence of the Portuguese, who invaded Goa before 0moving to Eastern India,” he added.
Known for his minimalist style, the designer said that lack of information about Goan fashion has inspired him in penning down the book. ”I was amazed when I did not get any information about Goan fashion in any of the books in museums across India. I thought that India should know about Goan fashion because it’s the only state in India where fashion has undergone sea change from the impressions of Buddhist drape to the fine cuts of Muslims,” he said. He is currently working on his autobiography which will hit stores in August.
Courtesy: dailybhaskar
