Mugler AW26
Gallery / 46 images
Last September, Portuguese designer Miguel Castro Freitas made his debut as Mugler’s new creative director. Like Beyoncé’s ongoing album trilogy or The Godfather film franchise, the designer promised us a show of three parts, a blockbuster series called A Trilogy of Glorified Clichés. His SS26 collection was Part I: Stardust Aphrodite, while today (March 6), we saw Part II: The Commander.
As we know from the trilogy’s title, Castro Freitas loves a good cliché and is using each collection to unpack the various archetypes associated with Mugler. Last season, it was all about sparkle and showgirls (unveiled on the same day that Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl was released to the world). Meanwhile, today’s show was all about power dressing – a stereotype that he took to the extreme with full-on, no bullshit, eighties silhouettes. Nipped waistlines and enormous square shoulder pads. Here’s what you missed…
We’re beginning to see that this designer is not someone who makes decisions randomly or without reason. To fit last season’s theatrical theme, the show was located at the former shop of Madame Rasimi, who, 100 years ago, was Paris’ most successful costume designer and theatre director. Today’s location also fits the theme. It was hosted at the Palais de la Porte Dorée, which, more than just a landmark of Art Deco architecture, is home to the Musée de l’Histoire de l’Immigration. “The ideal environment to explore themes of domination, control, and reappropriated power,” Castro Freitas explained.
Although it was conceived in 1989, the museum of immigration officially opened in 2007, with a mission to “contribute to the recognition of the integration of immigrants into French society and advance the views and attitudes on immigration in France”, according to former French president Jacques Chirac. Historically, Thierry Mugler was one of the first fashion designers to champion diversity, tackling racism and ageism in his runway shows. Given the global politics of 2026, perhaps today’s choice of location was a way for Castro Freitas to show solidarity with immigrants, as well as drawing global attention to the museum’s existence. Maybe he’s not only honouring Mugler’s design codes, but his politics too.
Although the collection might have been muted in comparison to last season’s, the front row certainly wasn’t. If she wasn’t already, Chappell Roan is now a certified fashion girly, cropping up at Acne Studios and Isabel Marant earlier this week, before getting up bright and early for this morning’s Mugler show. Elsewhere, Naomi Watts made a rare appearance alongside Paris Jackson and Emma Chamberlain – who chatted to Dazed about painting, cooking and star signs. The most excited guest of all, however – and the guest we were most excited to see – was nightlife icon David Hoyle, who has recently featured in the brand’s new digital series.
Power remained the running theme throughout the show, harking back to Thierry Mugler’s military-inspired collections of the 80s – specifically, Les Militaires of AW86/87 and Les Secrétaires of AW82. “Ultimately, this show intends to acknowledge that self-empowerment is the most potent antidote of clarity to the oppressive forces and grey political climate that surrounds us at this very moment,” said Castro Freitas. As for the clothes, military details such as epaulettes and cargo pockets were paired with Bauhaus silhouettes and electric shades of blue and orange. “Most of all,” he continued, “it’s a manifesto of the highest power that we should never forget to reclaim: FREEDOM.”
