Wendell to design for Goa’s tourism security force?

PANAJI - Goa’s soon-to-be launched tourist security force (TSF) might be patrolling the beaches in uniforms by renowned designer Wendell Rodricks.

Swapnil Naik, director of tourism, said Wendell had been formally approached by Tourism Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar for designing the uniforms of the several hundred strong force comprising of ex-servicemen.

The force has been roped in to patrol the beaches and other places of tourist interest in Goa.

The minister had requested Wendell a week back to design suitable uniforms for the security force. We are trying to get the force operational by the end of this month, Naik told IANS.

We are currently in the middle of recruiting the ex-servicemen with the help of the Rajya Sainik Board, Naik said.

While Wendell was not immediately available for comment, this will not be the first time that the celebrity designer known for his minimalistic approach, will satisfy the Goa government’s ‘haute couture’ needs.

In the 1990s, Wendell had been roped in by the Congress-led state government to design ‘citizen friendly’ uniforms for Goa Police. The Wendell-designed uniforms comprised blue trousers and white shirts, complete with a fringed palm on the arm, were a refreshing departure from the more staid khaki.

But they were discontinued when the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power on the grounds that the new set of clothes, especially the white shirts, were impractical and difficult to maintain in a tropical environment.

Currently only the traffic and tourism police departments within Goa police are allowed to wear Wendell’s togs.

–Indo Asian News Service