Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Mugler gave wings to Angel, celebs – and me
I STILL remember the first time I came across the name “Mugler”. I was paging through a Vogue at the public library in my hometown of Richards Bay. It was my world. A place where I could hide between the shelves and be transported to another universe, one filled with words that took me on adventures.
The cover was frayed, so I didn’t know who it was on the cover, but it was an early 2000s edition and on the many page adverts before you got to the contents page, was the advert for Thierry Mugler’s Angel perfume.
There was Jerry Hall, sprawled over white dunes in the desert, wearing a silver evening gown, her hair perfectly coiffed, reaching for a bottle of Angel. That ad transfixed me and I started being fascinated by the world of fashion, models, designers and publications.
So when the news of Mugler’s death broke on Monday, I immediately went back to 14-yearold me, in full school uniform discovering this fabled world of fashion advertising.
When I finally arrived in university four years later, armed with internet access, I did as much Googling of Mugler as possible. The erstwhile Style.com took me down a rabbit hole of Mugler shows, while YouTube allowed me to experience the designer’s glory days, as the toast of the fashion industry in the ’90s where all the top models scrambled to be on his shows.
Like his compatriot, Jean Paul Gaultier, Mugler knew how to put on a show. His shows were filled with bold and risqué designs. He threw away the rule book and made his own, which he frequently broke. From Joan of Arc-inspired armour, to the iconic Birth of Venus-inspired garment from 1995, he marched to the beat of his own drum.
But more than anything, Mugler was an image architect. The stars knew that when they wanted to make an impact, they went to him. His designs were simply unforgettable, such that everyone knew who you were wearing the minute you stepped on to the red carpet.
His everlasting impact was felt again in the 00s when Beyoncé had him create her garments for her I am ... Sasha Fierce era in 2009. She only wore garments designed by Mugler on stage, in music videos and on tour.
At the 2019 Met Gala, Kim Kardashian stopped everyone in their tracks when she managed to get Mugler out of retirement.
At 73, Mugler had lived a full life. One filled with adventures and a contribution to fashion history that will inspire generations to come.
As Daniel Roseberry presented his latest couture collection for Schiaparelli in Paris on Monday, I couldn’t help but think how much Mugler had inspired his designs. And I know he will inspire many more for decades to come.