from 1995 to 2024: thierry mugler’s most iconic runway

By Sofia Gianetto

3 / 1 / 2024

The Dune: Part Two premiers have proven yet again that when it comes to a red carpet, Zendaya stays on top. Her looks have been carefully selected by Law Roach, the same stylist with whom she worked in 2019 for the Met Gala. Roach has styled her in a myriad of sleek, futuristic looks, and topped it off by diving into the archives and returning with the iconic chrome suit from Mugler’s 1995 “Cirque d’hiver” 20th anniversary collection; it was stunning. So how has such an unconventional -and almost unwearable- piece survived nearly thirty years of fashion? The answer lies in the work of Thierry Mugler and his runway shows. 

There is much to be said for Mugler’s legacy, more than is appropriate to cover in one go. But the undeniable truth is that Thierry Mugler produced some of the most extravagant, iconic runway shows of his time and ours. His productions were star-studded, the biggest fashion models, musicians, drag queens, and pop-culture icons of the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. They made political and social statements, developed his brand beyond just the designs, and gave him a creative outlet for his love of performance art. 

His most iconic show, however, has to be the 1995 20th anniversary show at the Cirque D’Hiver in Paris. An incredible 300 looks made their way down the two runways which stretched out from a staircase on the backdrop of the star logo of his Angel perfume. The show featured seminal models of the ‘80s and ‘90s as well as socialites and actresses who Mugler admired. The looks ranged from sophisticated to other-worldly, introduced definitive silhouettes of the era, and allowed Mugler to truly display fashion in the way he felt best: as an art form. The show ended with a bang as confetti rained down on the models, audience, and surprise performer James Brown. 

Each piece from the collection demonstrated Mugler’s love for extravagance and showmanship and warrants the praise it received from that show. The “fembot” suit is no exception. Co-designed by Mugler and artist Jean-Jaque Urcun, this plexiglass suit took six months to complete and looked stunning on the runway. It’s no surprise that when faced with a futuristic dress code, Law Roach turned to this collection and this piece in particular for Zendaya.

Although the suit’s red carpet life was short-lived (the actress promptly changed into a more functional black Mugler gown) the initial drama made an unforgettable impression akin to the one made at its premier in 1995. One can only hope that Mugler’s legacy will remain as extravagant as his Cirque D’hiver show and that others will follow Roach and Zendaya’s leads in giving these pieces new life in the future.