Back in July, ahead of the release of "Crazy Rich Asians,"
Prabal Gurung talked about
how important Asian representation is in the media — especially in fashion.
"I would like fashion to also be conscious about the power that we have, the visual power of changing the world,"
he told Fashionista. "For centuries, we've made women feel bad by telling them if you don't buy this product, you're not worthy. I'm a firm believer that we have the power to make them feel better.
Every group, every minority — women, transgender [people], Asian, Black, Latino — everyone by saying, 'You're part of our conversation.'"
Now Gurung is putting his money where his mouth is. For his
Fall 2018 digital campaign, the Nepalese designer tapped an all-Asian cast and majority Asian crew to further his messaging of the world being "Stronger in Color."
"Given our current political and social climate, I believe that strong visual representation for minority groups is more important than ever," says Gurung in a statement. "For as long as I can remember, I've believed minorities need a seat at the table to be seen, heard and counted. While our industry is making some progress with the way we cast our campaigns and shows, it is equally important that our behind the scenes teams be represented as well, an idea that is often forgotten."
"Our Fall collection was inspired by the strong, vigilant and graceful women I was raised by back home in Nepal, and was an ode to the women of the Eastern world," he continues. "Therefore, we wanted to dedicate our Fall campaign to casting talent that represents this part of the world."
With that in mind, Gurung worked with art director David Moran — who, the designer notes, has been a huge ally for his messaging — on the shoot, which stars models Varsha Thapa (Nepal), He Cong (China), Diya Prabhakar (India and Singapore), Hyun Ji Shin (South Korea) and Kanta (Thailand). South Korean and American photographer duo Jin and Dana shot the campaign; Gurung also brought on stylist Aeri Yun (South Korea), hair stylist Deepti Sadhwani (India) and makeup artist Sandy Nicha (Thailand) to round out the team.
