Prabal Gurung

Prabal Gurung (born 1974) is a Nepalese American fashion designer based in New York City. He launched his own eponymous label in 2009.

Gurung is a co-founder of the House of Slay. His memoir, Walk Like a Girl, was released in May 2025.

Early life and education

Gurung was born in 1974, in Singapore to Nepali parents and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal. His mother, Durga Rana, was a former boutique owner. His older brother, Pravesh Rana Gurung, is an Indian film director, and his older sister, Kumudini Shrestha, is a teacher and social worker.

He went to a Jesuit school, St. Xavier's School in Jawalakhel. Before entering the fashion world, he earned a bachelor's degree in hotel management from the National Council of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition. He had always been interested in clothing and colors and was introduced to the world of fashion when he moved to New Delhi. There, he attended the National Institute of Fashion Technology.

In India, Gurung apprenticed for local fashion houses and started designing with Manish Arora.

For seven years, Gurung traveled to Australia and England, assisting stylists and editors with fashion shows and photo shoots. He then spent two years on the design and production team at Cynthia Rowley.

Also in 2011, Gurung was commissioned by Sephora to create new uniforms for all its beauty advisers in North America, making it the first change to the retailer's employee wear since 2001. He later worked on collections with Lane Bryant (2017), Target (2013), and MAC Cosmetics (2014).

Other activities Aside from his full-time career as a fashion designer, Gurung established the Shikshya Foundation in Nepal, a non-profit program to benefit underprivileged children. This program was created in 2012, and since then has benefited over sixty students. The Shikshya Foundation also funds workshops and orientations for teachers educating students in reading, writing, mathematics, and finance.

In addition, Gurung has supported Planned Parenthood, ACLU, voter registration, and created a relief fund for victims of the April 2015 Nepal earthquake which raised almost one million in funds.

Awards and honors In 2011, Gurung was the recipient of the Ecco Domani Fashion Fund Award and received a nomination for the 2010 CFDA/Swarovski Womenswear Award. He was also chosen by prominent fashion editors, retailers, designers and business people for the CFDA Fashion Incubator for 2010–2012. In November 2010, Gurung was runner-up for the 2010 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. He was listed as a finalist for the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award (2012), receiving the CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear (2011), winning the Drawing Award from the Creativity Center (2015).

Personal life Gurung lives in an apartment near Washington Square Park.