Prabal Gurung Pre-Fall/Fall 2021

There’s poetry in Prabal Gurung’s fall collection. A celebration of the designer’s love for his New York. Poetry, according to Gurung’s eye, is everywhere; it’s in the sound of taxis, in the New Yorkers’ frenetic walk along the streets, in the smell of coffee in the morning.

The collection is a material manifestation of his devotion to New York, and never as in this period the city needs such attention. The inspiration for the collection comes during the darkest period of the pandemic, when in summer, Gurung bought a rose from a florist at the corner and begins to reflect on its beauty, too often taken for granted. From here, began a broader reflection on the aesthetic and moral aspects of the flower, able to beautify the urban landscape in the most singular and unexpected of ways.

The designer considered the latest tumultuous events that marked the streets of the city, Black Lives Matter‘s protests, the march of Brooklyn for the liberation of the trans lives, drag performers at Sheridan Square. Moments of being that do not receive the attention they deserve quite often. 

Stricken by the extreme suffering of the Asian community caused by the impact of the pandemic, Gurung returned to his roots. The designer has considered colors as a tool to send a message of resilience, hope and authenticity.

In India and Nepal, red and pink represent an auspicious beginning, so it is not surprising to see such colors in almost all the pieces of the collection. Plasticity is what comes to mind when watching the models wearing the clothes; they follow the movement and adapt to the body by liberating the forms. There are evening dresses, elegant, refined, but with a rebellious spirit, unhinged by a single gender or situation in which to wear them. Noteworthy are the feathered balloon minidress and the long pink satin dress, the polka dot patterns, and the balloon sleeved shirts.

The collection is a symbol of resistance and rebirth. Through the plurality of colors and exuberance of forms, Prabal Gurung invites you to stand up and proceed head-on against adversity, united even if physically distant.