Mugler appoints new creative director

Miguel Castro Freitas is to succeed Casey Cadwallader as creative director of Mugler, parent company L’Oréal announced today.

“Miguel lives and breathes the Mugler spirit. His deep understanding of Mugler’s DNA and his vast creativity and talent made him a natural choice,” said Danièle Lahana-Aidenbaum, global brand president of Mugler fashion & fragrances.

A Portuguese national, Castro Freitas is unknown to the public and little known in the fashion industry. He graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2004, was handpicked by John Galliano to work at Dior after graduation and has held designer jobs at Yves Saint Laurent under Stefano Pilati and Lanvin alongside Alber Elbaz. Most notably, he has been head of tailoring at Christian Dior, led by Raf Simons, head of womenswear at Dries Van Noten and creative director of Sportmax from SS21 to SS24. He may not fall in the big-name designer category or have a presence on social media, but he has 20 years of experience working for established luxury houses.

“It is an honour to join the spectacular house of Mugler. As one of the twentieth century’s great couturiers, Mr Mugler reimagined the power and limits of fashion. Alongside the teams, I am thrilled to bring my own vision, story and emotion to this monumental heritage,” said Castro Freitas.

Mugler was absent from the Paris Fashion Week calendar for fall/winter 2025, which fuelled speculation regarding changes at its creative helm. This morning, in a separate statement the house said that Cadwallader would be stepping down at the end of March. “Over the last seven years, his unique vision has helped introduce Mugler to a new generation, all the while celebrating core themes of empowerment, inclusivity and identity. On behalf of the team, we wish Casey the utmost success in his next ventures,” Lahana-Aidenbaum said.

“Mugler is like no other, and it was exciting to lean into all that it could mean in today’s culture. I am forever grateful to my team, collaborators and friends, whose support and talent made this vision come to life,” Cadwallader said.

Casey Cadwallader captured while working on Mugler’s spring/summer 2025 fashion show. Acielle

Mugler is a house with a strong heritage that faces the peculiarity of being the only fashion business within L’Oréal’s portfolio, save for a new minority investment in Jacquemus. (L’Oréal acquired Mugler and Azzaro fragrances from Clarins in late 2019.) Fragrances are understood to still represent the lion’s share of Mugler’s business, with blockbuster perfumes such as Angel and Alien.

Founder Thierry Mugler, who became synonymous with the power shoulders of the 1980s, shook up fashion. His shows were huge theatrical spectacles open to thousands of spectators. He also brought new energy to ready-to-wear and challenged definitions of haute couture with exaggerated proportions and the introduction of materials such as rubber and PVC. He is known for pioneering diversity and inclusion on the runway.

The flamboyant designer changed his name (to Manfred Thierry Mugler) in 2002, the year he left his namesake house. Clarins, which bought the brand in the 1990s, shut down the loss-making fashion business in 2002 before reviving it in 2010. Clarins tapped Nicola Formichetti who designed for four seasons from 2011 to 2013 and was succeeded by David Koma from 2013 to 2017. “Under Formichetti and then Koma, Mugler became a mainstay of the after-dark scene, the place to shop for slinky, strong separates for a night out,” wrote Steff Yotka for Vogue when Cadwallader was appointed in December 2017.

Left: Thierry Mugler’s AW 1997 couture collection was presented soon after the company was acquired by Clarins. Right: Casey Cadwallader’s last show for the house was a more pared-back affair that came in contrast to the large-scale, performance-heavy shows he staged in the past. Courtesy of Vogue's archive and Filippo Fior

During Cadwallader’s seven-year tenure, Mugler became the go-to brand for big-name performers and celebrities, including Beyoncé, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa. Following in the founder’s footsteps, Cadwallader has also become known for his diverse and inclusive casting. When the house founder passed away in January 2022, Cadwallader spoke to Vogue Runway and Vogue Business global director Nicole Phelps about carrying on and adapting Mugler’s legacy for the future. “You just see the types of beauty that he was channelling. There are curvy people, trans performers and porn stars, and all of these different cultural elements collaging together to form this very open vision of beauty. And honestly, that’s my life,” he said.

During the pandemic, Cadwallader chose to direct a series of fashion films in lieu of shows. Mugler also switched to a see-now, buy-now approach, meaning the collections were available to buy at the same time the films went live. Mugler’s first IRL show post-pandemic took place in January 2023 at Paris’s La Villette park outside of the fashion calendar. The show carried over the cinematic feel of the films with the models, including Ziwe, Arca, Anok Yai, Paloma Elsesser and Debra Shaw, being followed by a camera while walking on the runway.

The brand followed the same strategy until SS25, when it staged a more pared-back, salon-style show in the Paris concert hall Le Trianon. Vogue Business went behind the scenes at the show, where the focus was on the clothes, as opposed to the large-scale, performance-heavy shows of the past.

L’Oréal doesn’t break out revenues of individual brands, but managing director Adrian Corsin told Vogue Business in September 2024 that Mugler fashion grew in high double digits for 2023, driven by Asia, a strong denim business and the launch of leather goods like the Spiral Curve bag. Under Corsin, who has led the fashion business since April 2023, Mugler pivoted away from the see-now, buy-now model and returned to the fashion calendar and a seasonal strategy.

“Having worked under some of the industry’s most prolific designers, Miguel boasts an incredible talent in tailoring, combined with a vision that is all his own. His love and knowledge of Mugler’s couture codes and heritage will be a limitless source of storytelling and help propel the house into the future,” said Corsin about the house’s new creative director.

Castro Freitas will join Mugler on 1 April. His debut show for Mugler will take place in September, during the high-stake SS26 season, which will see a number of debuts, including Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, Demna at Gucci, Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta and Mark Thomas at Carven.

This story was first published on Vogue Business.

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