Prabal Gurung is the thinking woman’s designer

The strong streak of feminism in Nepalese couturier Prabal Gurung’s creations has attracted some of the world’s strongest women, including Michelle Obama and Britain’s future queen

You might expect a certain amount of altitude sickness from a man who’s scaled the highest echelons of the world of fashion, with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States, among many others, on his client list. Especially since that man arrived from out of almost nowhere: just another designer from the subcontinent trying his luck in New York.

A darling of the New York fashion world, Prabal Gurung’s rise has been meteoric. But this Nepal-born designer still has his feet firmly planted on the ground

According to Gurung being at the right party and being seen with the right people definitely helps the brand. However, one needs to be smart and clever to be able to choose that ‘right party’ (Courtesy: Prabal Gurung)

If you imagine there’s a touch of arrogance in these words, you’re wrong. Gurung is as grounded today as he ever was: you can tell this right away when you first meet him – while exchanging pleasantries he comments, “You know, I really miss the time when ‘how are you?’ was a genuine question, not a statement.’

Today, Prabal can be seen rubbing shoulders with Hillary Clinton during the day and partying late into the night with a gaggle of gorgeous girls that include international models as well as Hollywood royalty. Seen here with (from left ) Jennifer Hudson, Zoe Saldana, Priyanka Chopra, and Solange Knowles (Getty Images)

Perhaps his client list would not have been quite as strong as it is, in all senses of the word, had Gurung not turned his deepest convictions about women and the world into his creative inspiration.

While the Duchess of Cambridge wore this purple-and-white printed shift from Prabal Gurung’s spring/summer 2012 collection during her Singapore visit, Michelle Obama made her Prabal Gurung debut in an off-white silk twill dress back in 2010 and has been often spotted in his creations since then (Getty Images)

Gurung’s feminist convictions may stem from his ‘gay designer’ experiences – one kind of underdog standing in solidarity with another. While Nepal is certainly more gay-friendly than India, even permitting gay marriages, society as a whole is still homophobic, he points out.

When you acknowledge your true self and become comfortable with who you are, like-minded people come flocking, says Gurung, who was a shy kid and would often be found at her mother’s shop drawing doodles of playing with paper dolls (Courtesy: Prabal Gurung)

Quick Qs

Today, Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt, Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, are among his regular clients. But he has developed a special fondness for Alia, who he thinks has the potential to become a true crossover actor

Although he was born in Singapore and shifted to Nepal as a child, Prabal Gurung is a self-proclaimed Bollywood buff. “It was a world unlike anything that was happening around me. But at the same time, it looked so real! I always thought I would have 60 dancers behind me when I wooed someone, or there would be violins and maple leaves when I fall in love,” laughs Gurung.