Fashion Week 2009 is the annual week of glitz and glamor in New York City, even in these trying times. Skinny women and chiseled men walk the ramp, showcasing a designer’s dream collection. This year, amid well-known designers from all across the fashion world displaying the latest couture, there is a name that might sound familiar to Nepalis—Prabal Gurung.
Gurung, former design director for Bill Blass, with his first collection and charismatic style, is getting attention in the Big Apple.
From The New York Times:
Last night, I’m sure a few memories were made on W. 25th Street. The wind was blowing hard, the cars and taxis were double-parked, and people were streaming in and out of the galleries for the Thursday-night openings. Prabal Gurung, a former assistant at Bill Blass, presented his first collection, at the Flag Art Foundation. The place was jammed. Twenty models stood on a platform in Gurung’s elegant-looking cocktail dresses, boxy cashmere jackets, and silk faille tuxedos. His muse is clearly Saint Laurent. But alright: Gurung, a native of Nepal, keeps the attitude young and he knows about things like proportion and finishing. One of the top looks was a loose, tiered halter dress in silk chiffon embroidered all over in black beads. The shapely halter neck of the dress played against the open back.
Gurung, who spent five years at the Bill Blass fashion house before then-parent company NexCen Brands Inc. shut down, says he is not going after Blass customers. According to The Wall Street Journal, he defines his collection as:
"There’s not a contemporary feel to it—these are investment pieces: beautiful cashmere coats, amazingly well-made dresses that are going to last you forever,” Mr. Gurung says. Retail prices for blouses will start at $400 and dresses will retail for $900 to $4,000, he says, adding, “I’m going after the lady who wants to look beautiful and wear her clothes rather than have her clothes wearing her."
Gurung said his first collection (see sample here) targets rich women who don’t mind paying more for expensive fabrics or unusual design details.
“The rich are still spending a lot,” he says, noting that his years at Blass taught him about catering to this crowd. “At Bill Blass, I learned the way clothes are supposed to be made—there are no shortcuts. Just well-made, well-finished clothes. That’s the kind of approach I’m taking– it’s not about being trendy.”
In 1990, Gurung (who was born in Singapore) was the sole soul from his class in Kathmandu's St. Xavier school to dare to study fashion designing. He studied fashion from National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi and worked for the Indian designer Manish Arora. He later joined Parsons The New School for Design, one of New York’s prestigious fashion schools and alma mater to designers like Blass, Marc Jacobs and Jason Wu, who designed Michelle Obama's inaugural dress.
From Vanity Fair:
For years, Gurung has been making special-order pieces for private clients, while also designing for Cynthia Rowley, and, most recently, for Bill Blass, as design director. But launching a collection from scratch is certainly an adjustment from his previous princely purview. “I loved running around to the factories and shops, and doing everything myself,” he said. “It made me realize how much I still love doing this.” And eight years in Manhattan has left him with no shortage of industry loyalists ready to lend a hand, a show space, or a professional eye (the most priceless). “It’s been very emotional, the amount of support I’ve gotten already, without asking.”
From The Kathmandu Post:
Prabal went on to win the Best Designer competition between Parsons and the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2000. The next year, the faculty asked him not to compete, but to open the show instead, which he did featuring 15 looks of his work. The designer Cynthia Rowley, who was a judge at the show, was so impressed she offered him a job on the spot. After three years with Rowley, Prabal moved to Bill Blass. And the rest, as they say, is history.
See more of Gurung's collection (along with his press contact) at his website, PrabalGurung.com.
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