Can Glenn Martens Make Diesel Cool Again?

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Another lagging retail giant has swept up a hot designer to reinvigorate their brand yet again.

Hot off the trails from Paris Fashion Week, Glenn Martens of Y/Project is reuniting with Italian denim giant Diesel to make blue jeans cool again.

Their marriage isn’t a surprise by any standards in today’s retail world. Corporate monoliths like GAP, H&M, and Converse have been collaborating with designers for years – Giambattista Valli, Karl Lagerfeld, Comme Des Garçons, Kanye West have all done their due time with mass-market partnerships. Recently, Reebok announced Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss would join the shoe family as its newest Vice President of Creative Direction.

As Diesel’s first Creative Director in forty-two years, Martens is expected to bring his unique twist on structured silhouettes and denim to the forefront of the label. Effective immediately, the Belgian designer will oversee the brand’s communication and aesthetic both within its collections and at its storefronts.

Martens may have been the label’s first choice after their Red Tag collection collaboration during Milan Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2019, where the designer reimagined classic denim pants and shirts. The result? A strong stance on embracing imperfection and mistakes inspired by Diesel’s “Go with the flaw” slogan.

The Antwerp designer’s take on bottoms and sherpa jackets don’t fall too far from his signature look at the Paris-based Y/Project. The new-age conceptual it-brand has gained a cult-like status among fashion lovers over the course of Martens’ career.

For Diesel, it’s quite the opposite.

The denim brand from the ’70s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2019, citing overwhelming losses and nose-diving sales. Founder Renzo Rosso’s empire of chic denim for an older generation has struggled to keep up with the new wave of Millennial and Generation Z consumers.

Enter Martens. His successful tenure at Y/Project didn’t begin without hesitation. After Y/Project’s Yohan Serfaty passing in 2013, Martens assumed the vacancy and inherited an atelier who’s purpose seemed lost. Within four years, the Creative Director was named one of 500 people shaping the industry. With a focus on intention and emotion, Martens challenges what a traditional garment is supposed to look like.

If it’s any indication what Martens’ vision will be at Diesel, it’s a disruption to everything the Italian brand has ever known. Unlike Diesel, Y/Project discards the classic like a plastic wrapper and launches into the contemporary–it’s designs are strictly modern, existing perfectly for the current moment, rather than focusing on a nostalgia of the past.

Y/Project’s Spring/Summer 2021 collection, created in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, is a perfect example.

Carefully crafted leather silhouettes and contemporary prints dominated the label’s latest digital lookbook. By abandoning stuffy tradition and steering towards a less-dramatic rendition of comfort fashion, Marten’s weaves his youthful nature throughout the collection.

Marten’s focus on sustainability shouldn’t be lost on the brand’s revival. Y/Project’s 100% sustainable Evergreen Collection launched earlier this year with the house’s most loved pieces. Similarly, Diesel launched a sustainable denim collection in April. Green initiatives are important to both industry powerhouses, let’s not forget it takes nearly 10,000 litres of water to produce a single pair of jeans according to the United Nations.

So, what will Martens legacy mean for Diesel? Although the Italian giant hasn’t announced any dates yet, it’s expected Martens’ transformation of the brand can take months, if not years, to fully get underway. After Y/Project, Martens took nearly a year and a half to inject his creativity into the brand’s DNA.

For now, we wait. Here’s to bridging the most loved brands for Millenials and Baby Boomers.

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