Forward-thinking fashion is nothing new at Mugler. In fact, in the brand’s early days, Thierry Mugler was a pioneer of futurism, dressing models in cyborgian looks long before it was popular to do so. “I dreamed of creating another world, to my scale. One that was my own,” the late French designer once said. Since Portuguese creative director Miguel Castro Freitas joined the brand a year ago, he has continued to build on the fantastical worlds that Mugler first created. As a result, he often goes viral with reinterpretations of Mugler’s most provocative designs. 

At Castro Freitas’ SS26 debut, he presented the first of a promised three-part runway series – A Trilogy of Glorified Clichés – and got everyone talking with a slinky nude dress, held up by the model’s own nipple rings (a look that Mugler himself introduced in the late 90s). This time around, closing out the third chapter of the trilogy, the designer took on another of Mugler’s iconic designs: the peek-a-boo dress from AW95, which notably includes an oval cut-out revealing the model’s bum cheeks. Online users (like @fashionroadman) were quick to draw similarities with McQueen’s famous bumsters – but let’s not forget, Mugler was a designer who liked to get cheeky too. 

Elsewhere on the runway, Freitas pushed fashion to futuristic extremes. As footage of animals, wildlife and people kissing flashed on the screens, models walked in monochromatic suits that were cut under the chest, revealing the under-boob – a bold statement for the office, to say the least. Black, shaggy fur dresses were punctuated by glowing neon shades, meanwhile, loose, netted gowns seemed to unravel on the body. Leaning into the fantasy, tall slicked-back buns elongated models’ heads, cartoonish heels came in a variety of bright shades, and avant-garde headpieces shielded the eyes. Not sci-fi enough? In a controversial stunt, MUA and drag artist Alexis Stone sat in the front row as an eerie clone of Thierry Mugler. That’s one way to reinterpret Mugler at Mugler.