Exclusive: Amaarae Talks Us Through The New H&M x Mugler Music Video

Brace yourselves: Mugler H&M is about to drop. Following in the footsteps of innovators like Karl Lagerfeld, Martin Margiela, Rei Kawakubo, Jeremy Scott’s Moschino and Simone Rocha, Casey Cadwallader’s Mugler is undertaking a high street collection mashup with H&M. Launching May 11, 2023, the collaboration captures the very essence of the house of Mugler. It’s sexy, fierce and rife with daring, high octane glamour; an astounding run of instantly recognisable clobber – sinuous catsuits, skinny jeans, corsetry and all. Always the trailblazer, trend setter and rule-breaker, the Manfred Thierry Mugler founded French label pre-empted themes of body positivity, gender fluidity, transformation and confidence, long before the rest of the fashion world figured out that celebrating inclusivity is, in fact, for everybody. So made up of womenswear, menswear and a whole slew of accessories (we’ve got our eye on those “M” monogram belts) it’s an inclusive celebration of high glamour, freedom of expression and irrepressible style.  

To set the collection’s spirit in motion, and to celebrate Mugler’s long-standing association with music and performance, Mugler and H&M have debuted an exhilarating music video starring rising superstars Amaarae, Shygirl and Eartheater – its an explosive sneak peak of the sexed-up collection. Singing alongside one another, the glamour gals have recorded their own, neoteric take on Stardust’s 1998 dance hit “Music Sounds Better With You” and it’s sensational. Joined by music director Ashland Mines (Ash) and film directors Torso, the catchy track and slick video operate as a nod to the sense of community that defines the vision of Cadwallader’s Mugler today. 

Here, we sat down with pop-princess Amaarae to talk about all things Mugler H&M, iconic 1990s/’00s aesthetics and the meaning of community. 

1. How would you describe your take on Stardust’s 1998 dance hit ‘Music Sounds Better With You’? Can you walk us through it?

“The cool thing about working with Ash and the Mugler team is that everything they do is like a crazy mix of high level ideas and execution with a guerrilla style mentality! I met Ash in London for about an hour and he was like ok yeah! Just go in the booth, sing it down a couple of times, give me some harmonies and different tones and I’ll make it work! And that was it. Ash is an iconic producer and DJ. So I trusted him fully to do his thing.”

2. How was it working alongside Shygirl and Eartheater ?

“Love them both! We had crazy long work days but honestly they were so much fun and just chill and humble – it was cool to have our three different energies come together for this!”

3. What are some of your favourite behind-the-scenes memories of making the music video?

“I have too many! The team treated us so well and took such good care of us. I think one of the most memorable ones was realising Imaan Hammam actually had to physically rush through the wall in the opening scene – watching them actually blow up the wall first and then her having to walk through the rubble was crazy. I was like damn this is true dedication right here!”

4. What piece are you most excited about within the H&M x Mugler collection? And why?

“When I tell you the whole collection is sick, I mean it’s really sick. Every single piece from the jeans to the corset hoodie to the belts and earrings is incredible. It’s about to be a Mugler summer, haha!”

5. How do you feel when wearing a look from the collection?

“Sleek, sexy, cool, bad ass.”

6. Cadwallader’s vision for Mugler today brings in a sense of community. What does community mean to you?

“Casey is all about community and he has truly brought all of us in from different parts of the world and walks of life to consistently collaborate and make us feel like we’re a part of something special. He’s a legend and I adore him for that! Community to me is thinking about the bigger picture and understanding your place in a world or space that works to not only show its members their value, but to remind them that we are working towards a future that grows us all.”

7. Your upcoming album Fountain Baby and its accompanying music videos are super sexy and sit within a high fashion context. Visually speaking, it’s been built around iconic 90s and 2000s fashion campaigns, which is similar to this H&M x Mugler music video. What about this era and its sensuality do you think is so attractive to people right now?

“Aesthetic and curation is an undermined art form in these current times. Right now as we live and create, everything seems like it’s everywhere all at once. That wasn’t the case in the 90s/2000s. Artists across all disciplines really cared about detail and when people came together to work on something – whether it was a fashion show, a film, an artist’s music video, etc – everyone involved executed it at the highest level.

“Nowadays, I don’t know how much [energy] people put into curating an aesthetic; for example, even on your average 90s/2000s sitcoms, characters were better developed and styled better. Directors cared about making sure each shot was a great shot: they took time to consider lighting and its impact when communicating a vision. Very intentional and conscious choices were made, such as, what furniture should we use? What tone of blue looks best on the character’s skin? What does the set look like – even if it’s just a kitchen or a living room – what are we trying to communicate? How do the characters compliment or contrast the setting?

“I don’t think we’re applying these thoughts into our creation now. If you sit and compare early 2000s sitcoms and shows like Girlfriends and Sex and The City, to the shows now that are about girls and their friends, they’re just not as well thought out.”

8. How does your own elevated aesthetic and sexiness suit the H&M x Mugler collection and why did it feel like the right project for you to become a part of right now?

“Everything Mugler feels right for me! Haha! Mugler is and has always been a ballsy brand and I’m a ballsy girl! This collection specifically brought a streamlined and sharp look to very bold concepts and silhouettes.”

Photography courtesy of H&M.

hm.com