Prabal Gurung, Mastercard Team Up for Love Is Love Holiday Collection

BREAKFAST WITH PRABAL: Prabal Gurung came out Thursday morning to the Sunken Living Room at Spring Place in New York to spread the love. He has designed a limited edition of sweatshirts, in collaboration with Mastercard, with sayings such as “Love Is Love,” that will benefit the charity, Shikshya Foundation Nepal. Ten percent of the proceeds from the sale of the sweatshirts, which retail for $295, will go to this charity that facilitates the education of Nepalese children in need from primary school through higher education.

Some 200 sweatshirts were made, in two different styles and three colors. One of the designs says “Love Is Love,” while another has three interlocking hearts in yellow, orange and red, a take on the Mastercard logo.

“It’s a way of giving back,” said Gurung, who noted that the charity, of which he is a founding member, has helped 300 children with their education since it began six years ago and has impacted 15,000 lives. “I have a lot to be grateful for and I live my dream,” said Gurung, the 38-year-old Nepalese-American fashion designer, who is based in New York.

Sherri Haymond, executive vice president of digital partnerships at Mastercard, explained, “Fashion is a passion for many of our cardholders. We’ve greatly admired Prabal and his values of acceptance and giving back, and they’re very aligned with Mastercard’s values.” She said the limited-edition sweatshirts that will be sold on Gurung’s web site next month, is a teaser for more products to come. The sweatshirts can only be purchased using Masterpass, a digital payment solution. If there’s a lot of demand for the sweatshirts, they will look at what other opportunities make sense for the partners.

Launch Gallery: Prabal Gurung and Mastercard Team Up for Love is Love Holiday Collection

Related stories

Cartier Doubles Its Space, Becomes Largest Jeweler at Harrods

Asics Opens New York Flagship and Includes Tiger Collection

Paris Men's Week to Open One Day Earlier

Get more from WWD: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter