A NEW era for Diesel has arrived. The Italian brand, specialising in denim, has welcomed designer Glenn Martens as their creative director presenting a different take on the apparel giant. The spring-summer 2022 collection was unveiled through a short film, directed by artist Frank Lebon to a soundtrack composed by British musician Leon Vynehall. The purpose here was to take the benefits of showing digitally and exposing the new chapter in the Diesel brand within four parts – the evolution through to the future.
Blurring the lines between reality and dreams, we follow a protagonist walking through what seems like a hometown and which blurs into a city landscape – immediately implementing the brand’s urban tone into the film.
Arriving next at an elevator, the fusion of Martens’ aesthetic with the heritage of Diesel come together as the film finishes in a red-filtered room making you question whether this psychedelic video was all just a figment of the imagination or real life.
Diesel SS22
This alternative take on the core elements of the brand sees the introduction of the Diesel Library – a sustainable permanent collection that is entirely genderless. These designs will foreground each collection with the message to buy less but better – in other words, purchase well-made clothes that should last a life time.
This new step forward marks one of the first initiatives that Marten brings to Diesel and will hopefully cement the designer’s place in a brand that looks beyond its own four walls and into the environment.
Diesel SS22
Other key design themes that Marten introduced include an interwoven belt accent that is seen in t-shirts and dresses, becoming the backbone to the garment as it keeps it together, whilst five-pocket trousers debut with integrated cowboy boots for the individual on the move. An important characteristic of the collection to note is the focus on upcycling surplus material by re-dyeing and cutting new pieces out of it.
With that said, with the old comes the new, and laser-printing layers and seams onto the reinterpreted classic Diesel pieces form a trompe l’oeil effect bringing a more classic, French couture hint to the usually city-fitting clothes.
Diesel SS22
This is a bold new move for Diesel as they run into the future with Glenn Martens leading the way. Denim will always be an essential part of anyone’s wardrobe so the question of how to reignite our passion for it may be answered by the new designer’s approach. This new chapter is based on two things, clever design and sustainability, and in 2021 those tend to be the two ingredients to create a lasting taste.
by Imogen ClarkÂ