Lately, patrons of the much-loved Wendell Rodricks label celebrated the launch of his first stand-alone flagship store in the city, which will ensure that the late designer’s legacy will proudly live on in Mumbai. The store was launched by luxury fashion house, Purple Style labs, and is the second stand-alone boutique, after Panjim in Goa.
Located in the heart of the ‘Beverly Hills of Bollywood’ on Juhu-Tara Road, the cosy 700sq ft store is reminiscent of the designer’s first store in his home state of Goa. Whilst designing the store, the Purple Style Labs design team made every effort to replicate the effortlessly languid and chic aesthetics to ensure that they were in line with Wendell’s Goa design space. Wendell’s understated minimalist vibe is at the core of the space, against a backdrop of basic, yet stately hues of whites and greys.
The new store is meticulously ornamented with design details such as photo-frames portraying Wendell’s muses and models over the years, as well as his past fashion campaigns and the designer’s other personal memorabilia.
The launch of Wendell’s Mumbai flagship store also featured the unveiling of the first-ever Wendell Rodricks’ collection of jewellery, which draws inspiration from the colours and geometric motifs featured in his garments and can be worn throughout the day, from a languorous brunch to a chic sundowner.
The design team have adeptly carried forward the minimalist silhouettes and bold colour accents throughout the jewellery collection’s simplistic design which versatility, whilst adding texture to the metal to enable the pieces to stand out and complement the minimalistic colour-blocked clothing.
Also on offer at the new Wendell Rodricks’ flagship store in Mumbai are the late designer’s classics for men and women, the ‘Reminiscence Collection’ – a selection of garments that are inspired by Wendell’s classics, that have been painstakingly curated by the Purple Style Labs’ design team.
Speaking about the launch of the new store in Mumbai, Abhishek Agarwal, Founder & CEO – Purple Style Labs, says, “Wendell Rodricks’ loss last year shook the fashion world as well as environmentalists and cultural activists who have since mourned a man who advocated strongly for sustainability, local heritage, indigenous textiles and weavers. We are incredibly proud to ensure that his legacy lives on through the launch of the 1st stand-alone Wendell Rodricks store in Mumbai.
Several of Wendell’s long-time friends, clients and well-wishers from the fashion fraternity stopped by the fashion preview to have a sneak peek at the latest collection from the label. Among those who were seen socialising and admiring the new store were, Bollywood actor, Malaika Arora, Wendell’s husband, Jerome Marrel, fashion designers Hemant Trevedi and Gavin Miguel, HRH Samarjitsinh Gaekwad, fashion photographers, Farrokh Chothia and Sumeet Chopra, Fahad Samar, Marc Robinson, models, Candice Pinto, Shamita Singha, Kavita Kharayat, Sunny Kamble and Kiara Coehlo, TV actor Sahil Salathia, Yash Dongre, Riyad Kundanmal, Rij Eappen, as well as Abhishek and Abhinav Agarwal from Purple Style labs, amongst others.
