"Celebrity designer Prabal Gurung gave a talk at the Kathmandu University School of Management on the subject of branding one’s fashion line"

 “Although I’m based abroad and that was where my career took off, I’ve always been influenced by Nepali culture and traditions in my designs,” said Prabal Gurung. Gurung, a Nepali-American fashion designer was holding forth at a talk session held at the Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM) in Balkumari on Tuesday. The programme was titled ‘Branding—Prabal Gurung’, and elicited basic tips and pointers from the high-fashion guru on how to effectively brand fashion creations, and boost the local industry.

Prabal Gurung was born in Singapore and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal. But it was in New York that his career actually took off, following the end of his studies at Parsons The New School for Design. His eponymous brand—PRABAL GURUNG—was launched in 2009 and he has since dressed a range of celebrities and political figures, and his sleek, luxurious and intricate designs have earned him many awards as well.

At the KUSOM event, Gurung shared with students what it had taken for him to get to where he his today—the struggles and challenges along the way, particularly to do with the commercial aspects of the job. He also emphasised on the role a strong fashion industry could play in the country’s economy. The audience was given a chance to field questions to the designer, which he answered in his trademark candid manner.“Integrity and creativity,” Gurung stressed, deeming these the two most necessary elements in taking one’s fashion business forward. Programmes like this one, he indicated, represented a great opportunity for him to give back to his roots. “I will definitely come back to Nepal time and again to share what I can with designers here.”

source: the kathmandu post,30 Oct 2013