Mugler creative director Casey Cadwallader had ambitious plans when it came to marking the launch of spring/summer 2022. On paper it was simple. Join one of the biggest RnB stars on the planet, Megan Thee Stallion, with supermodel Bella Hadid, actress Chloë Sevigny, cult singer Lourdes Leon and a cast top models stitched together in a 10-minute video. The result? A chaotic fashion-fuelled fever dream.
The video, which was released onto social media overnight, opens with Stallion and a cast of backup dancers in cutout denim ensembles and larger than life hoop earrings. The camera turns to Sevigny who poses in a Hollywood filming lot with the crew made up of models clad in new season wares. Athletes storm the streets before Leon leads a cast of models presenting mesh corsets, bralettes and sharp blazers on an all-white runway.
The set changes again to present a limousine. Dancers walk on the roof and roll onto the bonnet before not one, but two Bella Hadid(s) make an anticipated appearance in all-black ensembles. More colourful styles were also presented via micro mini skirts with long side-trains. The bright white runway returned again – albeit a collapsing one – with latex making a brief appearance in the brand’s signature skintight silhouettes.
The video campaign closed with an artful performance from Maria Kochetkova, a former San Fransisco Ballet and American Ballet Theatre dancer.
“This season was really about taking illusion to the next level,” Cadwallader told The Cut of the latest Mugler campaign. “We were trying to make the clothes as small and as bare as possible and try to take it to the max,” he explained. “Trying to work with placing shapes on the body that looked like they were held there without gravity.”
In a sartorial era of extreme cut-outs, midriff flossing and catsuits, Mugler has reached new cult heights. Dua Lipa is currently on her highly-celebrated Future Nostalgia tour where she opens in a black glittering Mugler look. Stallion frequents the French House on the runway and Willow Smith is a regular collaborator.
The spring/summer 2022 campaign marks the arrival of the collection into stores.
