Posted by: grgDai April 2, 2010
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| For its monthly interaction, Entrepreneurs for Nepal invited New York based young Nepali designer Prabal Gurung as their main speaker. Clad in well-fitted white shirt and dark denims parlayed with hi-top sneakers, Prabal looked all sleek at the event held on April 1 at hotel Dwarika’s in Battisputali, Kathmandu. Prabal Gurung runs his namesake luxury clothing line in New York and was recently nominated for the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) -- the Oscars of the fashion industry – in the Swarovski Womenswear Award category. He has added, to the long list of admirers, the First Lady of the United States of America Michelle Obama earlier this month who donned one of his Spring 2010 collection’s designs for the donation of her inaugural gown to the Smithsonian Museum’s First Ladies Collection. Crediting the success that he has achieved so far to his family, Prabal talked about his fashion journey from the doodling at St Xavier’s School to working for Manish Arora in Bollywood and later as creative designer at Bill Blass in New York. “The person that I’m today is all due to my family, especially my mom, who believed in being different, celebrating each other’s differences and not following the norm,” he said adding that he was not a brilliant student and was often lost in his own world. “Education is extremely important but prescribed education was getting very stagnant for me,” he candidly said of his schooling days in Nepal. But, he immediately added, looking at his niece seated at the front row, “But, it’s important to study for you guys.”  He also highlighted the need for integrity and passion to achieve one’s dream and find that niche of audience for your product. “If I can find a small audience that respond to what I am doing, my job is well done. If you try to please everyone, you will please no one, including yourself,” Prabal said of his early days. Prabal said he decided to leave for New York and try his luck after watching the Oprah show. “Living your dreams struck a chord with me. I wanted to give it a shot. I wanted to live in New York. Even if I made a mistake, I would rather live with that mistake than regret that I never gave it a shot,” Prabal said. Oprah wore one of his dresses for the cover of her O magazine in 2009. A self-proclaimed die-hard party person, Prabal said, “As hardworking as I may be, I also love to party. It’s absolutely necessary to enjoy life, enjoy success. Party gardaima bigriney hudaina.” At the interaction, Prabal also shared his not-so-good experience of ordering knitwear for his Spring collection (at the New York Fashion Week) from Nepal. “The level of efficiency is still to be desired,” he said. According to him, he had a tough time because the delivery was not made on time. If working conditions were better, Nepal is a possibility for his production, he opined. “Nepal has problems like traffic, power-cuts and pollution. Stating the obvious is the most boring thing, the issue is what are we doing individually to bring change?” he asked. Prabal said his inspirations are drawn from every walk of life and “not always the prescribed way or from books.” He informed the gathering that he was coming up with different fashion products such as handbags and accessories. He also announced that he was starting philanthropy with a project on education with his siblings.  The serious interaction was punctuated with witty inputs every now and then. His story was followed by a tête-à-tête with the audience where participants asked him about his fashion line and life in New York. Answering a question regarding using ethnic fabrics, Prabal said he did not focus on ethnic fashion because he wanted to be an international designer and not just a Nepali designer. “I wanted to be a designer from Nepal, not a Nepali designer because (Nepal) is such a small market,” he said and added that the Nepali youth should think beyond Nepal. Answering another question about why he opted for designing rather than modeling, he said as a designer you control everything, but as a model, you just walk. And he did not want to just walk. Prabal credited his success to his roots and said the reason that he was being able to stand out in a competitive city like New York was because of where he came from. He said Nepal has always remained a topic of priority during his interviews. “Every time I am given a platform whether it’s the New York Times or Vogue, I make sure Nepal is mentioned. I am extremely proud of my heritage, where I am from,” the designer in his 30s said. The designer opined that he has only just started and “has miles to go before he sleeps. If success gets to your head, you might as well leave it,” Prabal said. Entrepreneurs for Nepal is a network of over 2500 young professionals and entrepreneurs and meets every last Thursday of the month to share experiences and network. | ||
Last edited: 02-Apr-10 07:18 AM