Fashion designer Thierry Mugler dies aged 73

MANILA, Philippines — Legendary French fashion designer Thierry Mugler died yesterday of "natural causes," according to his agent Jean-Baptiste Rougeot. He was 73.

In a post by the designer's official Facebook page, it was announced, "We are devastated to announce the passing of Mr Manfred Thierry Mugler on Sunday January 23rd 2022. May his soul Rest In Peace."

The post simply came with a black photo and a French translation of the announcement.

Mugler's last post prior to this was a birthday greeting for supermodel Kate Moss, who turned 48 last January 16.

Describing himself in Facebook as a "director, show conceptor, perfume creator, costume designer and photographer," Mugler was born in Strasbourg, France on December 21, 1948. He had a formal training in interior design from the Strasbourg School of Decorative Arts.

In his early 20s in the '70s, he began designing clothes and already showing his signature broad-shouldered, '40s-inspired looks. By 24, he moved to Paris to design clothes for Parisian boutique Gudule. At 26, he was a freelance designer for many ready-to-wear fashion houses in Paris, London, Milan and Barcelona.

In 1973, he created his first collection, "Café de Paris," which made him gain the attention of powerful fashion editor Melka Tréanton, who helped launch his career. The next year, he founded his own namesake brand. In 1978, he opened his first Paris boutique that gained attention for his sci-fi themes and exaggerated '40s to '50s glamour marked by sharp tailoring. 

In the '80s to '90s, Mugler became an internationally renowned designer and became famous for iconic looks such as the black dress Demi Moore wore in the 1993 movie "Indecent Proposal," Cirque du Soleil's "Extravaganza" costumes in 2002, Beyoncé's "I Am... World Tour" costumes in 2009 and Kim Kardashian's "wet couture dress" for the 2019 Met Gala.

As a director, among his achievements were directing George Michael's "Too Funky" video in 1992, the first ad film for one of his fragrances, "Alien," and "Extravaganza," one of the scenes of Cirque du Soleil's "Zumanity."

Mugler retired as a fashion designer in 2002, but continued to create costumes for special projects under the name "House of Mugler."

A showman at heart, he organized spectacular public presentations of his creations, and was also celebrated for his "Angel" scent.

Since 1997, Clarins has had rights to use the name "Thierry Mugler" for perfumes, cosmetics and personal care products.

In September 2010, Japan-born Nicola Formichetti was announced as the Creative Director of the Thierry Mugler brand, which Formichetti later rebranded to MUGLER, removing the first name. Formichetti later left MUGLER to move to Italian brand Diesel.

In December 2013, House of Mugler named David Koma as its new artistic director.

Mugler's daring collections came to define the decade's power dressing, with his clothes noted for their structured and sophisticated silhouettes.

In later years, he dressed Beyonce and Lady Gaga — and in 2019 came out of retirement to create Kim Kardashian's Met Gala look.

The designer had been due to announce new collaborations early this week, his agent Jean-Baptiste Rougeot told AFP. — With reports from Agence France-Presse