NEXT UP?: Does the Mugler fashion house have its eye on fashion designer Miguel Castro Freitas?
According to market sources, Mugler has held talks with Freitas to join the brand, owned since 2019 by French beauty giant L’Oréal, and best known for its popular fragrances Angel and Alien.
The likelihood of a contract, and his exact role, could not immediately be learned.
Freitas has a varied résumé, having held senior design roles at Sportmax, Dries Van Noten, and Christian Dior Couture, according to sources.
A 2004 graduate of Central Saint Martins, Freitas worked at Julie Verhoeven, YSL, Givenchy and Lanvin earlier in his career.
Mugler officials could not be reached for comment.
WWD reported on Feb. 5 that Mugler and Casey Cadwallader, its artistic director for the past eight years, would likely part ways.
Signaling what appears to be a time of transition, Mugler was not on the calendar for Paris Fashion Week, which wound up its nine-day run on March 11.
An American who joined Mugler from Acne Studios, Cadwallader oversaw the evolution of the fashion brand founded by Thierry Mugler from the theatrics of its early days to a new definition of brand codes on what celebrating the body could mean.
Before Cadwallader, David Koma, Nicola Formichetti and Rosemary Rodriguez also designed Mugler, synonymous with sharp tailoring, hourglass silhouettes and a futuristic sheen.
Mugler’s previous owner Groupe Clarins ceased its money-losing ready-to-wear business in 2003, and then revived it again in 2008. Founder Thierry Mugler died in 2022 at age 73.
