Everything you need to know about: Diesel

Diesel is an Italian clothing company specialising in high-quality jeans and other apparel and accessories for women, men and children of all ages, founded by Renzo Rosso. The brand is known for its chic yet casual, denim-heavy designs as well as its strong, ironic and playful advertising campaigns. Collections include Diesel, Diesel Black Gold and Diesel Kid.

Headquartered in Breganze, Italy, the company is part of Rosso's fashion group Only The Brave, which also owns Maison Margiela, Marni, Viktor & Rolf and Jil Sander.

Origins

From stitching a pair of jeans on his mother's sewing machine as a teenager, Renzo Rosso launched his own brand Diesel in 1978 after buying the clothing manufacturer Moltex and changing its name.

Rosso, who was once dubbed the "jeans genius" by the renowned fashion critic Suzy Menkes, started Diesel with the intention of creating the world’s most innovative jeans, and soon found success. The next 30 years for Diesel were defined by a rock-and-roll vibe, trendy low-rise and distressed jeans and provocative, often surreal advertising campaigns that often featured rebellious scenes such as same-sex couples kissing, decades before this was normalised.

Evolution

After declining sales and filing for US bankruptcy in 2019, Diesel embarked on a rebranding strategy spearheaded by Glenn Martens, who joined the company in October 2020. The Belgian designer is known for his avant-garde designs for Paris-based Y/Project. His first full collection was presented at the Spring/Summer 2022 fashion week, which showcased more elevated and experimental designs and helped Diesel gain new popularity.

A “brand evolution” strategy was unveiled in OTB Group’s 2021 final report in which the company said it aimed to reposition the brand in the alternative luxury segment. Alongside the completion of a distribution requalification process, OTB said Diesel was to divert its gaze towards trend-orientated international clients.

The revamp seems to be paying off: The fashion label has quickly become a celebrity favourite and one of the world’s hottest brands, according to global fashion shopping platform Lyst. Diesel was ranked the ninth hottest brand in the world in Q2 2022, with its instantly recognisable, boldly branded 1DR bag catapulted to the top spot of the hottest women's products in the world.

News

Then as now, the brand stands for passion, individuality and self-expression. Worn by the likes of Kylie Jenner, Dua Lipa and Julia Fox, Diesel continues to be among the most popular brands in the world with its innovative use of denim and on-trend Y2K designs.

More recently, Diesel unveiled a new athleisure line, Diesel Sport, in May 2022 as it looks to expand its business and opened its SS23 show in Milan to the public in a mission to democratise fashion. The company counts over 5,000 points of sale worldwide with over 400 monobrand stores.