It’s been a year since the passing of Manfred Thierry Mugler passed on and he was in the early stages of a new project; a collaboration with international retailer H&M. This collaboration is set to bring Mugler’s sexy, avant grade wear to a much wider audience and it launches next month. We have seen the popularity of the brand in recent years with more visibility in pop culture. The brand has been largely popularised by the likes of Ciara, Joie Chavis, Snoh Aalegra, Cardi B and Beyoncè among others (in recent years) when before it was a runway hit with models Naomi Campbell, Grace Jones and Connie Fleming.

According to Adrienne Gaffney, Mugler’s Creative Director Casey Cadwallader addressed a Paris showroom about this groundbreaking collaboration that brings Mugler’s work and vision to a wider audience that would not perhaps afford a bespoke designer piece.

“It was so great that we knew that he wanted to do it and that he was so excited about it. That gave us something to have in our hearts. We wanted to do this really well for him,”

Initially, Cadwallader was concerned about the meticulous details that goes into Mugler’s intricate designs and how they would recreate them for this collaboration with H&M. The collaboration which features womenswear, menswear, and accessories comes out next month.

“It was about thinking about how to keep the essence but simplify things for more mass appeal and accessibility, where people wouldn’t be put off. In fashion circles, you can make the craziest thing and everyone’s like, ‘Let’s give it a try.’ But I want someone who doesn’t know what Mugler is to see it and be like, ‘I can wear this.’” concluded Cadwallader.

The company’s greater production capacity and broader ability to source materials allowed the line to maintain the brand’s integrity at a more accessible price. “A lot of the fabrics are the same ones that I use. And in some cases they’ve been developed to be more sustainable or to go for a better price without giving up on the technicalities, which has been so nice,” he says.