THIERRY MUGLER - The Prophet of Futurism
A Retrospective on iconoclastic visionnaire Manfred Thierry Mugler
“I’ve always been fascinated by the most beautiful animal on Earth: the human being”
Thierry Mugler by Steven Klein
On January 23rd, 2022, at the age of 73, French designer, Manfred Thierry Mugler passed away.
A legendary designer, creative director, and advisor for his namesake fashion house, Mugler leaves behind a legacy that is sure to be commemorated in history for years to come.
Mugler was famed for a theatrical, hyper-feminized, architectural, and avant-garde approach to haute couture. His innovativeness in the fashion world has been unparalleled through his usage of boundary-breaking textures and silhouettes, as well as the social issues he tackled on the runway: fighting racism, ageism, body positivity, heterosexism, and AIDS. He worked with people of all sizes and genders, at times using transgender models, drag queens, and porn stars during a period where it was not socially acceptable to do so. Despite having left the fashion designing industry decades ago, and only coming out of retirement to produce the infamous “Wet look” dress, his work has transcended time and the cycle of fashion trends. Everything that he did, he did with the purpose of creating art, even going as far as to use himself as his own canvas.
REINIER RDVA © 2021
Born in 1948 Strasbourg, France, Mugler discovered his taste for the theatrical when he took up ballet at the age of nine, by 14 he began professional training in the National Rhine opera. The passion for performance he found at this time would ultimately be spread through his career.
After leaving the ballet, Mugler went on to pursue formal education in interior design before commencing a fashion career in Paris. In 1973, he launched his first label, “Cafe de Paris” before founding his namesake brand “Thierry Mugler,” a year later.
From their inception, Mugler's pieces were surreal and sculptural, his creations accentuate and celebrate feminine form through the mixing of punk aesthetics and exaggerated 80s silhouettes, reflecting the sexuality and heat of the early 70s and 80s.
Mugler said:
“Dancing taught me a lot about posture, organization of clothes, the importance of shoulders, head carriage, leg play, and rhythm”
Mugler 1992
Mugler Show FW1995
Mugler worked hard to build his empire. Recruiting a reputable repertoire of celebrities and supermodels, including Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Grace Jones, George Michael, Cindy Crawford, Michael Jackson, and Madonna, Mugler's sometimes hour-long shows, featured hundreds of otherworldly looks and presented an air of excitement more in line with that of a music festival than a fashion show. His first show, held in Paris’ Zenith stadium in 1984, was the first public fashion show in Europe with an audience of 6000 in attendance. “No one in fashion came close to the level of theater he created,” said Mel Ottenerg, editor of Interview Magazine. His fall 1995 haute couture show has been referred to as the “Woodstock of Fashion,” with its diverse casting of models from every era, to Hollywood star-studded actresses like Tippi Hedren and a surprise performance by James Brown. The grandiosity of his shows inspired the blueprint for what fashion shows today aim to be.
Mugler 1995
Despite the success of his shows and the iconography of his pieces, Mugler’s ready-to-wear line wasn’t selling. The estimated 2 million dollar cost of his 1995 fashion show, paid for by the wildly popular perfume Angel (still one of the top five selling perfumes in the world!) Due to this, in 1997 Clarins became a majority shareholder of the house. After a few years, by 2003, Clarins announced the shutting down of the house; shortly after Mugler announced his departure from fashion.
Mugler said regarding his departure:
“Fashion is beautiful, 3-D art on a human being. But it wasn’t enough, which is why I went on to create in other ways. For me, it wasn’t the right tool anymore…”
Mugler Fall 1995
Mugler Spring 1991
In spite of his leave from his eponymous fashion house, Mugler didn’t stop creating. He went on to continue his work in the perfume industry as well as designing costumes for Cirque du Soleil. In 2009, he outfitted Beyonce’s 2009 “I Am…” world tour taking the world by storm once again, designing 58 costumes for her alone.
The costumes were ingrained in the songs themselves, summoning what Mugler discerned as the singer’s spirit: “Feminine. Free. Warrior. Fierce.” It wasn’t until 2019, that Mugler officially returned from retirement. A red carpet with a theme: “CAMP,” summoned him to stage a comeback and dress friend Kim Kardashian for the Met Gala.
The renowned “wet look” was a venerable resurgence. The piece took eight months to create and was the first design for his namesake brand in 20 years.
Manfred Thierry Mugler, although gone, will never be forgotten; his garments, an eternal pleasure to behold. Nicola Formichetti expressed it perfectly to Vogue in 2010, “ He’s been a god for successive generations in the fashion industry. He fused pop and high fashion, told a story in style, and combined fantasy with reality.”