Prabal Gurung is a fashion designer who was born in Singapore and studied in Nepal, India and the United States. Based in America, he is an accomplished fashion designer who has made a name for himself worldwide by working in silence.

Prabal, who is of Nepalese descent, also visits his home country from time to time and raised funds (over US$1 million) during the 2015 Nepal earthquake. He is famous for his fashion label “Prabal Gurung”, which he launched in 2009.

Born name

Prabal Rana Gurung (Pronounced as Prah-bull (like ” trouble “) goo-roong )

nickname

Prabal

Sun sign

Aries

Place of birth

Singapore

Residence

New York City, New York, United States

nationality

• Nepali
• American – Became a US citizen in September 2013

training

Prabal studied at a Jesuit Catholic school called St. Xavier in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Prabal was an average student, less interested in physical education and science, and mainly interested in dance, drama, speech and drawing during his school years.

For a bachelor’s degree, he studied Hotel Management in Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition at the National Council for Hotel Management in Mumbai, India.

After that, he continued his higher education by enrolling at the prestigious Indian design academy named National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT).

In 1999, Prabal enrolled in the Parsons School of Design living in New York City and became a part-time intern for Donna Karan.

In his freshman year he was named Best Designer in the annual Parsons Fit Design competition.

Shortly after completing his course, Prabal worked for Cynthia Rowley for 2 years and was hired as Design Director for Bill Blass for the following 5 years.

Finally, in February 2009, he launched his eponymous luxury clothing line.

occupation

fashion designer

family

• Father – unknown
• Mother – Durga Rana (former boutique owner)
• Siblings – Pravesh Rana Gurung (Older Brother) (Indian Film Director), Kumudini Shrestha (Older Sister) (Teacher and Social Worker)
• Andere – Vaidehi Shrestha (Nichte)

Manager

Not applicable

Build

Athletic

Height

5 feet 9 inches or 175 cm

weight

72 kg or 159 lbs

friend/spouse

Prabal dated –

1. Karan Johar (2019) – Prabal is rumored to be in a relationship with Indian director Karan Johar in 2019. It all started when the designer sent his good friend a birthday wish on Instagram on May 25, 2019. However, he responded to the relationship rumors by clarifying that Karan was his mentor and dear friend.

race/ethnicity

Asian

He has Nepalese ancestors.

hair colour

Schwarz

eye color

dark brown

sexual orientation

Cheerful

distinguishing features

• Typical East Asian double-lid eyes.
• The rest of his facial features resemble South Asian people due to a much larger, sharper nose and light brown skin.
• Usually maintains a smooth, clean-shaven appearance.

brand promotion

Prabal supports brands behind the scenes with his design talent and as such has never been the face of a label to increase its commercial visibility.

• Prabal’s own name clothing line is worn and promoted by various A-list celebrities at red carpet events around the world.
• Japanese company Weiter Kashiyama hired Prabal Gurung as their chief designer to reintroduce their ICB brand to the US market in 2012.
• Prabal also collaborated with the retail giant, Ziel to design their 2013 clothing line.
• He partnered with MAC Cosmetics in 2014 to launch an exclusive line of products.

Religion

• Buddhism that includes the elements of shamanism and is particularly observed by the Gurung tribe of Nepal.
• Opened his 2015 New York Fashion Week runway show with a prayer by 30 Buddhist monks to thank the world for their help following the devastating April 2015 earthquake in Nepal.

Known for

The label of his women’s clothing and accessories was called Prabal Gurung.

first movie

He has never been seen in a movie.

First TV show

One episode cameo as himself in a TV series called The City in 2010.

Personal trainer

• Prabal usually goes to bed at midnight and wakes up between 5.30am and 6am to go to the gym.
• He tries to train at least 4-5 times a week and takes personal training sessions from Andy Speer or Ryan Hopkins.
• If they’re not available, Prabal prefers to work out at the Equinox gym in Soho.
• He starts his day with a glass and a half of water.
• In accordance with his dietary habits, he is conscious of portion control and tries to eat healthily as often as possible.
• Prabal has a penchant for spicy food.

