Wendell Rodricks attends LGBTQ platform Feronia Fashion Night’s third edition

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Sep 11, 2019

Fashion designer Wendell Rodricks was chief guest along with Diandra Soares at the third edition of the LGBTQ fashion platform Feronia Fashion Night in Indore. The event also featured a Gen Next programme for young designers. 

The third edition of Feronia Fashion Night took place at the Grand Bhagwati Palace in Indore on September 1. The event welcomed Wendell Rodricks as chief guest as a long-time supporter of the LGBTQ community in India. Other designers that participated in the fashion event included Diana Linda, Hoshigoru William, Padma Raj Kesari, Kala Sutr, Jeremy Fritzhand, Amar Mithapalli, and Seema Kalavadia. 

The event also ran a Gen Next programme for young designers. As part of the initiative, a team of aspiring designers, Tanisha Ansari, Shalini Sharma, and Durgeshwari Goud, presented a collection titled “Magical Soul” inspired by Germanic mythology. The ethereal collection featured sheer textiles, floral motifs, and crowns and explored femininity seen across a range of genders.

 Another team of Gen Next designers, Raksha Patel, Shivranjani Solanki, Kylie Vats, Nikita Dubey
Natasha Bhargava, Himashi Prajapati, and Ranu Beniwal, presented a collection titled “Roots of India”. The collection was an experimental take on Indian traditional wear and mixed gold adornments with bright hues. 

Manisha Rituparna’s Gen Next collection was titled “Rasarkeli” and presented a modern interpretation of Odisha’s rich culture. The collection used jewel toned textiles and traditional patterns freed from the constraints of gender. 

The runway shows gave LGBTQ models a chance to showcase their talents and up-and-coming models including Navya Singh, Kushie Parghi, Kalansh Gala, Abhishek Shah, Ritesh Aswal, and Amit Sehrawat walked the runway with a host of others. Feronia Fashion Night gives LGBTQ models a platform from which to expand their careers and allows designers to support LGBTQ rights and explore gender neutral designs. The event describes itself as an “androgynous fashion show,” according to its website and is a welcoming space for all gender identities.  

The event was sponsored by Radio Mirchi, IndiGo, National Chronicle, Shades Beauty Salon, and IT x IT Pro among others. Feronia takes its name from the Roman goddess of freedom, health, and abundance and the event is organised by Redo Times Private Limited.