Mugler and Artistic Director Casey Cadwallader to Part Ways: Sources
Could Mugler be the next fashion house to make a creative change?
According to sources, the French fashion house and its artistic director of eight years Casey Cadwallader may be about to part ways.
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The American designer joined the French house as artistic director of women’s ready-to-wear in 2017, when it was still under the Clarins umbrella. It is now owned by L’Oréal.
It is understood he will exit as early as this spring. As reported, Mugler was not listed on the provisional calendar for the next Paris Fashion Week, scheduled for March 3 to 11.
Cadwallader’s future plans, or the name of any successor, could not be immediately learned.
Mugler officials did not respond to repeated requests for comment, while Cadwallader could not be reached.
The 45-year-old designer 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.
Under his tenure, the brand said it logged double- and triple-digit growth rates from 2020 onward and counted around 150 retail partners as of 2023.
It also collaborated with Swedish retailer H&M in 2023. A “blockbuster success” that sold out within one day, according to Mugler’s managing director Adrian Corsin, the collection was marked with a blowout fashion show, a music concert and series of launch events.
The brand returned to the Paris Fashion Week calendar for spring 2024, with Cadwallader putting Angela Bassett, Paris Hilton, Fan Bingbing and an all-star squad of veteran models on the runway. The show was part of a broader effort to scale up the business that included developing four collections a year.
Cadwallader was also the driving force behind “Inside the Dream,” a documentary that came as part of the 50th anniversary of the house, chronicling its past fashion and fragrance history blended with the lead-up to the label’s spring 2024 catwalk display.
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