Prabal Gurung: CEO, Creative Director of Prabal Gurung, Author

The Stories – “The first dress that I ever draped was the dress that got on the cover of Women's Wear Daily, for my first collection. That was life changing. It was a dress that Zoe Saldaña wore. It was also the version of a dress that I made for Oprah for her magazine cover. The dress that Michelle Obama wore to a White House Correspondents' Dinner changed my trajectory.”

The Backstory – "It was at Bill Blass that I did my Phd; my Masters." “I grew up in a household where we could talk about fashion, love, music, dance – everything – at the dinner table. Nothing was off limits. And when I came to America, especially in the fashion world, when I would ask questions, people would say, ‘No, I don’t want to talk about that.’ I was shocked.” “You have to figure out what is happening around you, and survive it. In order for me to survive and really live my dreams, I had to be my own cheerleader. I allowed myself to feel things, but then also to move on.”

Wisdom Rains –  “'Too much' and 'too little' are words that have been hurled at me ever since I was little and I've learned to brush it off.” “I've learned that you can't please everyone, all of the time.” “If you’re living your life as part of a marginalized group, you’re in constant fight-or-flight mode and you don’t even realize it. Then that gets amplified with what’s happening politically, culturally.” “In watching my mother I realized that elegance isn’t a posture; it’s a practice.” “Early on, I learned that I was never going to get any validation, I was seen as a ‘cautionary tale’; and what that did was, it freed me from ever needing any.” “I think it’s very important for all of us to live in the world exploring what we want to do in life, and having that encompass joy, purpose, and impact.”

On Inspo – “My mother is my blueprint for strength.”

On Writing His Memoir – “Editing down was really challenging. I made sure that it was done with grace. This is not a salacious, take-down book. That's not my being. I wanted to tell a story. While writing, it was really challenging to relive things. But it was also cathartic.”

On The Fashion Industry – "What I love about the fashion industry, which often doesn't get shared, is the camaraderie that we have. There's a genuine sense of support and understanding amongst all the creatives and entrepreneurs. It's not easy. It might look fabulous and wonderful, but the hard work is real hard work. I always say five percent of it is glamour, the rest is sheer hard work.”

On Anna Wintour – “I know she can be polarizing, but the industry is better because of her.”

On Cynthia Rowley – “She had an independent brand and she worked really hard. What I really loved about her, and I'm inspired by her constantly, is that even in the hardest times she was always joyful. She was always optimistic.”

What Else – “Towards that time, we started the foundation and that’s where I would say everything shifted for me. We started with twelve girls, and we’ve gone to more than three hundred children. These are streetworker’s children; inmates’ children; these are children who have no access to education and a livelihood”

Obsixed – A collection of Prabal’s current lifestyle obsessions.

Discover more + Shop The Podcast:

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