“Not lightly,” is how Cadwallader, who over a Zoom call with Style is surrounded by an angelic halo of Parisian light at his desk, describes taking on Mugler’s legacy and resurrecting a house that had cycled through a few creative directors since Thierry’s genre-redefining time.

7 of Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte’s top twinning fashion moments

Cadwallader, who spent time behind the scenes at brands such as Acne Studios, Loewe and Narciso Rodriguez before Mugler, shares the same affinity with Thierry Mugler for showmanship, inclusiveness and looking beyond the status quo in fashion.

Seeing them on stage, worn by women he admires, is the ultimate thrill. Though meeting Australian pop star Kylie Minogue is also up there. (“I’ve loved her my whole life and loved her music my whole life. Sometimes you meet people that you look up to like that and it’s a letdown and with her it was like, ‘I just want to hang out now.’”)

Where is Anna Nicole Smith’s lookalike daughter Dannielynn Birkhead now?

Reigniting the connection between Mugler and pop culture was a key focus for Cadwallader in taking on the job.

“There is such a cultural pop identity to Mugler. And that was one of my big focuses when I came in. I was like, there’s two things that need to be done. One, the clothes need to get more exciting and more bold and more about the body and the anatomy and about how to create confidence in people. And then the second part was how do we get this brand back on stage? Because it’s like a combustion when you have a strong look and a strong performer. It’s such a magical thing to see,” he says.

5 biggest timepiece moments in May 2023, from the Met Gala to new CEOs

“I think there’s the idea of fashion dominating the body and also fashion telling you what your body is supposed to be. And I think that those are old ideas,” he says. “I think that new ideas are about how to work with different bodies and to make different bodies look their best. And I think this is where technical fabrics become quite important. I think that if the garment is thought of from the beginning to not just go on a size 36 runway model, but instead potentially a size 46 or a 52, it’s a very different design process. It’s about how you cut the garment for sure, and how you design the garment but it’s also about how adaptive the material is.”

Ultimately, he’s having a blast paying homage to a brand he loves and layering in his own voice.

“I’m not just taking the house in a different direction, I’m really trying to refine and update for today what [Mr Mugler] was doing. That comes from a place where I love his clothes and I love what his brand meant in culture,” he says.

What it means to him personally is thinking about the impact his clothes might have on the people who wear them.

How the snake became a high jewellery staple – thanks to Cleopatra?

“I think that I’m trying to do my part to move fashion forward and to let go of some old thinking and to be more open to where the world is going,” he says. “That’s what all fashion designers are trying to do, but I have my specifics about not trying to exclude people. Trying to be really thoughtful about what can bring people more confidence in their life and how in general, the more confident people are the better people are in the world. If someone is happy, they give out positivity.”

This, he says, takes a bit of boldness.