ENTER MIGUEL CASTRO FREITAS: MUGLER’S NEXT ACT
words by VERONICA TLAPANCO SZABÓ
How do you take a house shaped by an indelible and illustrious past — its glory years stretching all the way from the late 1970s through the early ’90s — and make it speak to women in 2026? How do you translate the drama of classic Hollywood, or the legacy of a designer as singular as Thierry Mugler? The answer arrives in the form of Miguel Castro Freitas.
images courtesy of MUGLER
From its earliest conception Thierry Mugler’s universe oscillated between high camp and outer space, often occupying both spaces at once. Whether it was robots, insects, motorbikes or giant clams, Mugler women have always been sculpted, hyper-defined, and intentionally intimidating — creatures to be observed rather than touched. Beneath the layers of provocation lies of course a razor-sharp understanding of form, fit, and fantasy, anchored in exceptional technical rigour. Castro Freitas, who stepped into the role of Creative Director this past season, approaches this heritage like Mugler himself. He is fluent in the tongue of cinema, particularly the golden age of Hollywood, which becomes an immediate point of connection between founder and successor. Castro Freitas’ personal all time top-three includes Sunset Boulevard, All About Eve, and Some Like It Hot: all films defined by glamour, ambition, and women.
images via @miguelcastrofreitas
Building up on the show we saw last season in Paris, the Stardust Aphrodite campaign, shot by Robi Rodriguez, corresponds to this vision by drawing on the neon-lit surrealism of B-movies and the disquieting logic of dream cinema. The imagery evokes midnight thrillers and off-kilter classics, where characters have a magnetism that lies like a veil that we can’t quite see through. “At Mugler, I’m drawn to strong, glamorous characters where power becomes visceral,” Castro Freitas explains.
images courtesy of MUGLER
The most tangible shift is in weight. Where past iterations leaned into heaviness and high-gloss glamour, Castro Freitas introduces a lightness — ornate elements remain, but they are rendered matte, graphic, and often paired with tailoring. Feathers still appear in shades reminiscent of 1950s powder puffs or toy poodles, but for all the drama they bring, there’s restraint and rigour, too.
The timing of this transition is crucial as Mugler exits the Casey Cadwallader era after seven years of exponential growth, defined by body-consciousiousness, overt sensuality, and theatricality ramped up by celebrity visibility. The many catwalk cameos of Arca, Hunter Schafer, Dominique Jackson, Alex Consani, Colin Jones or even custom looks for Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour — all cemented Mugler’s place in the present pop culture. Castro Freitas takes the torch subtly glancing at Cadwallader’s legacy while widening the reference pool. This campaign marks only the first chapter of a trilogy and this is a promising beginning!