Prabal Gurung favorite things

• Color – Red
• Sneaker brand – Saint Laurent black high tops
• American city – New York City
• Technical inventions – Apple products, Tesla cars
• Personal clothing colors – black, white, navy blue
• Band – Die Rolling Stones, Radiohead
• Local Bands in Nepal – Mitternachtsreiter, Bipul Chettri
• Hometown Restaurants – The Old House, Roadhouse Cafe, Vesper Cafe and Lhakpa’s Chulo
• Shop – Barter Books, Northumberland, Alnwick Station, a vintage bookshop
• Spa – The Refinery in London
• Museum – Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Stadt Mumbai, India
• Hotel – Die Claridges in London
• Boutique – Vintage Clothing Boutique von Didier Ludot, Paris
• Pizza Topping – Hot Sauce
• NYC Restaurant – Indochine, Café Clover, Mission Chinese, Marlow & Sons
• NYC Japanese Food Restaurants – Ootaya, Omen
• NYC Place for Breakfast/Brunch – Sant Ambroeus
• NYC Place for Date Night – Blue Hill Restaurant
• NYC Restaurant with Nepali Cuisine – Mustang Thakali Cuisine, Queens NYC, Yak in Queens, Dhaulagiri
• Advice – grace under pressure
• Fun activity – sing karaoke
• Drink – Nepalese tea
• Cocktail – A Ketel One Martini with a twist from Café Clover
• Guilty Treat – Spicy Korean Food from Korea Town
• NYC Buchhandlungen – McNally Jackson, The Strand
• Food Delivery App – Caviar
• Social Event – The Met Gala
• NYC Museum/Art Gallery – The Met, The New Museum, Hauser & Wirth, Gagosian Gallery
• Resort – Anguilla, Paris / South of France, London, anywhere in India
• Designer – Antonio Azzuolo for bespoke men’s formal wear
• Künstler – Cecily Brown, Sterling Rubin, Elizabeth Peyton, Christopher Wool
• NYC place to shop for gifts – John Derian, The Strand
• Barber & Salon – Tim Nolan, Barber at Serge Normant at John Frieda
• Mode-Ikonen – Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Azzedine Alaia
• Personal style – jeans and t-shirt
• Shop in Delhi – Fab India

Prabal Gurung Facts

1. He is responsible for designing some of the outfits of the most famous and respected women in the world like Kate Middleton, Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane Krueger, Amal Clooney, Queen Rania of Jordan and Lady Gaga to name but a few to name.
2. During his studies, Prabal not only worked as an apprentice in various fashion houses in the Indian capital, but also with the world-famous fashion designer Manish Arora.
3. During 7 years (the first years of his life) he traveled to Europe and Australia to support stylists at international fashion shows.
4. According to him, Cate Blanchett and Diane Kruger are the best dressed women in Hollywood, while Eddie Redmayne is the best dressed man.
5. His father comes from a middle-class family background and his mother was related to the royal family of Nepal. With their families not agreeing to their union, Prabal’s parents got married and fled to Singapore.
6. Prabal was brought back to be raised in Kathmandu at the age of 9 and enrolled in an all boys school. Because he often played the role of a girl in school plays, he was often mocked by his classmates.
7. He also saw that the lack of family support for his parents’ marriage persisted, leading to their eventual divorce.
8. Prabal’s resounding feminist stance in his work stems from his deep connection to his single mother, sister and niece.
9. He calls his siblings almost daily and visits his hometown and country annually to recharge his love for his roots.
10. Demi Moore was the first celebrity to wear a dress he designed, which was influenced by the wrap dress worn by a Nepali woman named Haku Patasi. She was also responsible for bringing him attention on Twitter.
11. In collaboration with his siblings, Prabal established the Shikshya Foundation in Nepal to promote the education of poor girls in his country.
12. In 2011 he was appointed Goodwill Ambassador of Maiti Nepal.
13. In 2011, Prabal also received the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Swarovski Award for Womenswear.
14. After the 2015 Nepal earthquake, Prabal set up a Nepal earthquake relief fund and raised over $1 million to help victims in his home country.
15. The designer never leaves his bed unmade in the morning.
16. He dislikes American reality shows where older women try to dress and look young.
17. During the 2016 presidential election, he endorsed Hillary Clinton and designed t-shirts for her campaign.
18. Prabal introduced himself at Hillary’s Diane von Furstenberg’s book signing in 2014. He was both surprised and flattered to find out that Hillary already knew him because her daughter often wears his designs.
19. The designer doesn’t believe in loud riots for attention. He owes his success to the quiet but confident work behind the scenes. He also claims to create and live by his own rules.
20. He enjoys collecting white vintage t-shirts from around the world.
21. To learn more about the designer, visit his official website @ prabalgurung.com.
22. Check out his latest designs on his label’s Instagram page.
23. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.