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.
Obit_Manfred_Thierry_Mugler_50326 FILE - French fashion designer Thierry Mugler on the catwalk with unidentified models after the presentation of his 1998-99 fall-winter ready-to-wear collection presented in Paris on March 15, 1998. French fashion designer Thierry Mugler, whose dramatic designs were worn by celebrities like Madonna, Lady Gaga and Cardi B, has died. He was 73. A post all in black on his official Instagram account said he died Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022 and “May his soul Rest In Peace." It did not give a cause of death. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File)
AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File
Obit_Manfred_Thierry_Mugler_67733 French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier, left, and fellow designer Thierry Mugler try on jackets during the AIDS Gala at the Folies Bergeres in Paris, France on Oct. 20, 1992. French fashion designer Thierry Mugler, whose dramatic designs were worn by celebrities like Madonna, Lady Gaga and Cardi B, has died. He was 73. A post all in black on his official Instagram account said he died Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022 and “May his soul Rest In Peace." It did not give a cause of death. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon, File)
AP Photo/Jacques Brinon, File
Obit_Manfred_Thierry_Mugler_82383 FILE - French designer Thierry Mugler acknowledges applause following his fall/winter 2001-2002 ready-to-wear collection presentation in Paris on March 12, 2001. French fashion designer Thierry Mugler, whose dramatic designs were worn by celebrities like Madonna, Lady Gaga and Cardi B, has died. He was 73. A post all in black on his official Instagram account said he died Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022 and “May his soul Rest In Peace." It did not give a cause of death. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File)
AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File
Obit_Manfred_Thierry_Mugler_96991 Fashion designer Thierry Mugler, left, and model Jerry Hall pose for photographers backstage after presenting awards at the VH1 Fashion & Music Awards show in New York on Dec. 3, 1995. French fashion designer Thierry Mugler, whose dramatic designs were worn by celebrities like Madonna, Lady Gaga and Cardi B, has died. He was 73. A post all in black on his official Instagram account said he died Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022 and “May his soul Rest In Peace." It did not give a cause of death. (AP Photo/Paul Hurschmann, File)
TOKYO (AP) — 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 a post that was all black with no image. It did not give a 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. His designs weren’t shy about being outlandish, at times resembling robotic suits with protruding cone shapes. Mugler also had a popular perfume line, which he started in the 1990s.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Mugler had “revolutionized French fashion and elegance” at the end of the 20th century.
“His fashion shows were more than a show, they were grand performances, mixing fashion, with theatre and dance,” Macron said, adding that “we will miss his look and his audacity.”
The fashion world filled 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 body-builder, 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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