Voice of London

Prabal Gurung’s “Stronger in Colour” 2018 fall campaign fights for diversity with an all-Asian model cast

Prabal Gurung, a Nepalese-American fashion designer is fighting for representation of diversity when it comes to Asian models. Gurung has decided to advertise his 2018 fall collection with an ad campaign where he solely casted Asian models and a majority of Asian crew including makeup artists, photographers and stylists. The bright and bold collection of pink hues and striking prints pays a tribute to the exotic women of the Eastern world.

The “Stronger in Colour” campaign is a way of raising awareness on the lack of diversity of Asian models across the industry. Gurung is a vocal advocate for increased Asian representation in media and aims to pay homage to the diverse women of the Eastern world. He hopes to break the stereotype of the typical East Asian female that comes into most minds when thinking about Asian women.

The designer together with his art director, David Moran have searched every nook and cranny of Asia to find their talents. Models came all the way from Nepal, China and India to South Korea and Thailand. In an interview for Time’s YouTube channel in 2017, Prabal Gurung mentioned: “Everyone’s voice matters. That is a fundamental principle that I work on in everything I do.”

In 2011 the Gurung family started the Shikshya foundation Nepal which seeks to provide education to underprivileged children, challenging them to positively impact the country’s future. Gurung has told Huffington Post that he wants kids to “open a magazine or go on Instagram and be able to identify with the faces on screen or in print.”

The New York-based designer has dressed famous people such as former First Lady Michelle Obama and The Duchess of Cambridge.

Words: Vanessa Craus | Subbing: Lucija Duzel