January 22, 2011 (Sampurn Wire): Ace fashion designer Wendell Rodricks is a disillusioned man these days. According to latest reports, the designer was in for a big surprise or rather shock when he discovered that his name was no longer enlisted in the upcoming LFW or Lakme Fashion Week. Most amazingly the designer has been replaced by Akki Narulla as a mentor for young and budding designers or the Gen Next at the event.

According to reports in popular tabloids, Wendell has expressed his shock for not being included in the event as a mentor but he however, did accept that it really did not matter who the mentor was as it was quite a job to get the new crop of talented upcoming designers to focus on their work.

Reportedly the ace designer had resigned from the advisory board of the LFW in 2009 and thus he had no clue as to what or who had applied for the Gen Next category. He stressed that those who did apply for the Gen Next were selected through a fair process.

Further reports suggest that things at the fashion week have changed considerably and everyone is not exactly happy with the way things are being handled at the do. However, with Wendell out of the fashion week, his well wishers and buddies do feel that this is a great loss to the Indian fashion scene and the effects of it will be visible sooner rather than later in the entire fashion segment of India.

--Sampurn Wire