Jacques Brinon/Associated Press

If Lady Gaga wants to continue her career in runway modeling, she will have to look elsewhere than Mugler. Joël Palix, the president of the Clarins Fragrance Group and the director general of its Mugler fragrance and fashion label, announced on Tuesday that the company had parted ways with the creative director Nicola Formichetti.

In his two years at Mugler, Mr. Formichetti brought a sense of excitement and experimentation to the house, often with guest appearances by his friend Gaga on the soundtrack, on videos or, at his first women’s show, walking on the runway. For a moment, and a brief one at that, the Mugler label was almost as hot as it was in Paris in the 1980s. Mr. Palix, in a statement, did not give a reason for Mr. Formichetti’s departure, other than to say the company would “soon announce a strategic plan for Mugler that builds on its highly successful legacy in fragrance and its new momentum in fashion.”

The company would not say whether the designers Mr. Formichetti brought to the company, including the women’s wear designer Sébastien Peigné, would remain there.

In the statement, Mr. Formichetti said it was a challenge to “re-invigorate the house for a new generation and audience, particularly one that has grown up exploring fashion through the Internet.”

Part of what made his initial approach to the label so interesting was that he defined Mugler for the social media generation, releasing tidbits about the brand almost daily, while tapping into Lady Gaga’s momentum around her last album release. The Mugler name was name-checked in several of her songs. But with recent shows, it was becoming harder for Mr. Formichetti to engage those customers, let alone members of the core fashion industry. Fewer top-level editors attended the shows, and the news there became rather conventional, like announcing the release of a new handbag.

Anyway, he was back to his new tricks on Tuesday. Moments after the Mugler news was released, he was talking about it on Twitter.