Milan, Italy
Guests arriving to Diesel’s Milan Fashion Week show on Wednesday may need been stunned by the set: a large mountain of condoms. The Italian model unveiled its Fall-Winter 2023 assortment against a backdrop of over 200,000 Durex containers, nodding to each intercourse positivity and a forthcoming collaboration with the contraceptive firm.
“We like to play at Diesel, and we are serious about it,” inventive director Glenn Martens stated in a assertion. “Have fun, respect each other, be safe.”
Indeed, the complete assortment explored themes of freedom, pleasure and experimentation, with fashions strutting across the condom avalanche in ultra-low-rise denims, denim clothes with sheer meshed lace panels and ripped silk clothes held collectively by precarious-looking chains. The accompanying techno soundtrack was interspersed with the sound of express moans, reinforcing the message that Martens is out to push boundaries.
Since changing into inventive director in October 2020, the Belgian designer has steered Diesel — lengthy identified for its provocative advertising and luxe denims aesthetic — in the direction of extra experimental makes use of of denim. He has additionally been taking part in with upcycling. This assortment alone featured leftover nylon that was coated with one other form of plastic and heated, deadstock fake fur painted to look nearly like liquid and biker jackets that have been blow-torched and reworked into structural items.
And, of course, he has made Diesel’s set design one thing of a speaking level throughout vogue week.
In February 2022, at Martens’ post-pandemic runway return, the label greeted attendees with 5 inflatables putting a sequence of cheeky poses described by Diesel as “confident, exuberant and proud.” Each was modeled on a actual particular person and ranged from round 25 ft to 55 ft huge. Invitations for the show included an edible thong made of pink and white sweet.
Then, for its Spring-Summer 2023 presentation final September, Diesel erected an infinite inflatable that earned a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest ever blow-up sculpture. (The label additionally invited the general public to attend the show, breaking with vogue week’s unique norms to host a whopping 5,000 individuals.)
The condom “mountain,” as Diesel described it, made for one more viral second underneath Martens’ course — a transfer that promotes each the label’s new assortment and protected intercourse. In protecting with the theme, invites have been despatched within the type of Durex packs, whereas a post-runway press launch introduced that Diesel shall be distributing a additional 300,000 condoms throughout its shops worldwide in April. One jersey T-shirt seen on Wednesday’s runway additionally hinted at what’s to return, with the basic Diesel “D” emblem swapped for Durex’s “D”.
Top picture caption: The Diesel presentation’s set.