Mugler is ready to dive back into the men's market. For its first official pre-collection in five years, the house expanded its gender-fluid offering to include its first menswear collection in more than a decade. The brand's collaboration with H&M last year paved the way for this move, which fits with creative director Casey Cadwallader's non-binary approach to dressing.
“For me, Mugler is always this really elastic expression of gender,” she said.
With storm clouds approaching the economic and political horizons, his models wore suits and boots with tough, shiny looks worthy of “The Matrix.” A black rubber trench coat had XXL shoulders that rivaled those of founder Manfred Thierry Mugler's heyday, when he photographed his extreme tailoring against New York skyscrapers or Soviet statues.
But while there were nods to the archives, including subtle notched lapels, these days the look is more about projecting inner strength, Cadwallader said. His jackets, which range from an oversized boxy style to an hourglass cut with curved sleeves, had bones in the shoulders for added definition.
“Mugler is about resilience under pressure and finding your own energy, joy and beauty through moments of resistance, whether it has to do with your identity or your expression, and the difficult things the world can throw at you,” said.
While this collection saw him move away from the sportswear that has defined his tenure, the notion of comfort remained key. His corset came with multiple buckles that can be worn tight, loose, or hanging down, depending on the wearer's mood.
“It's pretty sturdy and protective while still completely conforming to your curves,” Cadwallader said.
The strappy style was echoed in decorative buckles that framed a backless black evening dress and crossed the spine of a black tuxedo jacket that wrapped around the frame. Now that menswear is back in style, the designer wants to make tailoring once again a mainstay of the brand, and the good news is that it works for everyone.
“When we decided to design this pre-collection, it really made it all into one room, both genres pulling from both shelves, which I think is realistic these days,” she said. “Everything here is one big happy mix.”
