Shining star

A NIFT graduate becomes the toast of New York Fashion Week.

Last Saturday, on the third day of New York Fashion Week Fall 2010, a young designer generated an enormous buzz. It was only Prabal Gurung’s third collection, but fashion editors had already flagged his show as a must-see. Last June, the US issue of Harper’s Bazaar carried an article on Prabal Gurung titled Designer to Watch and as is natural, if a name sounds remotely Indian, we instantly want to know more. And when that name comes with international recognition — his debut collection at New York Fashion Week Fall ’09 had caught the discerning eye of US Bazaar’s editor in chief Glenda Bailey — everybody’s antenna (especially in fashion) is on alert.

Gurung, it turns out, is Nepalese, but he does have a strong Indian connect. A student of the National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, he had spent three years in the Capital and had a stint with Manish Arora before moving abroad and working with the quirky Cynthia Rowley, and the stately Bill Blass. His debut collection hit all the right notes last year. Shown just as the recession struck the US and fashion was going through a period of transition where logos and anything too obvious seemed passe, it was all about quality, style, and a return to the classic, without a hint of frumpy. It was both fresh and very desirable. He did this again for the Fall 2010 showing, with understated elegance. There is something very Upper East Side meets hip European Princess about his clothes. The silhouettes are lusciously wearable, cocktail dresses that beg to be paired with a pair of Harry Winston solitaries, beautifully made inside and out. Years of training show him as master of the art of detail: the right length, a perfectly placed slit, a bare shoulder.

In fashion, probably the hardest thing to get right is balance — and Gurung has, well-deservedly, become the toast of New York Fashion Week. Most designers who have an Indian connect use the country’s distinctive craftsmanship as their point of difference (read embellishment). Gurung’s skill at dressmaking and his love of delicious fabrics is his USP. After all, we come from a country where you can have a dress tailored in a matter of hours and we tend to forget that a great outfit is really first about the fabric, and then the cut. As friend and former mentor Manish Arora says, “I do not consider him an Indian designer. He has spent over 10 years abroad and he creates clothes that are made for America. They are fresh, feminine and sexy and appeal to the right kind of people.” In Gurung’s case that includes Hollywood actresses such as Demi Moore, Avatar’s Zoe Saldana, British actress Thandie Newton and celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe. I am sure his recent success will put him top of mind as far as both IMG’s Ravi Krishnan and FDCI’s Sunil Sethi are concerned. Nothing gets more attention than a designer who does well in an international fashion week. This time around, I am not complaining — I would love to see his designs up close!

[The author is Editor, Harper’s Bazaar India, part of India Today Group]