Prabal Gurung reflects on his life and runway success in new memoir

Designer Prabal Gurung has always been a storyteller.

- 

First, it was through the colourful, Nepal-inspired designs that helped him find early success in the cutthroat fashion world. Now, he's sharing his life story in words with his bold new memoir, "Walk Like A Girl." The book, out recently from Penguin Random House, traces his South Asian roots — born in Singapore, he grew up in Nepal and spent time in India — and difficult childhood. He would eventually move to New York to study at the Parsons School of Design, interning for Donna Karan and later working for Cynthia Rowley and Bill Blass. He started his own label in 2009, and has dressed celebrities including Michelle Obama, Kate Middleton, Zoe Saldaña and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Gurung, 46, says processing his childhood experiences with an abusive father at home and bullies and predators at school in order to write and record the book was the hardest thing he's ever done. "I really hadn’t told too many people, not even my close friends. To relive that part and to write it down ... it was harrowing, I won't lie," Gurung said. "It really brought back so many memories and ... it’s less of an anger. It's more like the injustice of the situation. More than anything else, I just wanted to go back to that kid and like, give him a hug ... and just be like, ‘You're gonna be OK,” Gurung said, choking back tears.

Despite being teased and struggling academically, Gurung always thought he was destined for a bigger life: “I don’t know, I just had it in me. I think it was survival also a lot of times.” One bright light that kept him going was the unwavering love and support of his mother, Durga Rana. She's the hero of the book, encouraging him to follow his passions and find joy wherever possible, even though his interest in fashion and experimentation with makeup and feminine clothing was highly unconventional in Nepal at the time.