Iconic French Designer Thierry Mugler Dead At 73

Famous French designer Thierry Mugler died aged 73.

A statement on his official Facebook account that confirmed Mugler’s death read “We are devastated to announce the passing of Mr Manfred Thierry Mugler on Sunday, January 23rd 2022.”

Mugler was known for his iconic looks with broad shoulders and sharp tailoring inspired by 1940s and 50s glamour.

A tribute posted on his Instagram page described Mugler as “a visionary whose imagination… empowered people around the world to be bolder and dream bigger every day.”

However, Mugler withdrew from fashion in the early 2000s, his designs were worn by an endless list of famous personalities.  Mugler chose to create one-off pieces for Lady Gaga and dressed  David Bowie for his wedding to Iman, Rihanna and Sharon Stone. Mugler created many stage costumes for Beyoncé and worked as the creative advisor on Beyoncé’s I AM… World Tour in 2010. In 2019 he created the famous Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala look “wet dress”.

Beyonce has sent honoured the late designer on her page with the caption: “Rest in Peace, Thierry Mugler.”

Mugler brand branched to other scenes and became famous for perfumes, such as Angel and Alien.

Born Manfred Thierry Mugler in 1948 in Strasbourg, France, he was a talented performer and by the age of 14 was a dancer with the Ballet du Rhin. He was also an acrobat and fashion model.

Pushed by the desire to make his own clothes, Mugler opened his first boutique in Paris during the 1970s.

“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 recently said in an interview.

Mugler became known for his theatrical designs that over accentuated features such as hips and shoulders, with plunging necklines and constricted waists.

Mugler sold the rights to his name to Clarins in 1997, several years after launching his perfume Angel, with the brand.

Mugler’s agent told AFP that he had been planning to announce new collaborations this week.

People from the fashion world have paid tribute to Mugler on social media since his death was announced.

Fashion designer Brian Atwood said he was a “constant inspiration”.

Actress and model Irina Shayk posted pictures of herself with Mugler in a tribute posted on Instagram, writing: “Gone too soon… you’ll always be missed.”

The Instagram post confirming Mugler’s death drew in tributes from stars such as Brigitte Nielsen, who commented: “Such an icon. Unbelievably sad.”

Models Bella Hadid, Winnie Harlow and Heidi Klum joined Neilsen in paying tribute by leaving comments on the post.

Sex And The City star Kristin Davis wrote that it had been “another horrible loss” of “visionary Thierry Mugler”, while actress Vanessa Hudgens added: “No one did it like he did.”

Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross described Mugler as a “defining force in fashion… even his archive collection today seems futuristic.”

Kourtney Kardashian, meanwhile, posted a picture on her Instagram story of her famous family all dressed in Mugler’s designs.