Thierry Mugler, famous French fashion designer very popular in the 80s and 90s, has died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 73, according to his eponymous brand on social media.

"It is with profound sadness that Mugler House announces the death of Mr. Manfred Thierry Mugler. A visionary whose imagination as a seamstress, perfumer and image-maker empowered people around the world to be bolder and dream more every day." day," the brand wrote alongside a photo of the designer in his youth.

The designer's agent told Le Monde newspaper that death was due to natural causes, and that Mugler still had projects and collaborations underway, some of which were to be announced earlier this week.

Mugler was a pioneer in design and set the trend with his theatrical creations, his robotic jumpsuits and his risky dresses, which seemed to recreate a science fiction style, an ambition that he embodied in the theater where he had several dalliances.

She also played an important role in the wardrobe of stars such as Michael Jackson, Madonna and Lady Gaga, and helped fuel the career of top models of the 1990s such as Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer and Linda Evangelista.

Throughout his career, Mugler has also dressed celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Beyonce, Cardi B, Jerry Hall, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Demi Moore, Megan Fox, Miley Cyrus, Cindy Crawford, Tyra Banks , Sharon Stone, Diana Ross, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Robin Wright or Bella Hadid.

After declining offers such as directing Dior's design, Mugler decided to retire as head of his own brand in 2003, now in the hands of the L'Oréal group.

Paradoxically, the creator's death comes in the middle of Paris Fashion Week, between the end of the men's fashion presentations and the start of the Haute Couture shows on Monday.

In recent years, Mugler had been the subject of a major retrospective exhibition of his work, which began in Montreal in 2019 and traveled to several countries, the last of which was Paris, in October 2021.