A Nepali designer of Kamala Harris, Michelle Obama, Kate Middleton dresses
A Nepali fashion designer in New York, USA is making news all over the world. Born and brought up in Nepal, Prabal Gurung, is a celebrity fashion designer. Some of the celebrities he has designed dress for are:
- Kamala Harris – US Vice president (Jan 20, 2021 Inauguration & April 28, 2021)
- Michelle Obama – Ex US First Lady
- Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambrige
Prabal Gurung was born on March 31, 1979, in Singapore to a former boutique owner mother Durga Rana. His older brother, Pravesh Rana Gurung, is an Indian film director, and his older sister, Kumudini Shrestha, is a teacher and a social worker.
Prabal went to St. Xavier’s School in Jawalakhel, did his bachelors in hotel management from the National Council of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition. But, he was more interested in fashion designing. So, he went to National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi, India. Working under noted Indian fashion designer, Manish Arora, he grew as a talented designer.
His talent led him to assist stylists from London and Melbourne during different fashion shows and he also worked for a number of international print media. That was how the door opened up for Gurung to expand beyond India and make his own identity.
It was in 1999 Prabal Gurung moved from New Delhi to New York City. That was to attended Parsons School of Design and studied under an internship with Donna Karan. He worked as a design director with Bill Blass for five years. After 10 years of struggle, he decided to unveil his own collection under Prabal Gurung brand during the Fashion Week of February 2009 with the Flag Art Collection.
Milestones:
- Ecco Domani Fashion Fund Award and received a nomination for the 2010 CFDA/Swarovski Womenswear Award (2010)
- Runner-up for the 2010 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund
- CFDA Fashion Incubator for 2010-2012
- A finalist for the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award (2012)
- The CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear (2011)
- Drawing Award from the Creativity Center (2015)
- Worked with Lane Bryant (2017)
- Worked for Target (2013)
- MAC Cosmetics (2014)
Apart from being a fashion designer, Gurung is also active as a social worker. In 2012 he has established Shikshya Foundation in Nepal, a non-profit program to benefit underprivileged children in Nepal. In addition to helping children, Shikshya Foundation also organizes workshops and orientations for teachers to help them give positive education in reading, writing, mathematics, and finance.
In 2021, Gurung joined many in a campaign called “Stop Asian Hate”, to stop the rise in Asian hate-crimes and racism as exacerbated by Covid-19.
Childhood photo of Prabal:
7 years ago on September 24th, 2013 I became an American Citizen. An identity that I take with utmost pride, privilege, gratitude, and responsibility.
As a Nepali, born in Singapore, my heart will always be in Nepal, and my soul in India where I grew up. pic.twitter.com/kRazreEc6R
— Prabal Gurung (@prabalgurung) October 4, 2020
Photo credit – Prabal Gurung
