Designer shuts his French doors

The Paris fashion world is about to lose one of its brightest stars after French cosmetics company Clarins announced plans Wednesday to close down its money-losing Thierry Mugler couture label.

A Clarins spokesman said the company would keep Mugler’s profitable perfume division but would shut down its ready-to-wear activities.

Mugler’s edgy creations in materials such as vinyl and monkey hair frequently landed the Strasbourg-born designer in hot water with feminists who criticized him for turning women into cartoon superheroes. But his razor-sharp tailored jackets symbolized career women in the 1980s. The label gradually lost its cachet during the ‘90s, however.

A spokeswoman for Mugler, who withdrew from day-to-day design activities two years ago, said he had no comment on the decision. Clarins bought the company in 1997.