With much happening behind the scenes and many people moving at once in preparation for Prabal Gurung’s Spring/Summer 2027 show, you might expect absolute chaos. Instead, everyone seemed to be exactly where they needed to be – working toward the same moment.
Photographers like Luis Ruiz captured striking models dressed in green, red, and black against stark white walls; make-up artists patted and blended eyeshadow and blush, and stylists inserted padding into black, slingback stiletto pumps.
Each person played a different role. Yet, together, they moved like an orchestra producing one sound.
“I love these behind-the-scenes moments. It captures what people don’t see,” content creator Kimi Mitchell said.
There was a rhythm moving through the entire team. Hair was being styled while garments were being finished; models were being prepared, and countless other details were being checked. Separate operations unfolded simultaneously, but everything was building toward one shared moment: the runway.
The collaboration was physical, immediate, and all hands on deck. It was beautiful to watch teams work side by side, cultivating a spirit of togetherness through even the smallest details.
At one moment, one person held a bottle of hairspray while another held a brush as a hairstylist carefully adjusted a model’s hair, ensuring every strand fell into place. Elsewhere, a dressmaker added finishing touches to the seams of a long, flowing red dress while two couturiers held the garment in place.
These moments revealed just how many hands, skills, and acts of support are required to bring a singular creative vision to the runway. When speaking with Gurung himself, he reflected on that collective effort and the people responsible for bringing his vision to life.
Audiences often see only the final collection or show. What should they understand about the people and process behind bringing your brand’s vision to life?
I have the immense privilege of walking out at the end by myself, but it takes a village to make this dream come true. It’s relentless hard work, vision, and passion, and it’s not just mine. This is a team. Every person plays a part in bringing that dream to life.
What happens behind the scenes that you think says something meaningful about who this brand is and what it stands for?
What I really pride myself on is creating a sense of calm and serenity. I try to impart that to my team, and you can feel it throughout the entire production. Even within the intensity of putting on a show, that sense of calm is part of who we are.
Fashion is deeply collaborative. How does your role help shape the world and experience this brand creates for its audience?
At the end of the day, I’m a storyteller. I tell my stories through clothes and models, and they bring those stories to life. My hope is that within those stories, people can find themselves and feel seen. That’s my job.
What detail within this collection tells a larger story about your brand that audiences might not immediately see?
The clothes I create are very sensual, but they allow a woman to inhabit herself and her body rather than allowing the clothes to inhabit her. The woman is always at the center.
As this brand moves forward, what do you hope people feel, understand, or connect with more deeply after experiencing your collection?
On a design level, I want these clothes to make you feel beautiful. But on a more spiritual level, I hope they remind us that we are all the same and not that different from one another. The sun may rise in the East, but its light reaches everywhere.
Behind the Seams is an editorial series that takes audiences beyond the runway during New York Fashion Week to explore the people, process, emotion, craftsmanship, and labor behind brands. While traditional Fashion Week coverage often centers on the final product – the runway, presentation, clothes, and imagery – Behind the Seams tells the story of what it takes to get there.
Each feature steps inside a designer’s world, giving visibility to the people whose work is essential to bringing a creative vision to life, from studio and production teams to stylists, casting directors, makeup artists, hairstylists, and coordinators. By connecting the clothes audiences ultimately see with the people, decisions, skills, and stories behind them, Behind the Seams creates a more human understanding of each brand and a deeper connection to the designers and their work.
