Diesel: The New Frontier

Creative director Glenn Martens may have risen Diesel from the ashes, but it is the way the Belgian designer wields denim to his power that makes it such an exhilarating watch.

- Manfred Lu

Glenn Martens is a natural-born provocateur. Just look at his past: the Belgian designer took on the G label Y/Project in 2013, where he steered the brand to win the ANDAM Grand Prize four years later with its witty, gender-cross-pollinating designs. Since then, Y/Project's influence over the fashion industry can be easily traced. Over several seasons - with its ballooning inclination for deconstructed denim and absurd tailoring propositions - Martens has indicated no less the pressure for certain inventiveness. It might have been the trend, but what almost flew under the radar was the way he made it a trend. It is the results of his designs. which always appear as niche experiments. Each toys. with the possibilities of its form, where deconstructed layers are added to or subtracted from ordinary items such as sweatshirts, T-shirts, and denim to make anew. The latter would eventually pave the way for a new era in contemporary fashion, in which Martens acts as its most effective contributor.

Despite receiving multiple offers, Martens eventually accepted OTB Group's opportunity to lead Diesel as its creative director in 2020. Arriving at a time when most would deem unfavourable when the COVID-19 pandemic left fashion in a seismic, regenerative period of change, Martens debuted when denim's relevance could not have been more pertinent thanks to a shakeup by Gen Zs advocating for the return of early 2000s or Y2K, trends. The lead-up to his first show had the industry frothing at the mouth - Martens introduced denim with a certain sex appeal that felt intellectual and, above all, modern. Then came a slew of It bags. (the 1DR) and even It skirts (the D-logo velcro-strapped mini-skirts), priced within the affordable luxury range that secured Martens' future. Showcasing a revamped Diesel rising from the ashes to notable success, he joins a new vanguard of designers taking siege in the next generation for fashion.