It was a farewell as vibrant and loving as Premal Patel himself. More than 500 guests gathered – fashion leaders, business figures, and members of Sydney’s Indian diaspora, alongside family and friends who had travelled from across the world.
The funeral blended comfort and celebration: music and memories, heartfelt tributes, shared food, and white doves released into the sky. The only thing missing was Premal – present everywhere in spirit, yet absent from the room.
This moment marked a fitting tribute to Premal Patel, a trailblazing fashion designer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.
With fearless creativity and sharp business instinct, the 47-year-old built a portfolio of influential brands, including Runaway The Label, Runaway Mens, Seven Wonders The Label, and Vacanza Resort. Under his leadership, these labels combined design excellence with strategic growth, pioneering breakthroughs in production, marketing, and e-commerce.
From women’s wear to menswear, his designs attracted influencers and fashion followers drawn to an expressive and chic aesthetic – one that quietly led rather than followed. Premal often credited his bold use of colour and celebration of the human form to early inspiration from his mother and his passion for reinterpreting cultural identity.
His style provoked confidence, and his brands remain relevant across generations and continents. Beyond design, he built a resilient global business underpinned by the talented design teams he nurtured and strong management systems he embedded. Today, the company employs 80 staff in Sydney, has recently launched a US warehouse and logistics centre in Texas, and is positioned for enduring success.
Premal’s legacy extends far beyond his own business. By blending artistry with enterprise, he helped position Australian fashion on the global stage while creating new opportunities for local talent. His success story reflects the dynamism of Australia’s increasingly diverse economy, where innovators from multicultural backgrounds are shaping industries and driving international expansion.
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As a proud Indian-origin entrepreneur, whose grandparents migrated to Australia in 1969, Premal broke the mould of traditional expectations within his community, forging a remarkable career on his own terms. Starting on the shop floor in retail sales and studying design – he gained a Bachelor of Design degree from the Whitehouse Institute of Design, Australia (Sydney campus) – his early work with the iconic British brand Lonsdale was but the start of a stellar career. He launched his first brand in his early twenties.
Premal’s achievements resonate strongly with the Indian diaspora, now Australia’s fastest-growing migrant community, with almost one million Indian-born residents as of June 2024 (Australian Bureau of Statistics). Premal stands as a powerful example of how cultural diversity enriches Australia’s business landscape.
Beyond his business achievements, Premal was deeply committed to philanthropy. His initiatives in Australia, Nepal, Bali, Cambodia and Uganda uplifted lives and livelihoods in underprivileged communities and among vulnerable women, providing education, employment, and empowerment.
This dual legacy of commercial success and social impact underscores his role as a model for purpose-driven entrepreneurship.
Premal Patel: A shining light for his family
Prem was vibrant, generous, and gifted with a rare ability to make others feel special. He was my cousin and best friend – a brother. We grew up encouraging each other to explore the world, challenge ourselves, stretch boundaries, and break down barriers.
Those at the farewell heard rare insights into how a ‘skinny little Indian kid’ journeyed through self-acceptance, self-belief and self-determination as a second-generation migrant. He was unreservedly generous, determined, proud, ambitious and intensely loving. His persona was larger than life; he was fiercely adored by his enormous family, his partner, his friends and his colleagues.
My own tribute to Prem at his farewell was musical, as he would have liked. I picked, among others, the bhajan Premal Jyoti – a Gujarati version of Lead, Kindly Light, originally written by John Henry Newman and later chosen by Mahatma Gandhi as a central prayer at his ashram.
The farewell song Together Again by Janet Jackson (one of Prem’s favourites) was delivered by preeminent Australian vocalist Jacinta Gulisano.
Prem’s vision and generosity will continue to inspire the fashion industry, young Australians, and the broader business community across cultures and continents.
