PARIS — In fashion’s great game of musical chairs, there is still room for surprises — and under-the-radar talents.
On Tuesday, Mugler appointed Miguel Castro Freitas its new creative director, confirming a WWD report on March 17 that the Paris fashion house had its eye on the designer, an alumnus of Sportmax, Dries Van Noten and Christian Dior Couture.
Freitas succeeds Casey Cadwallader, whose swan song after an eventful seven-year tenure was an uncharacteristically low-key look book drop for his fall 2025 effort, photographed in a sexy, sci-fi manner by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.
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Freitas is to start April 1 and show his first collection during Paris Fashion Week for the spring 2026 season.
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It’s shaping up to be another blockbuster European fashion season this fall, which will also see the debuts of designer Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, of his successor Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta — and possibly new creative directors at Gucci, Dior, Loewe and Balenciaga.
“Miguel lives and breathes the Mugler spirit,” Danièle Lahana-Aidenbaum, global brand president of Mugler Fashion and Fragrances, said in a statement issued Tuesday. “His deep understanding of Mugler’s DNA and his vast creativity and talent made him a natural choice.”
Mugler has been controlled since 2019 by French beauty giant L’Oréal, and is best known for its popular fragrances Angel and Alien.
Adrian Corsin, managing director of Mugler Fashion, lauded Freitas’ “incredible talent in tailoring and ‘flou’ [dressmaking, in English], combined with a vision that is all his own. His love and knowledge of Mugler’s couture codes and heritage will be a limitless source of storytelling to propel the house into the future.”
A Portuguese national and a 2004 womenswear graduate of Central Saint Martins, Freitas worked at Julie Verhoeven, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy and Lanvin earlier in his career.
In a unique coincidence, Freitas was a dancer in his youth, echoing the background of Mugler founder Manfred Thierry Mugler, who died in 2022 at age 73.
“It is an honor to join the spectacular house of Mugler,” Freitas said. “As one of the 20th century’s great couturiers, Mr. Mugler reimagined the power and limits of fashion. Alongside the teams, I am thrilled to bring my own vision, story and emotion to this monumental heritage.”
WWD was the first to report on Feb. 5 that Mugler and Cadwallader would part ways, signaling yet another change amid a flurry of creative switcheroos at European fashion houses.
An American who joined Mugler from Acne Studios, Cadwallader oversaw the evolution of the fashion brand from the theatrics of its early days to a new definition of brand codes on what celebrating the body could mean.
He earned a reputation for bombastic runway displays of fashion fierceness — and during the pandemic, high-energy fashion films, one of which opened with Megan Thee Stallion twerking in a denim ensemble reduced to mere chaps and straps, revealing her famous derrière.
In a separate statement on Tuesday, Mugler said Cadwallader would be stepping down at the end of March. His next move could not immediately be learned.
Lahana-Aidenbaum lauded Cadwallader’s “incredible contribution to Mugler. Over the last seven years, his unique vision has helped introduce Mugler to a new generation, all the while celebrating core themes of empowerment, inclusivity and identity. On behalf of the team, we wish Casey the utmost success in his next ventures.”
Corsin added: “Casey has given the utmost dedication and passion to reigniting Mugler. His shows, casting and creations captured the energy of the moment and honored the house’s storied legacy.”
For his part, Cadwallader called it an “honor” to helm the house. “Mugler is like no other, and it was exciting to lean into all that it could mean in today’s culture. I am forever grateful to my team, collaborators and friends, whose support and talents made this vision come to life,” he said.
Before Cadwallader, David Koma, Nicola Formichetti and Rosemary Rodriguez also designed Mugler, which is 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.