Met Gala 2025: Prabal Gurung, the name that rules the Red Carpets, and his net worth

From Alia Bhatt’s Met Gala debut in 2023 with a gown made of over 100,000 pearls to Issa Rae’s liquid chiffon gown at the Golden globe Awards, from Denee Benton’s 2022 appearance at the Met Gala giving upcycled fashion a global stage to Tiffany Haddish tribute to her late father and her Eritrean heritage at the Emmy Awards; the one designer who has become everyone’s go to is Prabal Gurung. Ahead of the 2025 Met Gala to be held on May 5 we take a look at who is Gurung, the designer who has creative creative ripples in the fashion industry with his ground-breaking fashion.

Gurung was born in Singapore and raised in Kathmandu. He began his career in New Delhi and after spending several years traveling around the globe went to New York to study at Parsons School of Design. He spent seven years working for designing and production teams before launching his own label -Prabal Gurung in 2009.

Notable celebrities he has dressed over the years and made his presence felt

Be it the Met Gala, Emmy Awards, Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes, or the Cannes film Festival his designs rule the Red Carpet. The Nepalese- American designer has emerged as one of the most sought after global designers, often making custom, bespoke silhouettes for celebrities to wear on Red Carpets.

His clientele includes the former first lady of the United States Michelle Obama to the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton. Actors, singers, sportsperson, politicians and even Royals Prabal Gurung is the man who dresses them up with class, sophistication and élan, even brining in surprise factors to their dresses or making powerful fashion statements that become the talk of the town. He has also dressed Isha Ambani, daughter of billionaire Mukesh Ambani, Rita Ora, Quinta Brunson, Maria Sharapova, Demi Lovato, Gayle Rankin, Laufey, Siome Ashley, Gal Gadot, Kaley Cuoco, and Bollywood divas Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Deepika Padukone.

What makes his designs stand out?

It is interesting to note that Gurung’s designs are traditional yet contemporary. They are an uncommon yet elegant blend of old–world techniques and cutting-edge contemporarism, which create timeless pieces to suit every personality and every body. While Alia Bhatt’s much talked about 100,000 pearl gown was sauve, sophisticated and gentle which reflected her nature, Deepika Padukone’s 2018 Met Gala appearance by him where she wore a red thigh high slit gown with a one shoulder sculpted drama, reflected her bold, smart and fashionista personality. His ability to gauge what each of the celebrities would be able to carry makes him not just a fashion designer but an architect of personalities on fabrics.

This American-Nepalese designer also has a biography and lends to philanthropic causes

Apart from being one of the top fashion designers, Gurung also lends his support to philanthropic causes. He established the Shikshya Foundation in Nepal in 2012, a non-profit organisation that educates the underprivileged while also curating teaching classes for teachers in several subjects. His memoir ‘Walk like a Girl’ is expected to hit the shelves on May 13, 2025 through the Penguin Random House publication. The book translated Gurung’s journey and took over six years to be created.

Where does Prabal Gurung’s net worth stand today?   

Gurung is one of the most sought-after fashion designers in the contemporary global fashion scene. With a clientele ranging from the crème de-la-crème of the fashion world to politics, sports and Royal personalities, his estimated net worth is expected to stand around 85 Crores approximately and is continuously growing.