Chronicler: Wendell Rodricks. Photo by Priyanka Parashar/Mint.

If you are looking for a book on the contemporary history of Goan fashion, then Moda Goa: History and Style by designer Wendell Rodricks is perhaps not the book for you. But if you are keen to understand how the culture, garments, food, rituals, jewellery and just about everything in Goa evolved, then Moda Goa is the book to possess. Though it took Rodricks around two years to put the book together, he says he has been working on finding out more about Goa and its heritage since 2000, when he took six months off from designing to study at various museums and art archives in Goa and across the globe. In the end, the book is more of an insight into the history of Goa than just a book on fashion and style. In an interview in Delhi, Rodricks talks about why the Kunbi sari is close to his heart and why Rohit Bal and Sabyasachi Mukherjee should take time off from designing to write books too. Edited excerpts:

The book looks like it is a labour of love. Have you been planning for a long time to put it together?

Moda Goa—History and Style: By Wendell Rodricks,HarperCollins, 240 pages, Rs3,999.

It was one of those things that fell into place. At the back of my head, I had a concept like this but I was not thinking about a book. The entire process of collecting this information from various sources meant travelling to the Goa state library, private historical research centres; it meant, terrifyingly, to converse with some eminent scholars in Goa and internationally. In 2009, I attended a conference in Jaipur and they invited me to speak on Pano Bhaju, a Goan garment. The organizers were so fascinated by that paper that as soon as I got off the podium, they suggested I should write a book on Goa and its style.

I wish that every designer in India, whichever state they came from, did a book like I have done. This is such a legacy to leave behind. I wish Rohit Bal would do one on Kashmir and Sabyasachi does it on Kolkata and Bengal. They are capable of doing it. We need to create these histories of ourselves. Fashion is a reflection of history in the end.

The Kunbi sari and its revival is an important section in the book. What attracted you to this weave?

Revival: The Kunbi sari.

It came out of a sense of shame, really. Maharashtra has its Paithanis, Gujarat its Patolas, Orissa its Ikat—the only sari we have in Goa was the Kunbi. It was a tribal sari and no one wanted to wear it. It is not a long sari to drape—only four-and-a-half to five yards—and always in its signature red and white shades. I felt those colours only cannot be used all the time if the sari has to be acceptable today. We had to change the colour palette, and I was sure I wanted to use only natural dyes for it.

Any other weaves that you are working to revive right now?

Not really. But I am interested in Goan jewellery, and would really like to get together a group of goldsmith artisans who know how to make old Goan-Konkan-style jewellery. I would love to bring back the old-style combs, bangles. In fact, I have quite a collection of old gold from Goa now, and I want goldsmiths to be able to revive these styles.

In the book, you indicate that in spite of influences from so many cultures and communities—the Muslims, Chinese, Portuguese—Goans have managed to retain some parts of their Hindu legacy. How?

That was the biggest surprising point for me too. What I respect most about Goan people is that in spite of the Inquisition, they retained what was important to them. Look at the Goan bride: She may be dressed in a white bridal gown but is most likely to wear red bridal bangles always to church. Two beautiful things happened in Goa—one, the colonizers, who could not survive in this humid, hot weather in velvets, had to pick up some of our clothing habits. Ironically, there were some aspects of their clothing that we liked: their waistcoats, their shoes, which were more comfortable. Second, what was truly remarkable was that despite all these interferences, so many rigours of the Inquisition, Goans still retained that wonderful Hindu legacy and learnt to mix the old with the new. That is the real strength of Goan culture. So Goa actually does become the birthplace of the first Indo-Western garments, and it happened 450 years ago here.

seema.c@livemint.com