Prabal Gurung

Prabal Gurung launched his eponymous collection in February 2009 with a philosophy encompassing modern luxury, indelible style and an astute sense of glamour.

Gurung was born in Singapore and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal. After beginning his design career in New Delhi he moved to New York to finish his studies at Parsons The New School for Design. Upon graduating, Gurung spent two years with Cynthia Rowley’s design and production teams. Soon after, he was appointed design director at the iconic Bill Blass, a post he held for five years until launching his own collection, PRABAL GURUNG.

A focus on quality and innovation has placed Gurung at the forefront of American fashion with designs worn by leading ladies including First Lady Michelle Obama and The Duchess of Cambridge, to name a few. In 2010 he was the recipient of the Ecco Domani Fashion Fund Award. In 2011 Gurung was honored as one of USA Network’s Character Approved Award recipients, named goodwill ambassador of Maiti Nepal, a finalist of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award and was the recipient of the CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear. Prabal Gurung was the official 2013 designer collaborator for Target and in November 2014 launched a product collaboration with MAC Cosmetics. Most recently, Gurung launched footwear on the Spring 2015 runway.

Prabal Gurung recognizes the unique opportunity and responsibility it has to instill a greater awareness of global needs by utilizing the brand’s growing visibility. This company ideal is founded in the designer’s personal exposure to the poverty and inequity in his homeland of Nepal. In 2011, The Gurung family established the Shikshya Foundation Nepal, a foundation that seeks to provide education to underprivileged children, challenging them to positively impact the country’s future. 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. There are currently over 60 children in the program and this figure only continues to grow. In 2011 Prabal Gurung was also named Goodwill ambassador for Maiti Nepal, a foundation started to prevent girl trafficking.

Following the April 2015 Earthquake in Nepal, Prabal Gurung launched the Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund to assist in the aid of all relief efforts in Nepal. As of June 2015 Prabal Gurung as raised nearly one million USD in funds.