Must Read: Mary J. Blige Covers 'Elle,' Casey Cadwallader Remembers Thierry Mugler

Plus, inside Mugler's lasting legacy.

These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Wednesday.

Mary J. Blige covers Elle
Photographer Adrienne Raquel captured Mary J. Blige for Elle's February 2022 cover. The issue features styling by Jason Rembert and a profile on the hip-hop icon by Elle's Beauty E-Commerce Editor Nerisha Penrose. Blige, who's gearing up to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show, opened up to Penrose about her platinum blonde hair, the inspiration behind her new album and navigating self-acceptance through beauty. {Elle}

Casey Cadwallader remembers Thierry Mugler
The current creative lead of Mugler, Casey Cadwallader, sat down with Vogue Runway's Nicole Phelps to discuss carrying on and adapting Thierry Mugler's vision. "Our first meeting was in person and it was highly organized. That's when we were able to look each other in the eye, to chat, and to talk about what's important today, and what's the future of the house," Cadwallader told Vogue Runway. "I walked away with this amazing sense of relief and connection and I think that was the game-changer. What was important for me [about our meeting] was that it ended with a hug and a smile. His support gave me more energy to push forward and I think his passing is just going to make me push even harder because I feel more responsibility now to honor him. I have always felt that pressure, but I feel like it's much stronger now." {Vogue}

Inside Thierry Mugler's lasting legacy
Joan Summers penned a powerful essay on the work of Thierry Mugler for InStyle. "How does one measure the work of a person who, through no small effort, changed the world. Not in the facile ways we all aspire too; be a better person, recycle, and such. But a shift that altered global beliefs about gender and presentation, identity and possibility and futures yet unwritten," Summers wrote. Despite retiring from the fashion industry in 2002, Mugler's creative efforts and spirit lived on: "Not just on the pop stars who would find inspiration with his work, but in movies, in malls and everyday clothes, and even more surprising places yet, like anime, manga and comic books," Summers added. "The world he created through such dreaming can be felt more and more, up through his death, and I imagine, far beyond it." {InStyle}

The future of celebrity beauty brands
BH Cosmetics filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and closed its operations only four months after releasing its makeup collaboration with Doja Cat. In a new piece for Business of Fashion, Chantal Fernandez questioned whether BH Cosmetics' challenges signal that the celebrity beauty boom is past its peak. Various founders of cosmetics companies weighed in, confirming that consumers are less swayed by celebrity-linked beauty lines. Furthermore, Fernandez found that while celebrities make marketing a brand easier, they can't make up for an underwhelming product or distribution strategy. {Business of Fashion}

The new DIY media economy
Marisa Guthrie delves deep into today's media ecosystem for WWD to uncover how niche platforms that promise unbiased reporting are coming for the loyal audiences of established news brands. "The atomization of the media industry has only accelerated with a dizzying array of platforms," Guthrie wrote, mentioning newsletters and the migration of popular writers to Substack. "But at a time when media organizations must deliver value to shareholders, and chasing clicks is a matter of survival, has the mission become muddied? In a social media dominant era when consumers can choose their own echo chamber, has it tilted toward limiting churn at the expense of holding the powerful to account? In an era of the algorithm-driven platform, where outrage is the dominant currency, is context and nuance just destined to be niche?" {WWD}

Homepage photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Amazon Studios

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