The new Diesel x Diesel collection is the brainchild of Diesel founder Renzo Rosso and recently appointed creative director Glenn Martens. In a letter, Martens described how when he arrived at the Italian denim brand, Rosso was studying how to fuse the label’s heritage with the style and demands of consumers in 2021.
The collection includes 24 “revamped” pieces from throughout the brand’s history, stamped with a “distinctly North American aesthetic” inspired by the research trips Renzo and his design team made in the late ’80s. Design elements include distressed leather, American road trip-inspired patchwork and workwear.
Standout garments include a varsity leather jacket with Diesel branding on the back, a washed black denim patchwork vest and straight-leg pants with leather applique details that mimic chaps. Rounding out the collection are miniskirts, hoodies and shirts.
According to Martens, the collection celebrates the brand’s background as it “steers into a new era.”
“Our intention is to steer Diesel into the 2020s with a new focus; one that honors its iconicity and its unique history, yet one that is powered by today’s globalized and interconnected currents,” he said.
This isn’t the first time Diesel has presented a fresh take on its own designs. In 2020, the brand partnered with “throwback partner” 55DSL on an upcycled collection featuring Diesel’s deadstock, archive pieces and prototypes that were reworked to create a completely reimagined limited-edition product run.
In typical Diesel fashion, the brand launched a cheeky campaign to go along with the Diesel x Diesel collection, this time centered on the shift to more joyful times. Named “Fake Smiles,” the advertisement features models wearing Diesel garments and exaggerated smiles while performing everyday tasks like mowing the lawn and ironing clothes.
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