Last year was anything but a stop-gap for Casey Cadwallader. “It’s true, it didn’t really slow down for us,” he said. “It was actually our most successful red carpet year.” That may sound like silly hyperbole, but he’s not wrong. Cast your mind back to Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa, and Cardi B; remember too Kylie Jenner’s Halloween costume and Beyoncé’s rainbow get-up for her music video, “My Power,” from Black Is King. All Mugler. “It has really been a time to focus…and work my ass off!” said the designer, who recently canceled pre-collections to concentrate on custom-made pieces, otherwise known as his “sneaky way of doing couture.”
“It’s important to do the jaw-dropping scandalous stuff; that’s what this house is built on. But it’s also about trying to address an interesting day-to-day wardrobe too,” Cadwallader said. Well, about as “day” as Mugler will ever get. “A lot of young people want to buy Mugler now. I’m trying to do the right thing for the right price,” he explained, pointing to expressive pieces made from recycled Lycra that won’t empty that demographic’s wallets. He’s also thinking a lot about how to elevate sportswear; combining sport with lingerie. Take, for example, the graphic, gravity-defying top that Bella Hadid wears, the one that looks like it’s supported on nothing more than a wing and a prayer, but is in fact a smart combination of fabric technology and illusion. It’s made from a super-stretchy mesh that not only sculpts and smooths the body but also completely disappears against any skin tone. “The idea of shape-wear is built into these garments; there is a lot of attention on fabric technology,” Cadwallader said. “For me, all bodies need to be designed for, not just skinny bodies, although, even skinny bodies sometimes have a bigger butt or boobs and...the clothes help you out with that instead of making you feel bad for having them. I’m celebrating different body shapes.”
Cadwallader is having fun making these videos, too. “Should a hyper-charged Hunter Schafer jump off a box onto the runway to drum and bass music? Yes!” he exclaims, of his nine-minute film directed by Torso Solutions, which also stars Kembra Pfahler, Alek Wek, and Dominique Jackson. “I’ve always wanted models to break into dance on the runway or to do something, but when it’s a live show it’s very risky. The runway can be intense and scary, and the audience is often exhausted, but when you’re doing a film you can mess around, play, and edit.” Like deciding to “rewind” and present the whole show backwards, as he does here. The best news? Having just moved the house to a see-now-buy-now model, it’s all available to buy right now.
