Manfred Thierry Mugler, the radical designer and game-changing force in fashion, has passed away, aged 73.

The confirmation came from via the French designer’s official Instagram account: “We are devastated to announce the passing of Mr. Manfred Thierry Mugler on Sunday Jan. 23, 2022. May his soul Rest In Peace,” it read. The cause of his death is yet to be announced.

Through the 1980s and ‘90s, Mugler dominated the catwalks of Paris with his otherworldly takes on ready-to-wear and couture. His woman where Amazonian like, equipped with strong shoulders, hourglass figures and often stalked his catwalks as aliens, robots and motorcycles. (In 2008, Beyoncé would commission Mugler to design a range of robotic and motor-inspired corsets for a world tour.)

For many, discovering Mugler’s fetish-infused, surrealist designs ignited their love of fashion. The designer founded his eponymous line in 1974. Prior to this, he had moved from Strasbourg to Paris in 1966, taking on assistant design roles for various brands alongside a slew of photography gigs.

His fashion shows were campy, extravagant, bursting with life and seeping with fantasy. Throughout his design career, the likes of Grace Jones, Pat Cleveland and Linda Evangelista would become his muses. The latter would star in George Michael’s “Too Funky” video, directed by Mugler, which essentially became a televised Thierry Mugler catwalk commercial, beamed across MTV channels all over the globe.

Mugler was one of the first in luxury fashion to truly champion the LGBTQ+ community. Club kids and trans models frequently walked his catwalks, from Connie Fleming to corsetry artist Mr Pearl. His training as a dancer before venturing into fashion informed his high-octane approach to fashion as theatre, with Mugler in 2003 going on to create Zumanity, a Cirque du Soleil show, which premiered in Las Vegas and ran until 2020.

Through the 1990s, Mugler would become associated with fragrance over fashion – the brand’s 1992 perfume Angelremains one of luxury fashion’s most sought after scents.

The designer would sell his brand to cosmetics giant Clarins in 1997, and in 2002 would leave his label for good, closing the ready-to-wear division of the brand along with his departure. Thierry Mugler, the brand, would remain closed until 2010, revitalised by creative director Nicola Formichetti. Mugler’s current creative director, Casey Cadwallader, is renowned for the democratic, hyper-real sensuality of his bodycon catsuits.

“Manfred, I am so honoured to have known you and to work within your beautiful world,” wrote Cadwallader on Instagram. “You changed our perception of beauty, of confidence, of representation and self-empowerment. Your legacy is something I carry with me in everything I do.”

In more recent years, Manfred Thierry Mugler has become a staple on the red carpet. Cardi B has worn archive Mugler on many occasions – at the 2019 Grammys, the rapper came dressed in a pearl-embellished “Venus” gown from 1995. Kim Kardashian is also a fan, commissioning the designer to create her “wet look” for the 2019 Met Gala. The designer’s work is currently on display at a major retrospective, Thierry Mugler: Couturissime, showing at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

Across the industry, tributes have poured in for the designer. “Thierry Mugler was a defining force in fashion. Even his archive collections today seems futuristic,” said Tracee Ellis Ross, who walked for the brand in 1991 and ’92. “Thank you for sharing your wildest fantasies,” wrote Marc Jacobs.

Our thoughts go out to Mugler’s friends, family and all those touched by his sheer brilliance. May he rest in peace.

@manfredthierrymugler