Continuing with a “democratization” movement, Glenn Martens invites everyone from real to virtual audiences, from physical runways to online screens, from backstage to the runway… to enjoy his latest creative values in the Diesel Fall 2024 collection.
Denim, a “common” and familiar material in fashion, has been transformed into a symbol of freedom in Glenn Martens’ hands. Each Diesel show has become a rare democratic spectacle in the luxury fashion industry since he took over the brand’s unfinished story. With the aim of making everyone feel welcome in that glamorous world, Glenn Martens strives to make each Diesel show both grand and metaphorical, from the initial sketch concept to its realization on the actual runway.
In the spring of 2023, the talented creative director’s runway broke the Guinness World Record for the largest inflatable sculpture ever. The show attracted nearly 5,000 attendees. At the Fall/Winter 2023 show, Glenn Martens turned the runway into a condom store with a giant Durex x Diesel condom tower consisting of 200,000 units. Certainly, the Diesel Fall 2024 presentation was no exception. Instead of investing in a bold runway, it was a frenzy with the participation of 7,000 attendees. In fact, among those 7,000 guests, 1,000 enjoyed the show through small screens, more precisely, a Zoom call on a massive scale. And the designer continued to make waves by turning computer windows on Zoom into the main backdrop of the show.
It was “an interactive and visually pleasing experience,” as Glenn Martens described his show. Indeed, “experience” is the most accurate way to describe Diesel’s shows under Glenn Martens’ tenure. Because Glenn doesn’t just create a basic runway with white flooring and black walls; instead, he creates a unique performance space, where fashion, art, music, and everyday life intersect. It’s these exciting experiences that have revitalized a long-standing denim brand (Diesel’s revenue increased by 13.1% last year), making Diesel’s identity more mature without necessarily sacrificing its core values.
Diesel’s “Zoom call” wasn’t the only surprise. In fact, the Diesel Fall 2024 show was “publicized” to the audience a few days before the official performance. Diesel live-streamed the event on the brand’s website and Instagram account, capturing all the last-minute efforts of the sewing workshop sewing the final threads, handling the last wrinkles, models fitting and perfecting their appearance for the most polished runway presentation. Revealing backstage secrets is no longer a concept chosen by designers to showcase on the runway.
At Gucci Fall/Winter 2020, former creative director Alessandro Michele invited viewers to enter backstage to directly enjoy the latest masterpieces. Meanwhile, at Diesel Fall 2024, Glenn Martens expanded this concept to better fit the era of technology, with the currently popular live-streaming format. While this approach may eliminate the surprise factor of the show, Glenn Martens still dared to implement it to gain freedom, allowing everyone to access his fashion perspective.
Diesel Fall 2024 began with a pre-programmed countdown. Amidst the 63 looks presentation, a backstage director’s “go” voice echoed, and there was no background music. Unlike usual, Glenn Martens didn’t immediately present the “appetizers” of denim. The “appetizer” of Diesel Fall 2024 included relatively lighter dishes compared to the brand’s typical shows. Models stepped onto the runway wearing bold gray button-up shirts with distressed details as if bleached or charred. This motif continued to appear on subsequent looks, with soothing interpretations from the gray, black, and white color palette; on a variety of materials from leather to denim, embellished with transparent effects as if sweaty or elegantly glossy.
Following that unexpectedly simple start, Glenn Martens treated the audience to the “main course,” showcasing his craftsmanship skills with complex manipulations on various materials, especially denim and jersey fabric. These two materials appeared throughout the collection, deconstructed to create new connections, processed roughly, and undergone a series of exclusive experiments at Diesel’s workshop. Diesel Fall 2024 brings a shinier feel, a more mature aesthetic. But it’s not in the classic tailored suits, it’s in the unique washed denim outfits, the densely layered layering cleverly arranged with overlapping layers of distress, or adorned with intertwined fur trim lines leaving no gaps.
Taking over Diesel, Glenn Martens injects the enthusiasm of youth into every nook and cranny of the heritage warehouse. Therefore, from collection to collection, especially Diesel Fall 2024, the designer ensures that bold graphic prints, full of color, reflecting reverence for the vibrant culture, are always present. Viewers have witnessed the appearance of many super short mini skirts, a bodycon dress printed with noisy Zoom screen backgrounds, tank tops, or styles combined with irresistibly appealing fur.
Once again, Glenn Martens of Diesel presents a remarkable encounter that is necessary in the fashion world. It’s not just an ideal choice or an outstanding “changing of the guard,” but also an explosion breaking all standards, challenging the old rules of the fashion industry.
