Mugler H&M Launches in New York With Pamela Anderson, Charli XCX and More
On Wednesday night, H&M and storied French fashion house, Mugler, took over the Park Avenue Armory with an immersive hybrid fashion show and concert celebrating their highly anticipated Mugler H&M collaboration.
Leading up to the night’s events, the brands debuted a megawatt fashion campaign music video to the beat of a reimagined version of Stardust’s 1998 song, “Music Sounds Better With You.” The video, directed by Torso (the duo behind myriad Mugler fashion videos), features a strong cast of models and talent, including Jerry Hall, Connie Fleming, Shygirl, Eartheater, Amaarae, Acra, Imaan Hamman and more, clad in the Mugler H&M collection — which includes looks that reference Mugler collections past and present.
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The collaboration brings Mugler’s heritage to life, including the brand’s fashion and strong relationships to pop culture and theater. The H&M collaboration was started by the late Thierry Mugler, and revitalized under the creative direction of Casey Cadwallader.
“Something resonated with us about doing a history of the house, with the birth from Mr. Mugler and the rebirth with Casey — thinking that would be a really nice story and we hadn’t done that before, so that’s how it started,” Ann-Sofia Johansson, creative adviser at H&M, said during a panel the morning of the show, adding that Mugler himself was keen on doing the collaboration and started working on small drawings and sketches before he passed in 2022. “We were determined to pursue this and make it happen as an honor, but also to see how the brand has evolved and how Casey has recharged the brand. We also realized that it’s enforcing a bit of fashion history,” Johansson said.
“There’s two big parts. The making of the clothes — the sculpture of the clothes and the way it works with the curves of their bodies — and then there’s the culture of Mugler. When I started at Mugler, it was so important to get it back on the pop stars, getting it back onto the stage because this performative aspect was always so much of Mr. Mugler did, even in his shows, but also with who he touched and engaged with, it was always about a performer. Because I think they represent confidence — this brings you to the highest highs,” Cadwallader said. Since Cadwallader’s tenure began, many stars have donned Mugler, including Cardi B in a vintage clam-shell dress for the 2019 Grammy’s.
H&M and Mugler expressed that shared values — a democratic view, and championing diversity, inclusivity and self-expression — are incorporated throughout the collaboration.
These components swirled together to bring to life the 45-minute performance on Wednesday night. Guests included Pamela Anderson, Charli XCX (who is due back in California this weekend for Coachella), Chloë Sevigny, Lourdes Leon, Dominique Jackson, Moses Sumney and more. The VIPs wore looks from the collection, while attendees mimicked the vibe with their own body-con, skin-baring looks.
After an hour of cocktails and mingling, the crowd corralled into an open pit surrounded by LED screens and a circular runway. The show kicked off with dancers and models dancing on stage in signature Mugler swirled Lycra and mesh catsuits, bodysuits and daring, body-hugging dresses, followed by runway segments featuring Paloma Elesser, Eva Herzigova, Irina Shayk (who took the catwalk in a stellar teal bonded leather trenchcoat, noted to be recreated from a previously canceled Mugler style by Cadwallader), and more. The models were interspersed with musical performances by the duo’s music video stars Shygirl, Amaarae and Eartheater. The show ended full-circle with the cast uniting onstage to “Music Sounds Better With You.”
“We did a music video, right, so then how to enhance that and how to take that even further? We thought, music — well of course, a festival,” Johansson told WWD post-show. “We wanted to have this mini festival, bringing in fashion and music together. Also, because Mr. Mugler was very much about putting on shows — we had a little Eva [Herzigova] moment in the dresses. Here, the collection is part of a bigger thing and in store, the focus will be on the collection’s products.”
