Donald Trump needs a makeover, would like to give him a haircut: Prabal Gurung

A quick shoulder shimmy is New York-based fashion designer Prabal Gurung’s secret mantra to taking the stress out of situations.

Prabal Gurung drapes a mean dress— ask First Lady of the US, Michelle Obama, the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, or Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone closer home. But there are days when even fashion’s hottest star can lose his mojo. On such days, the Nepalese-American designer finds comfort in his phone screen.

“Visualise. Manifest. Greatness. Positivity. Grace Under Pressure. Just Wiggle,” he reads out as he unlocks his phone to show us the words — his life mantras — he strongly believes in.


Gurung finds ​Michelle Obama ​to be ​utterly dynamic. (Image: Facebook)

In Mumbai, to launch his latest line at a concept store, Le Mill, he eagerly explains the last bit. “A friend of mine once told me that if you just wiggle your shoulders, there is nothing serious about it. So, if you are stuck in traffic or some other serious situation, just wiggle and it will pass,” says Gurung, with a quick shoulder shimmy.

From growing up in Nepal and working with Manish Arora in Delhi to becoming one of the most popular designers in the US, the prestigious Parson School of Design graduate is deathly serious about the business of looking chic.


Gurung has dressed many Bollywood celebrities including Deepika Padukone. (Image: PTI)

As conversation veers to the First Lady, Gurung lights up. Talking about his equation with her, he says, “For me, she has been a game changer and she has been nothing but supportive. Before — she was defined by who she was married to, but she’s really come into her own beautifully. I find her utterly dynamic and she is definitely a very popular political persona right now.”

The first time he dressed Obama —and shot to fame overnight — is a memory that Gurung holds dear. “I was so excited, I called my mom in Nepal to share the news with her. And she said something very important to me. She said, ‘I’m happy for you, but remember— the euphoria of success is going to be met by the depression of failure. So, if you are this happy, you are going to be this sad when things don’t go your way’. This insight really helped me to be self-aware,” he says.

An inside-outside makeover for Trump


The fashion designer thinks that Donald Trump needs a makeover. (Image: Agencies)

Gurung has dressed celebrities like Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Kate Middleton and Zoe Saldana among others, but ask him who he would like to walk the red carpet with and he picks Hillary Clinton. “Because she is going to be the most important woman to go down in history,” he says. And who, according to him, needs a makeover? “Donald Trump,” he responds, adding, “Starting from the inside. On the outside, maybe I’d give him a haircut.”