Corporate slogans are usually empty rhetoric. So kudos to Diesel – “Only The Brave” – for showing some serious courage by putting on his show in the middle of a free open-air rave for 7,000 people – just as the skies were about to open in Milan.
Glenn Martens’ gamble seemed to have failed when the prediction turned out to be correct. As the first models came out in his artisan-industrial worn and distressed denim outfits, the rain began to cut with enthusiasm through the illuminated area above the 50-meter runway, which stretched well into the enormous crowd. Fortunately, the audience, which had already enjoyed almost four hours of a DJ line-up programmed by NTS, hardly flinched: from the stands in the back to the sea of phone wavers beneath the backdrop of the large catwalk, they stayed to dance. Watch Senjan Jansen’s uncompromising soundtrack and view Marten’s designs.
Martens said the free tickets made available online – first to 1,500 students at Milan universities and then to everyone – were snapped up within minutes. After tonight’s party (which, crucially, was generously supplied with free gin courtesy of Bulldog), the huge old space on the Scalo Farini railway site (where Alessandro Michele showed Gucci) will remain open for a few more days for everyone to films to be shown, including Mulholland Drive, Fight Club, Spirited Away and Wall-E in a free screening marathon of five films per day.
“It’s about solidarity,” says Martens. “It’s about bringing people together for an analog moment.” Despite those analog ambitions and the handsome Yashica disposable film camera that served as an invitation, the Diesel team must have been pleased to see the sea of glowing cameras heading towards the runway as the models walked through the rain.
The film program was the inspiration for looks with very fun, diesel-like parodies of old-fashioned movie posters for titles such as Herbal world And Batman on some items of clothing. These were distressed, acid-washed and double-layered, printed on opaque cotton-like fabric over jersey. Tight-fitting dresses in jersey or lurex with ruffles, some with the outward outline of underwear, functioned as a loose human pastiche of the Oscars statuette. Destroyed tuxedos, half red carpet and half apocalypse, provided the masculine counterpoint.
A range of looks for men and women were made from shredded jersey, layered over sheer fabric to create a peeling paint effect. Last season’s denim, layered under a polyester section, was developed to add a velvet finish, sometimes printed with flowers or camouflage. What looked like hypertactic pants were in fact composite fanny packs draped down both legs, worn with underwear. Artisan pieces included handmade dresses in ripped denim or burnt mesh. Several models were covered in gray-ochre mud – good for the complexion – that matched the tone of their appearance. Despite the rain, it stayed firmly in place. Fun accessories included large D baseball caps for bike helmets.
As the last model walked, statuesque in a flowing black silk skirt and bralette/scarf combo, the rain suddenly cleared. The final – and then another four hours of partying – followed. This was a courageous show that paid off handsomely.
