Known for its ultra-coveted designer collaborations, Swedish fast-fashion powerhouse H&M is preparing for its highly anticipated collection with the house of Mugler. The partnership with Mugler creative director Casey Cadwallader was first announced in February, and will include womenswear, menswear and accessories, launching online and in select stores beginning May 11.
On Wednesday, the designer and H&M’s creative advisor Ann-Sofie Johansson sat down with journalist Jose Criales-Unzueta for a panel discussion in New York City to spill more details on the collaboration and inspiration behind the collection ahead of a fashionable fête that will take place in the Big Apple on Wednesday evening to celebrate the assortment.
The Mugler x H&M capsule collection follows other high-end designer partnerships the retailer has had, including one with Karl Lagerfeld in 2004, Comme des Garçons in 2008 and Versace in 2011, among many others. This year, Mugler was at the top of H&M’s designer wish list.
Johansson explained that when she touched base with the rest of the H&M team, she asked who the most interesting brand is right now. “Everybody kept saying Mugler,” she said, referring to both the heritage of the brand led by founding designer Manfred Thierry Mugler and its current offering by Cadwallader, who has acted as the house’s creative director since 2017, reintroducing Mugler to a new generation of fashion fans while maintaining the brand’s original DNA.
The assortment in the capsule will also include a series of special, limited-edition archival remakes, hand selected by Cadwallader to cement the brand’s reinvigorated resonance. “We could do something of a history of the house – from the birth with Mr. Mugler to the rebirth with Casey,” said Johansson. “We haven’t done anything like that before.”
The collaboration has been in the works since before Mugler’s passing in January 2022, and according to Johansson, the late legend had already begun drafting a few sketches for the mash-up before he died. “Sadly enough, Mr. Mugler passed away,” she explained. “We were then determined to pursue this and make it happen.”
As for why Cadwallader found H&M to be the right fit for Mugler, the designer said, “I’ve always really believed that a collection should be available to people. I don’t really believe in fashion being for the exclusive few and I think that’s the way that I’m always designing.”
He continued, “Even with the Mugler collection, I try to do many, many tiers of pricing. I’m very happy to make something that’s very luxury and very expensive, but at the same time, a lot of young people are very energized by Mugler, and they want a piece of it. So, to work on things like denim and Lycra that are more accessible for them is always a focus of mine and it works quite well.”
“When the project to collaborate with H&M came about, I looked at it as a huge opportunity to get more people what they want, quite simply. Mugler is so much about making people feel great about themselves, making them feel empowered and feel confident,” explained Cadwallader. The designer revealed to the crowd that he often receives DMs on Instagram from fans requesting pieces at an accessible price and this H&M collaboration is the perfect resolution. “I want people to enjoy it, I want everyone to have it. I have a very democratic opinion about that,” he said. Prices will range from $49.99 to $749.
Featuring strong shoulders, impeccable tailoring, cinched waists and form-fitting silhouettes, Cadwallader explained how happy he was to see how closely the pieces made with H&M resemble Mugler’s core line. “Mugler is a precise beast,” said Cadwallader as he expressed how pleased he was to see that H&M was up for the challenge.
Mark your calendars for a chance to shop the Mugler x H&M collection in stores and online on May 11.
