Zendaya wore a Thierry Mugler robot suit to the premiere of Dune: Part Two in London. From Grace Jones to Lady Gaga, the late French designer created outrageous outfits for the world's most glamorous personalities.
There was an understated futuristic vibe on the red carpet for the Dune premiere. Timothée Chalamet wore trousers with metallic elements and Florence Pugh wore a black sequined hooded dress by Valentino. But no one understood the task more than Zendaya, who appeared in a silver cyborg suit, proving that when it comes to fashion, she is not just in another league, but in another world, writes the BBC.
Zendaya's stylist Lou Roach took the suit from French fashion designer Thierry Mugler's 1995 couture collection. The robotic suit was originally created in collaboration with artist Jean-Jacques Urcan and was inspired by the character Futura from the 1925 novel Metropolis. It was made by chrome and has plexiglass cutouts, and takes six months to make. The futuristic look was the perfect choice to showcase a sci-fi movie — and if Zendaya wanted to create an iconic red carpet moment, she made a wise choice. Because if there's one designer whose creations are almost guaranteed to turn heads, it's Thierry Mugler.
Mugler, who died in 2022 at the age of 73, was known for this love of spectacle. When Zendaya's bodysuit first appeared on the catwalk in the mid-1990s, it was part of a special show organized at the Cirque d'Hiver in Paris to mark the 20th anniversary of the Thierry Mugler brand. Dubbed the Woodstock of Fashion, the show featured actress Tippi Hedren in a dress covered in black birds (a nod to her most famous role), as well as many of the era's biggest supermodels, musical guests and porn stars. It was both a ridiculous and ultra-modern show - and also completely typical of Thierry Mugler.
Mugler, who wanted to be a dancer as a young man, was inspired by superheroes, goddesses, cabaret stars and cartoon characters. He first broke through as a designer in the 1970s and quickly became known for his theatrical designs. He loves feathers, sequins and crystals and is known for his sculptural, architectural designs. Its signature silhouette is an inverted triangle, with large, structured shoulders and a cinched waist.
He is quickly establishing himself as the designer of celebrities who want to attract attention. It's no surprise that Grace Jones was an early fan of his. In 1979, David Bowie wore a pink Mugler suit in the music video for the song Boys Keep Swinging.
In the 1980s, his fashion shows became legendary. In 1984, he organized the first commercial fashion show, selling 6,000 tickets for his performance at the Stade Zenit in Paris. For the finale, model Pat Cleveland (then six months pregnant) descends from the sky like Madonna in a sheer chiffon dress. In 1985, he sent models down the catwalk with gold tiles covering their nipples (and at one point gave Iman a live monkey to stand on her shoulder).
Beyond fabulous
In the 1990s, his thirst for opulence only intensified, even as many other designers opted for a more minimalist style and the grunge aesthetic was everywhere. "I don't believe in natural fashion," he told The New York Times.
In 1990, Mugler sent models including Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell down the catwalk wearing slavery-inspired costumes, complete with whips. In 1991, the outfits were cartoonish and Christy Turlington wore a dress made of huge balls of fur. In his Fall 1997 couture collection, model Adriana Carembeau walked the catwalk in a corseted dress covered in horsehair scales, feathers and Swarovski crystals, looking like a haute couture fish. That same year, Jerry Hall - his longtime muse - walked the catwalk dressed as an extremely glamorous peacock.
Mugler's suits were and still are particularly beloved in the music world, with Madonna, Celine Dion and Diana Ross wearing his creations on stage. Mugler provided the outfits for George Michael's 1992 music video for the song Too Funky, including a motorcycle-inspired bustier from his spring/summer 1992 show.
Beyoncé also wore a Mugler motorcycle bustier on the cover of her 2009 album I Am... Sasha Fierce and continued to wear his designs on stage for years. During her Renaissance tour last year, she opted for a bespoke Mugler cyborg suit inspired by his original design. Now that she's entering her country era, it wouldn't be a surprise to see her reach for his sparkly red cowboy suit from the spring/summer 1992 show. Lady Gaga is also a longtime Mugler fan, often wearing vintage suits like your videos as well as on the red carpet.
At the 2019 Grammys, Cardi B wore a pastel pink Mugler creation from 1995 — his Birth of Venus dress — that gave the impression that she was a human pearl in an oyster shell. That same year, Kim Kardashian wore a custom-made Mugler dress to the Met Gala. The latex beaded dress, which looked like water dripping off her body, took eight months to make - and was Thierry Mugler's first creation for his eponymous fashion house in 20 years.
With the designer no longer with us, the stars are left to dip into his archive to create incredible fashion moments. Well, Zendaya has set the bar extremely high. /BGNES