After beginning his design career in New Delhi, he moved to New York to finish his studies at Parsons the New School for Design. Upon graduating, Gurung spent two years with Cynthia Rowley’s design and production teams. Soon after, he was appointed design director at the iconic Bill Blass, a post he held for five years until launching his own collection, Prabal Gurung.

Gurung launched his eponymous collection in February 2009 with a philosophy encompassing modern luxury, indelible style and an astute sense of glamour. Gurung chooses to manufacture in New York City to uphold standards of quality while supporting the local community. With over 90% of the collection made in New York, Prabal Gurung is committed to sustaining domestic employment and income. The brand recognizes the importance of domestic production, particularly in respect to the quality of the finished product and helps to bring this awareness to an international audience.

A focus on quality and innovation has placed Gurung at the forefront of American fashion with designs worn by leading ladies including first lady Michelle Obama and the Duchess of Cambridge, to name a few. Notable accolades include the 2010 Ecco Domani fashion fund award, 2010 CFDA/Vogue fashion fund runner up, USA Network’s character approved award recipient in 2011, named Goodwill ambassador of Maiti Nepal, a finalist of the Cooper-Hewitt national design award, recipient of the 2011 CFDA Swarovski award for womenswear and was honored in 2015 with the inaugural creativity award from the Drawing Center. Gurung was the official 2013 designer collaborator for Target, launched a product collaboration with Mac Cosmetics in 2014, collaborated on a collection with Toms to support Shikshya Foundation Nepal in 2016, launched a capsule with Lane Bryant in February 2017 and was named the Global Creative Director of Tasaki in September 2017. In November 2019, Gurung was named the first ever honorary designer of the national portrait gallery celebration at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, and published his first coffee table book.