Thierry Mugler

The beginnings of Thierry Mugler

Thierry Mugler was born in Strasbourg in 1948. From an early age, he developed a genuine love for art in general, appreciating drawing as much as classical dance, theater, music video direction, design, staging or photography. He thus enrolled in courses at the École des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg with the aim of becoming an interior architect. It was there, moreover, that his passion for constructions with fascinating perspectives was born. Then, from the age of 21, in 1969, Thierry Mugler settled in Paris, where he did not go unnoticed thanks to his unique style. Indeed, Thierry Mugler was already making his own clothes. This led him to be hired as a stylist in a Parisian boutique called Gudule. At 26, he became an independent stylist and worked for various major brands in Paris, Milan, London and Barcelona. His first collection came shortly after, in 1973. It was called Café de Paris and drew inspiration from Hitchcockian actresses, meaning highly feminine figures. This first collection was followed by a more classic menswear line, which was also used to dress the waiters at Le Palace. Thierry Mugler then opened his first boutique in Paris in 1978. In the 1980s and 1990s, he established himself as an essential figure on the international scene, and his collections met with immense success. Thierry Mugler was then described as a “shock designer” by the press, so innovative were his ideas. It was alongside his fashion work, crafted from multiple materials, that Thierry Mugler decided to create his first perfume.

The Thierry Mugler revolution in perfumery

In 1992, firmly determined to launch his first perfume, it was Thierry Mugler himself who approached the Clarins group to propose creating his first fragrance. Thierry Mugler had the idea of creating a gourmand essence, a first in the world of perfumery. The result of this idea is now known to all: it is the famous Angel. It paved the way for numerous other sweet fragrances. It was soon joined by three other perfumes within the Thierry Mugler house: the masculine A*Men, the embodiment of a hero half man, half god, Alien, the house’s second major feminine fragrance, and Womanity, a celebration of women around the world.

Whether through fashion or perfumery, Thierry Mugler takes pleasure in crafting architectural, highly contrasted constructions. His audacity seems boundless, and he does not hesitate to revolutionize the fields he touches. More than a mere designer, Thierry Mugler is a visionary, an endless source of inspiration for the worlds of couture and perfume.