Prabal Gurung in Conversation at FIT

The Fashion Culture and Special Programs at the Fashion Institute of Technology recently featured Fashion Designer Prabal Gurung in conversation with Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Gurung humbly spoke about his career and unique prospective on design to a sold-out audience.
Born in Singapore and raised in Nepal, Gurung studied fashion design at the renowned Parson School of Design while interning at Donna Karan. After Parsons, Gurung spent two years at Cynthia Rowley and eventually became design director for Bill Blass for five years. In the midst of the global economic crisis and by using personal savings, Gurung launched his first collection in February 2009 during New York's fashion week. He quickly gained notoriety.
Now with three collections under his belt, Hollywood as well as Washington, D.C. has quickly taken notice, with Gurung outfitting celebrities such as Thandie Newton, Demi Moore, and First Lady Michelle Obama. His designs have appeared in numerous magazines and on the covers of Women’s Wear Daily and Oprah magazine. He is the recipient of the Eco Domani Fashion Foundation Award, and was nominated for the 2010 CFDA Swarovski Womanswear Award.
Yet, when asked by an audience member at the FIT event: “How do you remain so humble?” Gurung quickly replied: “I am just happy to do what I love, the rest is perks." Gurung advised aspiring designers to keep at it, never give up, and the rest will fall into place. Gurung also emphasized the value of team work and having friends and family around who truly believe in your talent. Speaking from personal experience, Gurung has been lucky to have a great mixture of equally talented people surrounding him who are willing to help build his brand and work for little or no money. The gamble paid off and now his company is becoming one of the fastest growing, young designer labels in the industry. The future is bright for this incredibly humble designer whose greatest achievements are yet to come.