4 reasons why Thierry Mugler was a true fashion legend: the French designer dressed celebrities like Beyoncé, Cardi B and Kim Kardashian, and inspired gender-bending looks for David Bowie
- Supermodels like Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Kate Moss walked for him and today’s Bella Hadid, Irina Shayk and Kourtney Kardashian all paid respects on social media
- He died on January 23, aged 73, but his influence spans decades: music icons Diana Ross, George Michael and David Bowie wore his designs back in the day
The fashion world is mourning the loss of legendary couturier Manfred Thierry Mugler, who passed away on January 23.
“It is with deep sadness that the House of Mugler announces the passing of Mr Manfred Thierry Mugler,” announced the designer’s official Instagram account. “A visionary whose imagination as a couturier, perfumer and image-maker empowered people around the world to be bolder and dream bigger every day.”
The French icon, known for his theatrical outfits and sharp tailoring, died of natural causes at the age of 73, his agent told AFP. After the news broke, a slew of his fashion muses and celebrity friends paid tribute on social media.
Beyoncé honoured the designer with a special collage on her website showcasing his many designs for the chanteuse which she captioned, “Rest in Peace, Thierry Mugler”. The likes of Bella Hadid, Irina Shayk and Kourtney Kardashian also paid their respects on Instagram. “Thierry Mugler was a defining force in fashion. Even his archive collection today seems futuristic,” wrote actress and model Tracey Ellis Ross, who walked in his show in 1991. Here we celebrate a unique talent.
I think they need me badly. I think now it’s the money who tells the artist what to do – it’s not the artist who tells the money what to do
1. Followed his true passion
The maestro was born in 1948 in Strasbourg, France, where he was known as a talented ballet dancer with the Ballet du Rhin that he joined at the age of 14. After studying interior design at the Strasbourg School of Decorative Arts, the young Mugler moved to Paris to pursue his dream of designing clothes. In 1971, he began working for brands like Karim and Gudule.
“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but fashion took off for me very quickly in Paris, as soon as I showed my sketches,” he told Women's Wear Daily.
Deeply rooted in Parisian silhouettes, Mugler began showcasing his little black suit, the trench coat, the black dress and the siren dress that quickly became all the rage. But, when asked if he was a fashion designer, he would deny it. “I never say I’m a fashion designer. I’ve always felt like a director, and the clothes I did were a direction of the everyday,” he told Interview in 2019.
It’s true that he didn’t limit himself to only fashion design. In 1992, the multihyphenate launched his renowned fragrance Angel that Elle Magazine in 2017 said, “created an entirely new olfactory genre dubbed ‘gourmand’”. Angel went on to become one of the world’s bestselling perfumes in history.