Miguel Castro Freitas has stayed behind the scenes in fashion, but his new job will bring him into the spotlight. The Portuguese, Paris-based designer was appointed creative director of Mugler on Tuesday, succeeding Casey Cadwallader, who exited after a seven-year tenure. He was most recently creative director for the Max Mara-owned brand Sportmax from the Spring/Summer 2021 to 2024 seasons.
Castro Freitas was born in a small town called Santarém, near Lisbon. After graduating with a BA at Central Saint Martins in womenswear fashion design in 2004, he started his career at Dior under John Galliano, specialising in haute couture and special projects for celebrities. He went on to work for Yves Saint Laurent as womenswear designer from 2008 to 2010 under Stefano Pilati; then at Lanvin as senior womenswear designer between 2011 and 2013 under Alber Elbaz.
He returned to Dior as head of tailoring in 2014 under Raf Simons. “He is very soft, generous, and a quiet force, always very supportive,” says Serge Ruffieux, who had Castro Freitas on his team when he was at the creative helm of Dior alongside Lucie Meier (after Simons left, from October 2015 to July 2016.) “He fully deserves the job and he is a good fit for Mugler as he likes the sexy aspect, the femme fatale, a little sultry,” Ruffieux says.
Castro Freitas’s resume also includes a stint at Dries Van Noten, where he was head of womenswear from 2017 to 2019 (he and Julian Klausner, who is now Dries Van Noten’s creative director, crossed paths for a short period of time.)
It’s not easy to find information on the discreet designer. He was a dancer from the age of 6 to 17, “a young dancer, like [house founder] Manfred Thierry Mugler himself”, a spokesperson for Mugler notes. Until Tuesday, Castro Freitas didn’t have an Instagram account – at least, not a public one. His brand new account has garnered over 4,200 followers in one day, including Filipino actress Heart Evangelista, stylist Carlos Nazario, creative duo M/M and Cyril Chapuy, president of L’Oréal Luxe, the L’Oréal division whose portfolio includes Mugler.
“He’s a great guy with a ton of talent. He’s a great choice for Mugler, just as Casey Cadwallader was a great choice for Mugler,” says Mathias Ohrel, founder of recruitment firm m-O, who hired both designers for past jobs.
According to Jean Vigneron, consultant at executive recruitment firm Egon Zehnder, designers can fall in three main categories: big name designers with high notoriety; those with a large social media community and, finally, the “product lovers”, who maintain a strong focus on technique. He notes that these designers, who typically operate more behind the scenes, are on the rise. Castro Freitas’s appointment follows that of Dario Vitale’s at Versace – a relative unknown who previously designed for Miu Miu. “It’s in line with a tougher market where the consumer wants to make an investment and therefore perceive the value of each product,” says Vigneron.
Frietas’s experience designing couture appears to be a good fit for the Mugler brand, which is often associated with dramatic silhouettes and a strong founder heritage. He will helm a house that faces the peculiarity of being the only fashion business within L’Oréal’s portfolio, save for a new minority investment in Jacquemus. It’s understood that fragrances account for the bulk of the house’s business.
“It is an honour to join the spectacular house of Mugler. As one of the twentieth century’s great couturiers, Mr Mugler reimagined the power and limits of fashion. Alongside the teams, I am thrilled to bring my own vision, story and emotion to this monumental heritage,” said Castro Freitas in Tuesday’s announcement.
He will join Mugler on 1 April. His debut show for Mugler will take place in September, during the high-stakes SS26 season, which will see a number of debuts, including Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, Demna at Gucci, Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta and Mark Thomas at Carven. No doubt Castro Freitas’s Instagram account will have grown exponentially by then.
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