MILAN — Diesel will once again be part of Milan Fashion Week to present its spring 2023 collection on Sept. 21, but this season, creative director Glenn Martens is opening the show to the public.
“There’s a fun factor to Diesel, a joy factor,” Martens told WWD. “The identity of Diesel is very clear and it’s not too serious, which is why I think people are obsessed with the brand all over again. With this opening, we want to bring the energy that only people who love the brand or are curious to see what’s next can add to a fashion show.”
Through an online registration process, beginning Sept. 1, anyone will have the opportunity to experience the show live on a first come, first serve basis by logging on to the brand’s website.
The show will also be livestreamed on Diesel’s owned digital channels.
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The lineup will comprise an all-gender wardrobe.
Milan Fashion Week will run Sept. 20 to 26.
Diesel returned to the runway with Glenn Martens’ first physical show for the brand last February in Milan. The company then took the fall 2022 collection on the road, staging a repeat show in Tokyo on June 9 — again displaying its huge inflatable characters in come-hither poses on the runway.
The Belgian designer behind the Paris-based Y/Project is known for his reconstructed denim and avant-garde silhouettes and was appointed to the top creative role at Diesel in October 2020.
As reported, Erardo Poletto, who joined Diesel in January as chief executive officer of Diesel North America, took over as global CEO on July 1, succeeding Massimo Piombini.
Diesel is controlled by OTB, founded by Renzo Rosso. The brand, after a reorganization and repositioning of its retail and wholesale channels, continues to be a core business for OTB, representing last year 45% of the total. OTB also controls Marni, Maison Margiela, Jil Sander and Viktor & Rolf, among others.
In 2021, net sales totaled 1.45 billion euros, up 18% compared with 2020.
The first concept store designed by Martens was unveiled at the end of last year in SoHo in New York.
This story was reported by WWD and originally appeared on WWD.com.
