BORN IN Singapore, the Nepalese-American designer, Prabal Gurung, moved to New York City 20 years ago, the same city where he would later launch his eponymous fashion label in 2009. Marking the designer’s tenth year on the runway, this season Gurung asks his audience, Who gets to be American? In light of growing political and social tensions, Prabal Gurung’s SS20 collection is one encapsulating hope, courage and nostalgia for the American dream, and as well, a redefinition of what it means to be apart of a country with so many diverse faces and identities.
References to sartorial Americana style is present – midnight blue denim trousers and jackets are juxtaposed by white poplin shirts with sweetheart necklines, red, white and blue dyed cashmere knits are matched with watercolour red rose prints, dresses are patch-worked with hand-stitched repurposed lace and sequins.
Blooming flowers create both a symbolic and literal reference, printed on patterned fabrics and as physical objects held by the models, the soft pastels of the bouquets create a subtle sense of rebirth and regeneration which runs throughout the collection.
Made locally and sustainably in New York, the collection is celebratory of both nation and craftsmanship. By reimagining classic American glamour, Prabal Gurung urges us to remember the America of the past as a vision for the future, a nation that takes ownership for its historical legacy and its responsibility as a multicultural society.
by Mirabella Shahidullah