Diesel’s Fall/Winter 24 Review
Gatekeeping is a notorious practice amongst the fashion elite. Fortunately, some go against the grain. Diesel by Glenn Martens has been a leader in this demographic. For their past Spring 2023 collection Diesel invited 5,000 attendees. 1,600 of these attendees were fashion students from Milan who received free tickets. Again for their Spring 2024 collection, the brand broke down the barriers of access. Following a show where models walked over a massive pile of Diesel-branded Durex condoms, the show became a rave for over 7,000 attendees. Though dialed back in scale, the recent Fall 2024 collection continues to pull off the mask and allow the general public inside.
Diesel continued to pull back the veil for this past season. They allowed people the chance to join a 24-hour live stream before the show of Glenn Martens and his team's styling, casting, ateliers, and runway setup through the week leading up to the show. As the show began you couldn't help but notice several screens lining the catwalk filled with faces. Over a thousand individuals joined a Zoom call and were plastered on the screens.
Fashion can seem like a lot of glitz and glam. Many don't realize the chaos and hard work that come with it. Diesel by Glenn Martens lets us in and shows us what is hidden from the eye. This is aligned with the theme of the show; What is visible to the eye and what may be hidden. The gorgeous clothes sent down act as a contrast to the chaos of the face-filled screens, packed seats, & background work. They are the order that created this madness.
A monotonous-sounding robot voice began the show by running down the show details. The audience was told about the 65 total looks for the show's 20-minute and 28-second runtime before the voice began counting down from ten. The show began and the voice announced the first model by name. Along with every model who followed. Model Sherry Shi walked out first wearing a shirt dress with sheer material meshed seamlessly with dark gray fabric paired with black leather mule booties. The sheer fabric is intended to create the illusion of sweat. Several looks that followed repeated this fabrication in different formats such as pants and skirts.
The show continued only to the sound of models' names. Eventually, a rave beat would come in and play some bass before going as quickly as it came. It melded into the atmosphere and allowed us to focus on the clothes that followed the sheer pieces. A series of four wax-treated looks came down. They came in the form of a light gray trench and two black suits. Look fourteen expanded on this wax method by using it to express dimension. A glossy wax shifted the texture on the waist of a cropped collar zip-up fabricated out of dark gray plaid. Black vinyl square-toe calf boots are worn with the look. Playing with perception via texture is a Diesel by Glenn Martens staple.
Glenn Martens plays with texture further and expands on the degraded style he's been playing with in past collections like Spring 2024. A floral evening gown appears on the catwalk for look sixteen. The floral fabric appears to tear away and fray against a black sheer fabric acting as a second skin to the floral fabrication. This method is repeated in another floral ankle-length dress with a leopard print being the base this time. It's paired with leopard heels and jewelry made by a Berlin tattoo artist. The artist's cuffs and chokers are throughout the collection.
Public figures such as Alton Mason, VSS, and Leomie Anderson walked the show. Alton Mason ended up introducing us to the middle portion of the show in a brown coat with thick fur lining its interior. The fur continued to come after this look in various fashions. A knit mohair midi-length dress with a leg slit came down in an off-white shade that flowed into an electric blue. It’s paired with sparkly silver pointed-toe boots. Again, playing with textures, Glenn Martens creates the illusion of denim. Another signature for Glenn Martens by Diesel.
My personal favorites were in the final act of the show. Fur became more apparent and varied in technique towards the end. Look thirty-three and the looks following made use of a yeti yarn type textile. Most noteworthy was a pink yeti–yarn coat with a separate off-tone hood piece. Glenn saved some of the best for last in the form of look sixty-two. A short voluminous blue-to-white fur dress blessed us. It was paired with a matching fur-trimmed bag and silver stilettos. Several other bags appear throughout the show. Such as their signature, “play bag”, in a velvet tiger print fabric.
This reading couldn’t end without us taking the time to acknowledge Look fifty-five and the several looks that followed. Articles such as a tank top, tube dress, and skirt have the attendees of the video call printed on them. We the viewers are a part of the show itself, an integral factor in this show and ultimately the brand. Glenn Martens and his team at Diesel continue to give us access. It’s rare to see in fashion and much rarer that it’s so seamlessly melded into the fiber of a brand. Diesel manages to be an alternative to a dense space and be aligned with their brand philosophy. Is there anything Glenn Martens can do wrong at Diesel?
Look at Detailed Looks from the Collection
