Prabal Gurung, Ex-Bill Blass Design Director, Launches His Own Luxury Line

[kala_dev]

Hey, have you heard? Times are hard. But with New York Fashion Week just around the corner, there are still gowns to gawk at, models to mock, and stars to stalk. While the past few New York seasons have been cast as mostly blips on the fashion radar (was the gloomy state of our union hurting the state of our hemlines?), this go-round there are some emerging designers in the neighborhood who are trying to shake things up by putting credit and creative crunches aside and giving Fashion Week a try for the first time ever. Let’s look at one.

Yesterday I caught up with Prabal Gurung, who, two weeks from now, will be launching his first namesake collection. “It’s about well-made clothes,” he said. “A reason to escape.” We were at his makeshift showroom—an on-loan studio apartment on Third Street that belongs to an editor friend. Gurung had spent the day arranging and numbering the looks for his upcoming presentation with his stylist, which seemed almost suspect considering most designers’ last-minute frenzies. “I’ve been working on this for ... a while!” he explained.
For years, Gurung has been making special-order pieces for private clients, while also designing for Cynthia Rowley, and, most recently, for Bill Blass, as design director. But launching a collection from scratch is certainly an adjustment from his previous princely purview. “I loved running around to the factories and shops, and doing everything myself,” he said. “It made me realize how much I still love doing this.” And eight years in Manhattan has left him with no shortage of industry loyalists ready to lend a hand, a show space, or a professional eye (the most priceless). “It’s been very emotional, the amount of support I’ve gotten already, without asking.”
For his fall ’09 collection, Gurung looked to the New York woman—editors, socials, and friends who are uptown and downtown all at once, always looking great. The story is about precise lines and basic colors: black, white, red, and a little beige cashmere for day. “I wanted it focused and clear-cut.” But that’s all the hints for now. Gurung’s collection will be revealed downtown at Flag Art on February 12. Bonne chance!

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I am looking forward to his collection !!!! > < very proud as a nepalese
article taken from: (Vanity fair )

 

[FELNWER]

who can one contact for an invite to the show??

 

[Anjo]

Give me pictures or don't bother!!
Lol. Bonne chance is right, le petit createur..

 

[lucy92]

This could well be the worst time in decades to be launching a new line of high-end clothing – but that isn’t stopping former Bill Blass design director Prabal Gurung from trying.

Mr. Gurung, who spent almost five years at Bill Blass before then-parent company NexCen Brands Inc. shuttered the label’s high-end division in December, is launching his own line of designer apparel and will be showing his first collection Feb. 12 at the FLAG Art Foundation gallery space in Chelsea. While Mr. Gurung says he isn’t going after the Bill Blass customer, the designer’s description of his target audience sounds awfully familiar:
“There’s not a contemporary feel to it—these are investment pieces: beautiful cashmere coats, amazingly well-made dresses that are going to last you forever,” Mr. Gurung says. Retail prices for blouses will start at $400 and dresses will retail for $900 to $4,000, he says, adding, “I’m going after the lady who wants to look beautiful and wear her clothes rather than have her clothes wearing her.”
Mr. Gurung says his strategy for debuting a new line during a recession is to keep things small—his self-funded first collection will feature only 20 looks, about half the number that many designers show per season. And while he is hoping for high-end stores to pick up the line, he says he’s hoping to keep distribution small at the beginning, selling to a few select stores and fashion-forward retailers like Net-a-Porter or Manhattan boutique Kirna Zabete. And, of course, Mr. Gurung is hoping to attract investors.
“Controlled distribution is my mantra—I’m in no rush to be the next big thing,” says Mr. Gurung, who designed for Cynthia Rowley before joining Blass. While at Blass, he filled in as chief designer of the Spring 2008 collection before Peter Som took over as creative director. (Peacock International Holdings, the New York shirt and tie manufacturer that in December purchased the worldwide rights to the Blass name and about 20 of its license businesses for $10 million, hopes to revive the high-end line by the end of the year. Mr. Gurung says he has not been contacted by Peacock about designing the line and is instead focused on launching his own label.)
For his first collection, Mr. Gurung says he’s targeting wealthy women who don’t mind paying more for items that are made with expensive fabrics or have unusual design details. Fabrics he’s currently using include super-soft Italian double-faced cashmere and a type of satin that has woven-in horse hair, he says.
“The rich are still spending a lot,” he says, noting that his years at Blass taught him about catering to this crowd. “At Bill Blass, I learned the way clothes are supposed to be made—there are no shortcuts. Just well-made, well-finished clothes. That’s the kind of approach I’m taking– it’s not about being trendy.”
[FONT=&quot]Source and image of the fall collection from WSJ[/FONT]

 

[javs52]

i met him many a times, i think he will do good...but will take some time

 

[TraiT]

I thought it's really something heartwarming from the gloom we're facing in the industry now. He has all my support

 

[iPosh]

As a Nepali myself, I am so proud of him

He definetly has my support.