Dare to be Diesel: sophisticated yet disruptive, cut, torn, and incredibly low-cut. The show took place at the location of the largest graffiti installation ever known, covering over three kilometers of material with graffiti by a global collective of about 7,000 graffiti artists, both amateurs and experts.

“I love that thousands of people from around the world worked together to create the set. We gave the global street art collective total creative freedom – everyone expressed themselves in their own way, in a project that took months to complete. This is true Diesel democracy,” says Glenn Martens, Diesel’s creative director.

The Diesel language – denim, utilitarian, pop, artisanal – is amplified and combined, rising above archetypes and overturning traditions.

The tailoring of the outfits is collarless, such as a bouclé jacket worn with a denim peplum, as if it were the upper part of a pair of jeans over jacquard shorts that mimic worn denim. Men’s suits are roughly tailored from laminated neoprene, without any accessories, while a bouclé corset is worn over skinny jeans.

Houndstooth jacquards are woven in such a way that they appear layered and deteriorated. It’s a destructive effect in the fabric, reflected also in the tailoring of pieces like a bandeau top worn with a corset over trousers. Meanwhile, bouclé coats are treated so that the material appears frayed, while in shirts, the bouclé is printed on Lycra.

Subversion becomes part of the everyday, with ultra-padded hooded jackets that wrap around like a shawl, worn with wool skirts or extremely low-rise jeans. Leather is boiled to give jackets and shirts extreme three-dimensionality, while fluffy zip-collar sweaters with contrasting interiors are matched with a fluffy knit band that supports incredibly low-waisted trousers.

Experimentation is omnipresent, with plastified denim jackets, bustiers, and jeans: it’s as if the pieces were completely laminated, leaving only the pockets cut out. Tulle has been woven with a jacquard that appears to be almost destroyed denim, transformed into dresses or used as a layer covering a silver jacket and coat, both lined.

The Double D bag appears sophisticated in bouclé, while two unisex bags make their debut: the Flag-D bag, with a relaxed design, features a wide logo strap made from faux pony, while the Load-D has an oval shape and is supported at the ends by two Diesel Ds. Men’s boots have an ultra-massive sole, while the slippers are created from a houndstooth material with a worn effect. Bouclé kitten heel boots have the Diesel D initial applied on the tip, and bouclé or worn denim high-heeled shoes feature a platform design, printed to perfectly match the texture of the material.

Street Art Capsule: An exclusive collection will be available, featuring works by six international graffiti artists who contributed to the show’s decor. To create this collection, Diesel pieces were sent to the artists, giving them the freedom to customize them with graffiti in their unique style. The results were then scanned and printed, bringing the creative energy of the decor to selected Diesel stores worldwide and on diesel.com.

Graffiti artists who collaborated on the collection include:

Roy XR Chen (China) Ryota Daimon (Japan) Farai Engelbrecht (South Africa) Phree Hester (USA) Brianna Toomer (France) Red Longo (Italy)

Show facts:

• 3.2 kilometers of material were covered with special graffiti for Diesel, creating the largest graffiti installation ever known in the world.
• Thousands of graffiti artists from eight countries worked together to create the setup, including both professional and amateur artists from China, UAE, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the USA.
• Each country organized unique activations to paint thousands of rolls of material. In India, local artists drew the material in Diesel stores, inviting customers to participate. In China and Japan, students were invited to participate, and in South Africa, the activity took place during a full-day event.
• Artists were given total freedom to express themselves through their works.
• The resulting material covered a total of 3,200 square meters of the arena, which was then filled with Diesel’s record-breaking inflatable sculpture, presented for the first time at the SS23 show. The sculpture, which holds the Guinness World Record for the largest inflatable installation, was now completely covered in graffiti.

CREDITS:

Creative Director: Glenn Martens Styling: Ursina Gysi Original Soundtrack Composer: Senjan Jansen Hair: Gary Gill Make-up: Inge Grognard for @MACcosmetics Concept Designer: Studio Dennis Vanderbroeck Casting: Establishment NY