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.

- Ananya Ghosh

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.

But Prabal Gurung, when you meet him, exhibits no such symptoms. Instead, the 37-year old designer from Nepal, who graduated from Delhi’s National Institute of Fashion Technology before moving to New York and the Parsons School of Design in 1999, is as proud of his achievements in his profession as anyone who’s worked his way to the top has the right to be.

“Dressing the Duchess of Cambridge, Michelle Obama and OPRAH (Winfrey, media’s biggest star) were my biggest achievements,” he says. “I have always had immense respect for these three ladies. There are certain things you can wish to happen but can never plan. I believe the universe has its own way of rewarding you when you are honest and authentic. I made the clothes and they responded to them. And I am glad they did!”

LOOKING SMART

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.’