“We wanted to just make it a bit of a hybrid. I wanted it to be like the VMAs with a little kamikaze runway interspersed just to keep it dynamic and a little bit unexpected. We tried to show 10 new Mugler looks, then another 10, and then make a big deal out of the archival looks and then the finale,” Cadwallader said of the procession, adding, “These are my girls — all of them have been in Mugler soundtracks. I’m friends with all of them; I believe in them all very deeply and I really wanted to highlight them. There’s something about putting people up there who deserve it, that’s really important to me, whether it’s a model or a musician. Everyone in that show is an amazing person inside and out, and they’re a pleasure to work with — I’m just trying to gather the family.”
When the opportunity to collaborate with H&M came about, Cadwallader looked at it as a huge chance to give more consumers what they want. “Mugler is so much about making people feel great about themselves with power and confidence. I want people to enjoy it and for everyone to have it — I have a very democratic opinion about that.”
The Mugler H&M collection checked all the boxes, giving a wide-variety of customers all the hits across womenswear, accessories and menswear at a sharp price-point with impressive quality.
“I really walked into the first presentation with a few segments in mind,” Cadwallader said of designing the collection with H&M. Tailoring and power dressing were present with signature sculptured shoulders and nipped-in waists; sex appeal came in the form of Mugler’s ever-popular anatomically designed jeans, sparkling catsuits and bodysuits, and a plethora of hot little party dresses (in black, or vibrant hues of acid green, pink or blue), and leather layers and chunky star and snake-chain jewelry referenced “hard-core leather, clubby Berlin — very inspired by Mr. Mugler,” Cadwallader said.
“So much of what I do is based on the lingerie, sheer, opaque, sexy corsetry part of what Mr. Mugler did, so the column gown we did in crepe with the transparent panels is one I reference constantly, and I also know that he loved. Trying to show that I’m constantly being informed and respecting the archive to make what I do, and bring those most key pieces and reedition and offer them to everyone,” Cadwallader said.
The special assortment of archival fare, which dons double Thierry Mugler tags to mark the reedition, is equally impressive. For instance, a black velvet gown (the original seen on the likes of Dua Lipa, Sydney Sweeney and Alexa Demie), or pale pink skirt suit with star hardware that “represents the punky, kinky spirit Mr. Mugler had,” Cadwallader said.
The duo also pushed into new territory with swimwear, jersey Ts and hoodies, hosiery, tote bags, scarves and debut stand-alone menswear; Cadwallader said he enjoyed reworking previous styles and figuring out how to keep the drama while making pieces more accessible.
Throughout the collection, Cadwallader and H&M upheld the Mugler DNA and aesthetic through and through, while toeing the delicate line between offering customers the real deal, with small adjustments, as to not alienate the Mugler runway customer.
“I very, very, very carefully made some changes and I dare you to find them. What I did was very carefully change at least one thing on every garment without changing the fundamentals, materiality or quality. There might be one less seam here, or the fit changes a little bit here to be easier, but otherwise it doesn’t impact the overall reading and the pleasure derived from owning the piece,” Cadwallader said.
”The thing that shocked me and my team is that we used a lot of the same materials and made them just as well. I remember when we were doing the music video’s final styling and fitting, I leaned over to my head of design and said, “It’s crazy, right? It looks exactly like what we do.” I was very impressed by the quality and attention to detail — the team at H&M did such an impressive job following every little bit — the shoulder padding, where the top stitching goes, the boning inside bonded layers that had to be recycled. Check, check, check — it was really well done. At the end, I sit here very proud that what the client will buy and receive is so well made and fits so well.”
When asked if the experience would influence him to introduce a robust menswear line into future Mugler collections, Cadwallader said. “I’ve been sneakily doing menswear for a while. I think I need to sneakily do it for a little bit longer, but obviously, yes, my plan is to do menswear. But you have to grow a lot to do menswear — you have to double the team, so someday soon, someday soon.”
It was an evening of big community energy, music and sexy fashion; its core being the truly impressive, price-friendly styles (prices range from $49.99 to $749), set to hit stores (120 globally, as well as online) on May 11.
If there were any doubts about the collaboration selling out instantly — the event’s packed post-show shopping event, where clothes flew off the racks — proved its power.
Launch Gallery: Inside the Mugler H&M Global Launch Event In New York City
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