Under the Sign of Graffiti: A World of Colors and Freedom
DIESEL FW25 – During Milan Fashion Week 2025, Glenn Martens unveiled a completely new chapter in Diesel’s history with the FW25 collection.
The Belgian designer, who has served as Creative Director since 2020, once again showcased his talent for renewing and reinterpreting the brand. Diesel, which has seen significant growth in recent years thanks to its modern and irreverent vision, continues to thrive under Martens’ leadership.
This season’s runway confirmed his ability to blend fashion, art, and urban culture, managing to stay true to the brand’s tradition while pushing the boundaries of innovation even further.
The FW25 collection is not just a clothing proposal; it’s a true cultural expression. From the set design, Martens emphasized key themes of love, inclusion, and contemporary living. The concept was meticulously crafted to convey a powerful message through the language of fashion, using elements that reflect today’s social reality.
The Set and Music: A Unique Sensory Experience
One of the first things that stands out about this show is the location. Martens chose to place the models inside a spectacularly designed “box,” creating a surreal atmosphere. A large hot air balloon, symbolizing a human figure trapped, hovered over the set, perhaps representing the struggle between freedom and social conditions. The scene was dominated by a huge cloth that covered the entire space, featuring a vibrant pattern made of graffiti and stylized letters. Design of the pattern created a form of “collective writing” that reflected the themes of inclusivity and belonging, underscoring Martens’ desire to merge fashion and art.
Soundtrack was another crucial element in building the disruptive atmosphere. The music, an original blend of modern and classical sounds, opened with the ringing of mobile phones, a sound typically associated with daily annoyance, but used here to evoke a sense of irreverence and belonging. The hypnotic remix of a baroque flute concert heightened the intensity and memorability of the performance, harmonizing the past and present in a symphony of dissonance.
Street Art: A Genius Move for Global Inclusivity
The FW25 collection goes beyond interpreting fashion trends, delivering a strong message through urban art. Glenn Martens chose to make street art a central feature of the show, incorporating an immense graffiti artwork into the performance. This work featured contributions from 7,000 artists worldwide, creating a collective painting over three kilometers long. This was the result of a global call issued by the brand, inviting graffiti artists from countries such as India, Italy, South Africa, China, Japan, the USA, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. Each artist contributed their personal vision to the canvas, creating a collective expression that celebrated globality and inclusivity.
This massive installation strengthened Diesel’s connection to urban culture, bringing street art to the forefront of an international fashion runway. The giant inflatables and interwoven bodies, covered with street art symbols, added another layer of visual depth to the entire show, expressing the link between street art and the fashion world. Martens’ decision to include artists from all over the world in a collective work represents a statement of artistic democracy, inviting everyone to be part of a movement that transcends cultural barriers.
Guests and Atmosphere: An Exclusive and Accessible Event
The show attracted many VIP guests, further enhancing the event’s exclusivity. Among the notable faces were Italian rapper Ghali, model Melissa Satta accompanied by partner Carlo Gussalli Beretta, singer Hoshi, and model Genta Matsuda. Their presence confirmed the importance and influence Diesel holds in contemporary fashion.
Despite maintaining an exclusive atmosphere, the event sought to involve the audience in a dialogue that wasn’t just for industry insiders, but also for those, like the guests, who wanted to participate in this celebration of art and fashion.
Diesel: Growth and Success in 2024
Despite a complex international economic context, Diesel achieved strong results in 2024. Financial performance was positive, with a 3.2% increase in revenue at constant exchange rates. The company continued to invest heavily in direct channels, opening 16 new stores in key markets like Seoul, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo Shibuya.
Growth also extended to Bangalore, a city with enormous development potential. Additionally, a ten-year licensing agreement with EssilorLuxottica allowed Diesel to enter the global eyewear market, marking another significant step toward solidifying the brand in consumers’ daily lives.
The FW25 Collection Looks: A Journey into Denim and Innovation
Diesel FW25 collection stands out for its deep stylistic experimentation, covering various themes and techniques. Denim, a brand pillar, is reinterpreted in a modern way, with a lived-in effect and a constant play between traditions and innovations. The new denim pieces offered by Diesel embrace concepts of rupture and fragmentation, reflecting a world broken into pieces. The collection features jackets, bustiers, and jeans in laminated denim, where the surface appears coated, leaving details like pockets intact for a visually jarring effect.
Tulle is another innovative element in the collection: the use of this lightweight material, woven with jacquard to make the denim almost disappear, imparts a sense of lightness and dissolution. Some of the most iconic garments in the collection are strapless dresses, jackets, or silver padded coats that seem to envelop the body in a feeling of suspension.
The bumster jeans, already known for their low rise, have been reinvented in an extreme version, with adjustable inner underwear to keep them in place. A particularly provocative element is the use of a bandage shaped like a shirt. This visual trick plays with the dissolution of boundaries between the body and the garment.
Capsule Collection: A Tribute to Street Art
Another novelty is the exclusive capsule collection, available from the day after the show. This collection resulted from a collaboration between Diesel and six international graffiti artists, who had the opportunity to customize some of the brand’s pieces with their own style. The artists received Diesel garments and applied their techniques, creating a perfect fusion between fashion and street art.
This capsule collection is a tribute to urban culture and the world often overlooked, but which Martens has brought into the spotlight, creating a bridge between art and fashion.
Art and Fashion Without Borders: Diesel FW25 Celebrates the Democratization of Street Art
The Diesel FW25 collection marks another great success for Glenn Martens. He has skillfully combined innovation, social messaging, and urban culture into one cohesive stylistic proposal. Once again, Diesel proves its ability to evolve, bringing street art to the forefront and making it an integral part of high-fashion.
The collaboration with artists, along with the decision to highlight a form of art often marginalized, sends a powerful message of inclusivity. This project serves as a perfect example of how fashion can become a platform for democratizing art.
By doing so, Diesel establishes itself not only as a trendsetting brand but also as a beacon for those who believe in the transformative power of art and creativity.
