Glen Martens, best known for his early work at Jean Paul Gaultier and the high-end streetwear brand Y/Project, joined Diesel in October 2020. With Martens at its helm, Diesel is seeing the reformation that company founder, Renzo Rosso betted on when selecting him. Diesel has been a revered brand for nearly 40 years, but personally I remember the brand’s heyday during the early 2000s/Y2K era and all things Jeans Mania. On the red carpet, celebrities wore denim outfits adorned with the Diesel logo, while off-duty models donned Diesel's low-rise denim and the tiniest. