Miguel Castro Freitas will replace Casey Cadwallader as head of the French fashion house.
According to an announcement today from Mugler’s parent company L’Oréal, Miguel Castro Freitas will replace Casey Cadwallader as the French fashion house’s creative director. “Miguel lives and breathes the Mugler spirit. His deep understanding of Mugler’s DNA and his vast creativity and talent made him a natural choice,” said Danièle Lahana-Aidenbaum, Mugler’s global brand president for fashion and perfumery.
Who is Miguel Castro Freitas?
Castro Freitas, a Portuguese national, is unknown to the general public and is not well-known in the fashion industry. He graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2004, was hand-picked by John Galliano to work at Dior after graduation, and worked as a designer at Lanvin alongside Yves Saint Laurent and Alber Elbaz under Stefano Pilati. The most notable roles in his career can be listed as follows: He was head of the tailoring department at Christian Dior, directed by Raf Simons. He was womenswear director at Dries Van Noten and creative director of Sportmarx from spring/summer 2021 to spring/summer 2024. Castro Freitas may not be in the category of celebrity designers or on social media, but he has 20 years of experience working for established luxury fashion houses.
“It is an honor to join Mugler. One of the great designers of the twentieth century, Mr. Mugler reimagined the power and boundaries of fashion. I am very excited to bring my vision, story and emotions to this great legacy, together with my team,” Castro Freitas said.
Mugler had dropped out of Paris Fashion Week’s Fall/Winter 2025-26 calendar, fueling speculation about changes in creative direction. In a separate statement this morning, it was announced that Cadwallader would be stepping down at the end of March. “Over the past seven years, Cadwallader’s unique vision has helped introduce Mugler to a new generation, celebrating core themes of empowerment, inclusivity and identity. On behalf of the team, we wish Casey the greatest success in his next endeavors,” said Lahana-According to an announcement today from Mugler’s parent company L’Oréal, Miguel Castro Freitas will replace Casey Cadwallader as the French fashion house’s creative director. “Miguel lives and breathes the Mugler spirit. His deep understanding of Mugler’s DNA and his vast creativity and talent made him a natural choice,” said Danièle Lahana-Aidenbaum, Mugler’s global brand president for fashion and perfumery.
Who is Miguel Castro Freitas?
Castro Freitas, a Portuguese national, is unknown to the general public and is not well-known in the fashion industry. He graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2004, was hand-picked by John Galliano to work at Dior after graduation, and worked as a designer at Lanvin alongside Yves Saint Laurent and Alber Elbaz under Stefano Pilati. The most notable roles in his career can be listed as follows: He was head of the tailoring department at Christian Dior, directed by Raf Simons. He was womenswear director at Dries Van Noten and creative director of Sportmarx from spring/summer 2021 to spring/summer 2024. Castro Freitas may not be in the category of celebrity designers or on social media, but he has 20 years of experience working for established luxury fashion houses.
“It is an honor to join Mugler. One of the great designers of the twentieth century, Mr. Mugler reimagined the power and boundaries of fashion. I am very excited to bring my vision, story and emotions to this great legacy, together with my team,” Castro Freitas said.
Mugler had dropped out of Paris Fashion Week’s Fall/Winter 2025-26 calendar, fueling speculation about changes in creative direction. In a separate statement this morning, it was announced that Cadwallader would be stepping down at the end of March. “Over the past seven years, Cadwallader’s unique vision has helped introduce Mugler to a new generation, celebrating core themes of empowerment, inclusivity and identity. On behalf of the team, we wish Casey the greatest success in his next endeavors,” said Lahana-Aidenbaum.
“Mugler is unlike any other brand, and it was exciting to develop a deep understanding of what it could mean in today’s culture. I am incredibly grateful to my team, collaborators and friends for all the support and talent they have given me in helping bring this vision to life,” Cadwallader said.
Mugler has a strong legacy as the only fashion brand in L’Oréal’s portfolio. Apart from a recent minority investment in Jacquemus, L’Oréal does not own any other fashion brands. (L’Oréal acquired Mugler and Azzaro from Clarins in late 2019.) The fragrance department represents the bulk of Mugler’s business, with major fragrances such as Angel and Alien.
Mugler’s history
Mugler founder Thierry Mugler founded the house in 1974 and shook up fashion by becoming synonymous with the strong shoulders of the 1980s. His shows were grand theatrical spectacles open to thousands. He brought new energy to ready-to-wear, challenging the definition of haute couture with exaggerated proportions and the use of materials like rubber and PVC. He is also known as a pioneer of diversity and inclusivity on the runway.
The designer changed his name (to Manfred Thierry Mugler) in 2002 and abandoned his own label the same year. Clarins bought the brand in the 1990s, but closed its money-losing fashion department in 2002 and revived it in 2010. Clarins hired Nicola Formichetti as creative director for four seasons from 2011 to 2013, followed by David Koma from 2013 to 2017. “Under Formichetti and then Koma’s creative directorships, Mugler became the go-to place for stylish, powerful pieces for a night out,” Steff Yotka wrote after Cadwallader was appointed creative director in December 2017.
During Cadwallader’s seven-year tenure, Mugler has become the go-to brand for celebrities and big-name performers like Beyoncé, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa. Following in the footsteps of its founder, Cadwallader has also been known for its diverse and inclusive roster. When Thierry Mugler passed away in January 2022, Cadwallader spoke with Vogue Runway and Vogue Business global director Nicole Phelps about carrying Mugler’s legacy forward and adapting it. “You just see the kind of beauty that he channeled. And honestly, that’s my life,” she said.
During the pandemic, Cadwallader has opted to direct a series of fashion films instead of runway shows. Mugler has also shifted to a see-now, buy-now model, where collections are available to purchase as soon as the films are released. Mugler’s first physical show since the pandemic was held outside of the fashion calendar in January 2023 at La Villette park in Paris. The show carried the cinematic feel of the movies, with models including Ziwe, Arca, Anok Yai, Paloma Elsesser and Debra Shaw following the cameras as they walked the runway.
The brand followed the same strategy until spring/summer 2025, when it staged a more pared-down, salon-style show at the Paris concert hall Le Trianon. Vogue Business took a behind-the-scenes look at the show, which focused on the clothes, as opposed to the large-scale, performance-heavy shows of the past.
L’Oréal does not disclose revenues for individual brands, but its managing director Adrian Corsin told Vogue Business in September 2024 that Mugler is growing in the high double-digits in Asia in 2023, thanks to the launch of its strong jeans line and leather goods such as the Spiral Curve bag. Corsin took over in April 2023, and Mugler has shifted away from a see-now, buy-now model to a fashion calendar and seasonal strategy.
“Having worked under some of the industry’s most prolific designers, Miguel has an extraordinary talent for tailoring, but also a vision that is entirely his own. His love and knowledge of Mugler’s haute couture codes and heritage will be an endless resource for storytelling and will propel the house into the future,” Corsin said of the brand’s new creative director.
Castro Freitas will join Mugler on April 1. His first show for Mugler will take place in September for the spring/summer 2026 season, which will also feature the debut collections of Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, Demna at Gucci, Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta and Mark Thomas at Carven.
