Some feathers in the fashion industry have been ruffled by news of fashion designer Wendell Rodricks reportedly being replaced by designer Aki Narula as a mentor to the Gen Next designers at Lakme Fashion Week. Further sparks are flying about rumours that designer Rohit Bal might do the finale.
Says a source, “Rohit may have been asked to do the grand finale. But as of now, that stands cancelled. Rohit is hurt about insinuations that he’s enjoying privileges for being on the advisory board. Even if Rohit was going to do the finale, he will not now.”
Well-placed sources also let on that Delhi-based designers, especially Gauri and Nainika are strong contenders for the finale. “It will most probably be a sponsored show and Delhi-based designers getting preference over LFW loyalists have always irked Mumbai designers,” reveals a source.
On Wendell being replaced by Narula, the source says that “The organisers initially wanted Wendell to move on to mentoring the Emerging Designers but changed their mind. The team probably wanted someone with a wild creative streak. The last few seasons have seen the Gen Next turn out with a specific mind set which the team was not happy with.”
