Prabal Gurung | Nepali-American

prabal gurung nepali american
Photo credit: Patrick McMullan

Prabal Gurung

Nepali-American

Fashion Designer

Instagram: @prabalgurung


Born in Singapore, raised in Kathmandu, Nepal, Prabal Gurung is a New York fashion designer that has been patronized by many notable public figures – Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Kate Middleton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Selena Gomez, and Priyanka Chopra, just to name a few.

He started his design career at New Delhi’s National Institute of Fashion Technology, then immigrated to New York City to finish his studies at the world-renowned Parsons School of Design. Upon graduation, Prabal worked with Cynthia Rowley’s design and production teams for two years, followed by a Design Director role he held for 5 years at Bill Blass.

In February 2009, Prabal’s American Dream escalated – he launched his collection PRABAL GURUNG during New York Fashion Week. The collection embodied “modern luxury, indelible style, and glamour.” And by Fall 2010, his first runway show was staged at Bryant Park.

Since the beginning, Prabal has taken pride in his immigrant story and is well known for his loyalty to America by making 80% of his collection in the USA (New York).

In 2011, Prabal and his family founded the Shikshya Foundation Nepal. “The mission is to provide at least 300 underprivileged children with a sound education, addressing financial, social and emotional needs, within the next 10 years.”

To date, Prabal has collaborated with Target, MAC Cosmetics, TOMS, and Lane Bryant; and his accolades include: Ecco Domani Fashion Fund Award (2010), CVDA/Vogue Fashion Fund runner up (2010), CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear (2011), and the Creativity Award from The Drawing Center (2015).

And for his humanitarian efforts, Prabal was named goodwill ambassador for Maiti Nepal, which is focused on the prevention for girl trafficking (2011). He also launched the Nepal earthquake relief fund (2015) that has raised nearly one million dollars within a year.

Sources: PrabalGurung.com and Elle