Gurung was born in Singapore and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was in New Delhi, India that his design career truly began. While studying at New Delhi's National Institute of Fashion Technology, Gurung freelanced at several fashion houses and apprenticed with Manish Arora. His travels took him to Melbourne and London, where he assisted stylists for various fashion shows, and editorials at international publications. In 1999, he began his career in New York interning for Donna Karan while attending Parsons School of Design. After Parsons, Gurung worked with Cynthia Rowley's design and production team, and then spent five years at the iconic Bill Blass. Gurung left his post at Blass to launch his own collection, PRABAL GURUNG. A focus on quality and innovation has placed Gurung at the forefront of emerging American fashion with designs worn by leading ladies including First Lady Michelle Obama, Demi Moore, and Zoe Saldana, to name a few. In 2010 he was the recipient of the Ecco Domani Fashion Fund Award and was selected as runner up for the 2010 CFDA / Vogue Fashion Fund. In 2011 Gurung was named goodwill ambassador of Maiti Nepal and was awarded the 2011 CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear. - Courtesy of PRABAL GURUNG