Prabal Gurung was born in Singapore and raised in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. While studying at New Delhi’s National Institute of Fashion Technology Gurung freelanced at several fashion houses and apprenticed with Manish Arora before moving to New York to intern with Donna Karan. Following further education at Parsons he worked for Cynthia Rowley before landing the position of Design Director at Bill Blass. Five years on he left to begin his eponymous label in 2009 quickly picking up the 2010 EccoDomani Fashion Fund Award and made the shortlist for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. In 2011 Gurung received the CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear.