Thousands of guests attended the Diesel show in Milan in spring 2023. In fact, 3,000 tickets were offered to the public. Creative Director Glenn Martens has quickly become one of those designers desperate to break down the barriers of the traditional fashion industry, and he’s done just that again for the brand’s Spring 2023 collection.
The show, set in a room full of massive, vaguely sexual inflatable sculptures, began with a procession of denim looks: bra tops, oversized vests, cropped jeans, tattered maxi dresses, distressed hot pants, baggy trench coats, and structured corsets. Influenced by his work at Y/Project, where Martens delved deeply into the material, the designer has made it clear that Diesel is a vessel to play with any type of denim, as well as a way to explore how accurate these concepts are work interaction with the diesel archives. “How can we reinvent denim or what can we do with denim? [that’s] unexpected?” he said W In April. “How can we turn it? How can I imagine how our denim will be perceived?”
From the chunky denim bomber jackets to the tiny denim skinny tops, Spring 2023 at Milan Fashion Week was a character study done through denim. There really was something for everyone, and many of the looks felt like they touched on the expressive subcultures that are currently thriving online and in the real world. We saw the Y2K fanatic, the quirky goth girl (in an ombré denim dress that faded into obscurity) and even the gorpcore dude in all his glory.
In the finish of each piece, we could see how Martens truly indulged in the luxury of denim exploration. Grainy, wood-like textures covered long jackets and denim jackets; Cargo pants had a layer of chiffon at the top. The chunky aged hems, reminiscent of faux fur trim, were divine. We’ve all seen this before, of course, but under Martens’ eye it felt downright directional and extremely well executed.
Alongside denim, there were leather jackets, silky cargo pants, printed jersey maxi dresses, and skirts and dresses with neon lace panels. The collection felt particularly cheerful as Martens experimented with colors that touched on sunset hues: neon orange sweaters paired with metallic pink skirts, for example; or flaming tangerine denim sets.
Since Diesel’s show in Milan last season, we’ve seen the brand’s 1 DR bag worn by everyone from Kylie Jenner to Julia Fox (who sat front row again this season). Spring 2023 didn’t feel like it had a specific “it” piece, but outerwear and its range were particularly strong.
Aside from inviting the public to his show, a true rarity in the world of intimate post-Covid presentations, Marten’s expression through denim conveys an overwhelming message of democracy in fashion. After all, this is a designer who often takes inspiration from the subway. “I think denim is a very democratic material,” he said. “You can wear it with a heel, you can go for a cocktail, you can have a crush.”
