Thierry Mugler: Remembering Brian Aris’s iconic photo of David Bowie in French designer’s green suit
Photographer recalls Bowie being ‘a big fan of Mugler’
French fashion designer Thierry Mugler has died aged 73.
Known as the man who came to define Eighties power-dressing, Mugler’s designs were regularly worn by stars including David Bowie, Miley Cyrus, Cardi B, Diane Kruger and Diana Ross, in music videos, films, and on the red carpet.
In 2017, The Independent interviewed renowned celebrity photographer Brian Aris, who took one of the most recognisable shots of Bowie in 1992, in which he wears a lime-green suit by Mugler as he leans against a pink door.
Aris has kindly given The Independent permission to re-share the photo following the news of Mugler’s death.
“I worked a lot with David Bowie. I even photographed his wedding to the beautiful model Iman in Florence. So I got to see the wonderfully modest and generous man behind the public image,” he said in 2017 of photographing Bowie. “Another truly original talent and a great musician.
“When I photographed him at home in New York with his newly born baby daughter Alexandria, he was a proud father and seemed overjoyed at her birth. I like so many other people was deeply shocked and saddened at his passing but of course his legacy of great music will always be there for future generations.”
Bowie also famously wore a Mugler dress on both Saturday Night Live in 1979 and for his “Boys Keep Swinging” video, released that same year. Mugler also dressed Bowie when he married Iman in 1992.
Aris told The Independent: “David was a big fan of Mugler and that series of images wearing the lime-green suit is very popular. It was taken in Dublin on a “Tin Machine” video shoot and, as you can imagine, it was a photographers delight to see David wearing it for my pictures.”
For more information about Brian Aris’s work you can visit www.arisprints.com.
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