Thierry Mugler, French fashion icon known for sculpted designs, dies aged 73

French fashion designer Thierry Mugler poses during the presentation of his exhibition "Couturissime" at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. 2019
French fashion designer Thierry Mugler poses during the presentation of his exhibition "Couturissime" at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. 2019 Copyright MARTIN OUELLET-DIOTTE/AFP
By Euronews with agencies
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He defined haute couture over several decades, dressing up Diana Ross and Beyonce at galas, on red carpets and runways.

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French fashion designer Manfred Thierry Mugler, whose dramatic designs were worn by celebrities like Madonna, Lady Gaga and Cardi B, has died. He was 73.

He died Sunday, his official Instagram account said. “May his soul Rest In Peace,” it said in an all black post. It did not give the cause of death.

Mugler, who launched his brand in 1973, became known for his architectural style, defined by broad shoulders and a tiny waist. The use of plastic-like futuristic fabric in his sculpted clothing became a trademark.

He defined haute couture over several decades, dressing up Diana Ross and Beyonce at galas, on red carpets and runways.

Mugler, who launched a men's collection in 1978, got some headlines in 1985 thanks to Minister of Culture Jack Lang, whose "Mao collar" suit signed by the designer caused something of a scandal on the benches of the National Assembly.

The other great success of the Mugler house is undoubtedly the launch in 1992 of the first women's perfume, "Angel", in collaboration with Clarins, which entered the capital of the company before taking control of it in 1997. " Angel" will compete for first place in sales with the perennial Chanel No5.

In 2013, he created musical shows in Paris and Berlin, including "Mugler Follies" to "shake up" the art of the revue with the help of transformists and ambiguous creatures in an astonishing "tribute to all the beauties".

His designs weren’t shy about being outlandish, at times resembling robotic suits with protruding cone shapes.

CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP
A piece at Mugler's 'Couturissime' exhibition at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris on September 28, 2021CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP

The fashion world was awash with an outpouring of sympathy. Bella Hadid, an American model, said “Nonononono,” followed by an image of a sad face, while American actress January Jones responded with a heart mark, from their official Instagram accounts.

Besides clothes, Mugler created films and photographs, and was a dancer, acrobat as well as avid bodybuilder, stressing he always wanted to explore the human body as art.

“I’ve always felt like a director, and the clothes I did were a direction of the everyday,” Mugler told Interview Magazine.

Queries on his funeral arrangements were not immediately answered.

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