Welcome to the 68th insertion of DEMUR®, an analytical series highlighting the intricacies of the artistic world and the minutiae lying within. In this episode we zoom in on maximalist fashion designer, photographer and dancer Thierry Mugler, looking behind the lens’ to reveal his unique ability to capture a moment.
Thierry Mugler, a French artisan and distinct creative, is rooted in the theatrics of performance. Growing up on stage, his radiating persona has been distilled into few avenues of expression, and continues to push the envelope in every regard. Over the years, he has refined a unique taste for the fine arts and is persistent throughout his work, the eccentrics of design shadowing an acute career in photography.
It was the late 1980’s and Mugler was in his prime, flourishing both on and off the runway. He had amassed a cult-like following as a result of his niche, and began shooting collection adverts. Enlisting prolific lensman Helmut Newton to capture his methodology, the two found vast disparity in creative vision, and Newton suggested Mugler take the photos himself. What followed remains as fashion’s most daring stills, and a provocative insight into Thierry Mugler’s boundary crushing ideals.
As with all of the designer’s portfolio, his work in photography brimmed with hysteria. Highly tenuous of location, composition and pose, he strived to not only insight, but evoke emotion from his audience. Placing models at the heights of free-standing buildings and statues, he often shot from afar, using a luring background as a storytelling device. The focal point, or individual, was only emphatic in the presence of a monolithic structure, a mere detail of the larger image.
The intent was artistic, void of commercial incentive or profit margins. Mugler insisted you appreciate the image first before questioning exterior motives and purpose, as only when viewed closer, is the expert tailoring apparent. These models were an extremity of the surroundings that encased them, much like the clothing that wore each vessel atop the runway.
Rest in Peace Thierry Mugler, 1948-2002
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