PARIS — The newest “Inside the Dream” documentary focusing on the Mugler brand deftly melds the house’s past fashion and fragrance history with the lead-up to the label’s spring 2024 catwalk display — and everything in between.
Staged in Paris on Oct. 3, 2023, the show was the brainchild of Mugler creative director Casey Cadwallader, who stars in this documentary produced by Terminal 9 Studio that goes live on Canal+ in France starting Sept. 25 and soon worldwide on select platforms, including Prime Video.
Other stars include the late Manfred Thierry Mugler himself, who launched the brand in 1971 and appears in vintage spots; Zendaya; Pat Cleveland; Iman Bowie; Hunter Schafer; Paris Hilton; Susanne Bartsch, and Law Roach — to name but a few.
The hour-long documentary, in English and French, is a vivid patchwork of interviews plus vintage and current film footage. It helps mark Mugler’s 50th anniversary year.
“It’s a celebration of the past, a vibrant snapshot of the present, and a bold declaration of our future,” said Danièle Lahana-Aidenbaum, global president of Mugler Fashion and Fragrance at L’Oréal, which owns the brand. “The film captures the enduring spirit of Mugler — the audacity, the inclusivity, the unwavering commitment to pushing boundaries.
“It’s a tribute to Manfred Thierry Mugler’s visionary legacy and how, under Casey Cadwallader’s leadership as fashion creative director, we continue to redefine self-expression and challenge conventions,” she continued. “The documentary also gives a voice to the incredible fashion and fragrance teams who have contributed to Mugler’s success over the years. By sharing the house’s story, we hope to inspire the next generation of creators and those who dare to dream big.”
Manfred Thierry Mugler in a still from “Inside the Dream.”
Courtesy of Mugler
The two prior “Inside the Dream” installments feature Bulgari high jewelry from 2022, and Dior’s J’Adore fragrance from 2023. Their director Matthieu Menu recalled seeing the “Thierry Mugler: Couturissime” exhibition in Paris a couple of years ago that shined a light on the late designer’s masterpieces. Menu also remembered the George Michael music video “Too Funky,” which featured a star-studded lineup including Linda Evangelista, Eva Herzigová and Tyra Banks dressed in Mugler fashions.
“I immersed myself in the Mugler universe for a few weeks,” said Menu, explaining that very much included the present day, with Cadwallader’s fashion, which he interestingly discovered weaves in the founding designer’s legacy.
Menu delved into the house’s archives, which showed, for instance, Mugler’s big-bang show at the Zénith Paris stadium in March 1984.
“It’s all this creation and innovation that gave me the goal to do something,” said Menu.
“Inside the Dream” starts six months before the spring 2024 show.
Some highlights of the documentary include Zendaya trying on the iconic vintage Mugler robot suit, first presented in 1995. She wore the bodysuit at the “Dune: Part Two” London premiere in February, effectively bridging past and present, and setting off a major fashion moment.
Following a clip of that event, there is Cadwallader back in his office saying: “You didn’t get the really good part, which is Zendaya, Law and me in London, driving across the city as we put on the robot in the dark, in the back of a van, trying to not drop the screws because we have to have her on the red carpet in four minutes.”
Elsewhere in the documentary, after a clip of Mugler’s 20th-anniversary spectacular show at the Cirque d’Hiver in Paris that ended with confetti flying through the air, the late designer says in a spot: “I like them to realize that it’s all about joy.”
The scene then toggles to the 2023 party for the Angel Elixir fragrance launch in Paris, just after Schafer arrived at the venue. The scent’s signature blue light fills the room that throbs with strobe lights and people dancing. Jared Leto appears.
At another point, DSM-Firmenich perfumer Olivier Cresp discusses the creation process for Mugler’s blockbuster Angel scent, out in 1992, which launched an entirely new olfactive family for perfume — the gourmand.
A still from “Inside the Dream” of the making of Angel bottles.
Courtesy of Mugler
“One day he told me about his childhood in Strasbourg,” said Cresp. “He would drink chocolate milk and he’d dip raisin cookies into it. I remember that once I’d finish work, I ran to the nearest store and I bought almost all the cookies and the candies I could carry. On the backs of the packets of Haribo candies, I found some ingredients that would be interesting to try in our creation.”
Fast-forward, and it’s the day before Mugler’s spring 2024 show and its atelier is abuzz with try-ons, sewing machines whirring and models strutting.
“For me, casting is trying to be honest about what I see as beautiful in the world: confidence and resolve about being a human being,” said Cadwallader. “So do I think that a 70-year-old can be as sensual and as hot as a 26-year-old? Yeah. Do I think a curvy woman can be just as killer on the runway as a sample size? I know it. I’ve seen it a bunch of times. I want everyone to see a bit of themselves walking down the runway.”
At the Caroussel du Louvre show venue, multiple fans hung from the ceiling.
“So what’s scary is in the studio, it’s working, but when it gets scaled up to a giant hall in front of everyone, is it going to get stuck? Is it going to work?” he said.
Three hours prior to the catwalk display, due to a traffic jam, there are no clothes, shoes or bags yet delivered.
“It’s just sort of this ongoing battle to the finish,” said Cadwallader. “Emotional rollercoaster, but I think it’s why you do it.”
In a separate interview with WWD, the designer said he and his team got used to having the Terminal 9 “family” around shooting.
“The documentary sheds light on how we all are so involved in supporting and shedding beautiful light on the archives and the history of the house at the same time as the future, and how that does all weave together,” he said.
Cadwallader, who has himself been through the house’s archive in-depth, said there’s one shot in the documentary he’d never seen before.
“That’s Mr. Mugler jumping off of his moto and running up the staircase to the office in his shearling jacket,” he said. “I was like: What — that is so cool. Every once in a while, there’d be a flash of an interview or some other type of film that I hadn’t seen that was exciting.”
Hearing again the story of Angel’s conception, which ran countercurrent olfactively to other perfumes of the time, Cadwallader said: “it’s exciting to hear about that headspace, and that can be inspiring for me to try and break rules somewhere else.
“I’m always looking backwards, looking at the archive,” he said. “I’m always inspired by what [Thierry Mugler] did, and I’m always trying to transform that into something that feels like a really natural fit for me and the world today.”
The documentary, said Cadwallader, allows viewers to see Mugler’s reactions to the world over the decades.
“Ultimately, the documentary isn’t just about showcasing triumphs, but about revealing the dedication, the serendipity and even the risks that have shaped Mugler,” said Lahana-Aidenbaum.
It is, according to Cadwallader, “to celebrate everything that’s happened and is happening here throughout the 50 years.”
