An announcement posted to his personal Instagram account reports that legendary French fashion designer Manfred Thierry Mugler has died at age 73. Best known in the 1980s and 1990s for his sculptural suiting and formalwear, Mugler’s namesake company, Thierry Mugler, was acquired by Clarins in 1997. The fashion side of the Mugler brand was shuttered in 2003, after the designer retired from the industry the year prior. No cause of death has been specified.
“We are devastated to announce the passing of Mr. Manfred Thierry Mugler on Sunday January 23rd 2022,” the Instagram post reads. “May his soul Rest in Peace.”
Following his departure from the Paris runways, Mugler embarked on a series of creative projects, including creative direction of the Cirque du Soleil production Zumanity, which was a long-running Las Vegas Strip staple from 2003 to 2020. He later collaborated with Beyonce Knowles as artistic director of her I am… world tour.
Between 2000 and 2010, Mugler embarked on a physical transformation—bulking and body modifications—and adopted the Manfred moniker.
“The reason I quit fashion was that I had had enough of spending my time always being on my knees, making other people look amazing and fabulous,” he told Eric Wilson of the New York Times in 2010. “I used fashion to express myself as much as I could. But at some point, it was not enough.”
