From a very early age, inspired by German mythology, Manfred Thierry Mugler went on a quest for perfection. Born in Strasbourg on December 21^st, 1948, his body language led him to become a ballet dancer and join the Ballets du Rhin at age 14 and attend Strasbourg Decorative Arts School with the firm intention to become an architect. After a stint in London as a jewelry designer, Thierry Mugler settled in Paris at 21. He showed his first collection, Café de Paris, in 1973. His clothes – a tribute to Balenciaga and Dior – were an antithesis to the hippy ethnic trends in Paris at the time, where Kenzo was all the rage.

 

During that time, he came best friends with another perfectionist, Azeddine Alaïa, sharing his obsession with an ultra glamourized body. In 1978, he dressed the waiters at the Palace and opened his first boutique designed by Andrée Putman, on Place des Victoires. Thierry could only achieve a successful collection if there was a theatrical show at the end, hence his obsession with the stage transpiring each time. He also became a photographer thus controlling his own image and communication after Helmut Newton reluctantly gave up on his first advertising campaign.

 

 

 

With Jerry Hall as his ultimate muse and the arrival of the executive women, he restlessly worked on a hyper sexualized body, reaching his pinnacle in the nineties with the launch of Angel – the first gourmand fragrance – and by joining the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. After giving up on fashion, he carried on working with celebrities and upon himself, becoming his own creation. At many points of his life, Thierry Mugler was there at the right time, a shooting star…

 

 

Manfred Thierry Mugler : December 21, 1948, - January 23, 2022  R.I.P.

 

Queerguru’s Paris Correspondent  Richard Gilles is slightly past his prime, but still vivacious true Parisian spirit. He has worked as a journalist in the spheres of the arts and luxury for the last few decades and is now the happy correspondent for QueerGuru in the City of Lights.

Plus Many thanks to Yves Martinez @Falke