Thierry Mugler
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Thierry Mugler, born 1948 in Strasbourg, France is a fashion designer, photographer, and creator of a fashion design company of the same name. Trained as a ballet dancer, he also studied design and created garments for friends. He moved to Paris in 1970 and worked as a window-dresser while building a reputation. He founded his label for women in 1974, and began designing for men in 1978.
Mugler's work over the next two decades had a unique style that was very much of its time: it was strong, angular, sometimes almost cruel. Shoulders were wide and padded; waists were wasp-like. Prints were banished: Mugler's clothes came in solid, dominating colours. Collars had exaggerated points, or flamelike cutouts. The insect kingdom was a constant influence, as were the ladies and gentlemen of film noir.
Mugler's fashion style did not survive the 1990s, though vintage versions of his clothes are still popular on auction sites like eBay. Owned since 1997 by the French cosmetics and skincare company Clarins, Thierry Mugler Inc. is now mostly known for its perfume division. The couture division was closed in 2003 due to increasing losses. All Thierry Mugler ready-to-wear is now produced under license agreements, as is a line of eyeglasses.
Mugler himself has turned to other artistic interests. He has published two books featuring his fashion designs and photography, Thierry Mugler (1988) and Fashion Fetish Fantasy (1998). He also dabbles in film and video - he directed the video for George Michael's "Too Funky," featuring a parade of Mugler fashions, including the famous motorcycle dress - and collaborated with Cirque de Soleil on its 2003 "Zumanity" show.
The popular Mugler fragrance Angel was created in 1992. The unusual scent, composed largely of "edible" notes such as berries, caramel, vanilla, patchouli, and chocolate, is the number one women's fragrance in France, the number two women's fragrance in Europe (after Chanel No. 5), and among the top ten women's fragrances in the United States. [citation needed] A men's version, A*Men (known as Angel MEN in the US, Canada, and the Middle East due to trademark issues) that shares many of the same notes, was launched in 1996. Angel Innocent (now known as simply Innocent) for women followed in 1998, while Mugler Cologne, inspired by a soap from Mugler's travels, was introduced three years later in 2001. B*Men, the sequel to A*Men, was introduced in 2004, and in 2005, the Angel Garden of Stars fragrances (peony, violet, and lily-tinged versions of the original women's fragrance) were introduced. Alien, Mugler's first major women's fragrance launch since Angel, was introduced in limited distribution in late 2005, with the worldwide rollout continuing throughout 2006. Also in 2006, Thierry Mugler lauched a Rose Angel in the Angel Garden of Stars series along with "Summer Flash" limited editions of A*Men, Innocent, and Mugler Cologne. Thierry Mugler's perfume division is renowned for giving unlimited credit to its perfumers in order to get the best fragrance possible, whatever the price.