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Thanks to The Campus Trendsetters Squad x Mugler Alien Extraintense campaign for generously providing me with a bottle of Alien to make this article possible.
In 2005, two ethereal works of art came into this world: me andAlien.
Since a young age, I’ve loved all things unconventional. Nearly 20 years later, my interest in the avant-garde has only grown. Fashion (specifically those looks that make your brow furrow) is currently a heavy interest of mine. Last semester, I took the only fashion course offered at CU, and my incredible Professor introduced me to the enfant terrible man and brand, Manfred Thierry Mugler.
Thierry Mugler
Born in Strasbourg, France, Mugler created his first personal collection, “Cafe de Paris,” in 1973. I have scoured the internet for photos from this collection, and for both of our sakes, we have to agree they do not exist online.
From the beginning, his work was described as a magnified version of women through timeless yet futuristic and sensual forms. In the early 1980s, amid society’s acceptance of women in the workplace, he created pieces with angular silhouettes, which would later become a staple of 80s style.
According to Arizona State University, Mugler explained, “When you start to have shape, you feel stronger. My clothes exude power and sensuality and influence.”
He was one of the first to have transgender women, porn stars, and drag queens walk in his extravagant shows.
In 2002, Mugler officially retired from his brand. Yet, in 2009, he worked as the artistic advisor and created costumes for Beyoncé’s “I Am … World Tour”. He made several more exceptions during his retirement, like his frequent work with Cardi B, one of the most notable being Kim Kardashian’s 2019 Met Gala “wet couture dress”.
At 73-years-old, on Jan. 23, 2022, Mugler died of natural causes, leaving behind an indescribable legacy of artwork.
After he departed from fashion, Mugler said, “Fashion is beautiful, 3-D art on a human being. But it wasn’t enough, which is why I went on to create in other ways. For me, it wasn’t the right tool anymore. But perfume still interests me.”
Fragrances
Mugler’s first fragrance, released in 1992, was called Angel. Oliver Cresp and Yves de Chirin created the world’s first modern gourmand fragrance with notes of cotton candy, coconut, patchouli, chocolate, and sandalwood.
Brosse Master Glassmakers made the star-shaped bottle, one of the only companies willing to manufacture such an unorthodox design. Mugler based it around his lucky motif, the star. Allegedly, before the fame, he once visited a fortune teller who glanced at his palm and noticed the lines formed a star. The fortune teller told him to embrace the shape in his work, and he obliged.
Angel would later be the best-selling perfume in France, surpassing Chanel No. 5 at one point, and as of 2011, the fifth best-selling scent of all time in the United States, according to the NPD Group.
At its release, other scents on the market were nothing like Angel. It was a polarizing scent; either you loved it or hated it, which was the exact reaction they wanted.
Pierre Aulas, the olfactory director of Mugler in 2011, said, “A lot of people hated it, but that’s what we liked. With fragrance we always want people to love it and hate it because those who love it adore it.”
The deep woody concentration of patchouli balanced the overly sweet scents like caramel and chocolate, forming the perfect olfactory amalgamation of Mugler’s childhood memories of a fairground.
Alien, Mugler’s sophomore fragrance, was designed to celebrate the sensuality and duality of women. The floral, woodsy scent was created by perfumers Dominique Ropion and Laurent Bruyere.
The Campus Trendsetters Squad x Mugler Alien Extraintense campaign so kindly gifted our Her Campus chapter samples and bottles of Alien(!). Since I’ve been obsessed with Mugler for some time now, the moment our chapter president announced the partnership, I knew Alien was mine.
With notes like Jasmine, cashmeran, and amber, a powerful yet delicate aura envelops the person wearing the scent. In my case, each time I spray it, I’m reminded of my womanhood and the beautiful calamities it entails.
Womanity was announced five years later. Mane, Alexis Dadier, and Ralf Schwieger stabilized the natural, sweet aromas like fig with savory notes from caviar.
Angel Muse, marketed as a flanker of Angel 24 years after its initial release, has the original scent as a base but is sweeter and described as more chocolaty. Quentin Bisch, a new-wave perfumer, produced this fragrance.
In 2017, Aura, the creation of Daphné Bugey, Amandine Clerc-Marie, Christophe Raynaud, Marie Salamagne, and Olivier Cresp, held notes of bergamot, wolfwood, ylang-ylang, and vanilla.
Angel Nova was a light-hearted fragrance with fruity, floral scents of raspberry and rose. Announced in 2020, Sonia Constant, Louise Turner, and Quentin Bisch worked on the perfume.
The latest release in the Angel family is the Angel Elixir. Scents of white floral, pink pepper, orange blossom, and amber reinvent the classic Angel fantasy. Domitille Michalon Bertier and Anne Flipo formed the modern aroma in 2023.
Since the first fragrance, each incredible one has come in a refillable bottle. Angel introduced the first of its kind in the perfume industry, inspired by 18th-century perfume fountains. Per L’Oréal, a bottle is refilled every 25 seconds around the globe.
From fashion to fragrance, Mugler left an everlasting footprint on the world. He was a trailblazer who tackled racism and ageism at times when such things were common practice on the runway. Since seeing some of his looks in class, I’ve had some strange attraction to Mugler; maybe because of his bold runway looks, maybe his unapologetic eccentricity, or maybe strange minds think alike. And now, thanks to the House of Mugler, my love for the unconventional can be sensed with just a sniff.