Our Reaction to Prabal Gurung Calling For More Inclusivity in Fashion: Hell F*cking Yes

"Ever since I started my business, my brand, it’s been about visible representation. Fashion is a visual medium, and it was in recent times, with digital platforms like Twitter and Instagram, that visual voices became part of that conversation. I’ve always championed women in the position of power on the runway [and had] representation of different kinds of models, whether it's age, size, race, ethnicity, and gender. [In addition], the inspiration behind most of my collections is the protagonist is always a woman, whether she’s in love or wants to make a change."

"When I made the decision, it took me a couple of weeks to really [think it] through. I’m the type to sit on the idea before I share it with everyone. I could not come up with any reason to not do it. The only reason would be from fear, the fear of what people would say or the fear of 'am I going to be ostracized?' But fear is also one of the biggest motivating factors for me. [The idea] became extremely important to me as a person and to my brand, [for] a luxury brand to have a soul. A soul to me is the ability to say to someone, 'I see you, I hear you, you matter to me, we’re all in it together.'"

"It’s a woman-led story. It’s a real story, and it’s a place that inspired me a long time back. I’ve been wanting to do this collection for the past four, five years and it’s finally coming to fruition."

"If there’s anything exciting about fashion, it’s about defining what is right for you and who you are as a brand. As designers, I think we have to be held accountable [today] for creating a runway in how we see the world. Is [the runway] inclusive of race, gender, size, age? The whole idea of a 16-year-old model, white girl, tall, blonde, size 0, is so archaic and one of the most excruciatingly boring ideas of beauty. I always say beauty is stronger in color. That’s the world I see, and that’s the world we should be living in, especially now. It’s important for us creative folks, including the media, to have these conversations and hold one another accountable [for our actions]. I think confrontation, conversation, and discussion leads to evolution.”

"I always say this, as a man and as a designer, I want to provide the clothes. How they term it, I leave it up to the women. If there is anywhere we can go wrong, it's making a decision for a group of people without talking to them. Have a conversation with the group of women you want to dress, see if they want to reclaim [that word], how they want to phrase it. To be completely honest, for me, it is a democratic sizing. What interests me is the essence of who she is, not how she looks."

"For me, I know when these women are going into a room, [there are] racks filled with clothes. They have so many other designers to pick from, and the fact they chose me is a miracle. Every dress people have worn has had a significant impact on me and the brand. I like it when I see strong, powerful women who are just wearing [the dress] because they understand the ethos and philosophy of who I am and the brand."

"There is always going to be authentic and inauthentic messaging. It’s up to the consumer whether or not [to buy it]. Now more than ever, it’s not the designers or brands that have the power, it’s the consumers. I think the due diligence lies in the customers to make sure and check 'what is this brand really standing for?' For me, I don’t do anything that feels inauthentic because at the end of the day, I have to go to bed with myself. I have to sleep with my soul and have to be answerable to myself. If there is one positive aspect out of all of this, it's the fact that the conversation is moving forward. It feels good to say, to at least believe, that the moral compass of the world is moving to its good."

"One thing is to do a digital detox, and the second is surround yourself with people that can share stories that you’ve never heard of. I have a foundation back home in Nepal, which I started with 12 girls and now it’s gone to more than 300 children, mainly girls. We do their education and everything. I realized that I was fortunate enough to have all these privileges, [and] if you focus your problems by trying to solve someone else’s, it gets better. My foundation has saved me and continues to inspire me. I always say you have to be aware, awake, and present of what’s happening so nothing bypasses you.

[In terms of fashion] what fashion can truly do is to make the world more inclusive. What designers can do is, on the runway, make it more visibly inclusive. Race, size, age, everything. It doesn’t take anything out of us. It’s just casting different models. I call to action and challenge all designers across the world to start thinking like that. We are such leaders of what beauty is supposed to look like, when we make that change, the world will shift, and the world’s perception of beauty will shift."