Remembering the Life and Legacy of Thierry Mugler

Words by Helen Jorgensen, Head Writer

French fashion designer Manfred Thierry Mugler passed away on 23 January due to natural causes.

 Mugler was born in 1948 in Strasbourg, France. In his early years, he worked in theatre and was also a professional dancer. Throughout his fashion career, he carried with him his background in the theatrical arts. Instead of calling himself a ‘fashion designer’ he preferred ‘director’. He orchestrated extravagant shows for his designs.

 "I always thought that fashion was not enough on its own and that it had to be shown in its musical and theatrical environment," he once said.

 From a young age Mugler demonstrated an interest in design. He created his own clothes from items purchased at flea markets. He also studied interior design at the Strasbourg School of Decorative Arts. In an interview Mugler talks about creating designs for his first ready-to-wear-line ‘Café de Paris’, which launched in 1973, that went against the trends at the time.

“Back then, fashion was in full folklore mode. Kenzo was all the rage, so you had Peruvian influences, Indian influences and what have you. It was all very folkloric, and all I wanted to do was this very pure, Parisian silhouette: the little black suit, the trenchcoat, the black dress, the siren dress” he recalled. “I did the first nude body-conscious dress. Nobody was doing nude at that time. My first ready-to-wear line was called Café de Paris, and it was all about a very precise, streamlined silhouette, very strongly influenced by dance.”

 A year later he launched ‘Thierry Mugler’. He created for the women of his time, a generation striving for gender equality; his designs were their suit and armour. His designs were created to exaggerate and celebrate women’s bodies, featuring broad shoulders, cinch-waisted silhouettes, plunging necklines, and rounded hips. He also used unconventional materials such as latex, leather, metal, and feathers.

 His models were not just supermodels, but also drag queens. He was one of the first designer to regularly cast transgender models. Teri Toye, the first out trans model, opened a 1984 show. Other transgender models that also walked for Mugler are Connie Fleming and Roberta Close.

 Mugler’s retirement in 2002 did not mark the end of his career. In 2009 he became Beyonce’s “I am” Tour creative advisor, creating a total of 71 futuristic, fierce leotards for the singer and her back up dancers. He also created Kim Kardashian West’s infamous Met Gala look in 2019, using latex and crystals.

 Thierry Mugler will be missed by everyone. He created designs that were truly meant for women, and pushed the boundaries of the fashion industry in many ways. Who he was as a person, an ally for women and the LGBTQ+ community, merged with his role as ‘director’, creating performances that empowered those around him.