Thousands of guests attended Diesel’s spring 2023 show in Milan. In fact, 3,000 tickets were offered to the public. Creative director Glenn Martens has quickly become one of the designers determined to break the barriers of the traditional fashion industry, and he did so, once again, for the brand’s Spring 2023 collection.
The show, which took place in a room full of massive, sexually ambiguous inflatable sculptures, opened with a procession of denim looks: bras, oversized vests, cropped jeans, ripped maxi dresses, hot pants, coats wide and structured corsets. . Taking influence from his work at Y/Project, where Martens took a deep dive 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 discover how those very concepts interact with the Diesel archives. “How can we reinvent denim or what can we do with denim [that’s] sudden?” he said W in Aprill. “How can we distort it? How can I conceptualize the way our denim is perceived?”
From chunky denim bomber jackets to tiny denim tube 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 tapped into the expressive subcultures that are thriving online and in the real world right now. We saw the Y2K fan, the whimsical girl (in an ombre denim dress that faded into oblivion), and even the Gorpcore guy, in all his glory.
Within the finish of each piece, we could see Martens really indulge in the luxury of denim exploration. Grainy, wood-like textures covered long jackets and jeans; the cargo pants had a layer of chiffon on top. The thick, distressed arms that resembled faux fur were divine. We’ve seen all of this before, of course, but under Martens’ eye it felt distinctly directed and extremely well executed.
Beyond jeans, there were leather jackets, silk cargo pants, printed maxi dresses and layered neon lace skirts and dresses. The collection felt extra cheerful when Martens experimented with colors that touched on sunset hues: near-neon orange sweaters paired with metallic pink skirts, for example; or tangerine flame denim sets.
Since Diesel’s Milan show 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 one particular “It” item, but its outerwear and range were particularly strong.
Beyond inviting the public into his show, a rarity in the post-Covid world of intimate presentations, Martens’ expression through denim telegraphs an overwhelming message of democracy in fashion. After all, this is a designer who is often inspired by the subway. “I think denim is a very democratic material,” he said. “You can wear it with high heels, you can go to a cocktail party, you can make a splash.”
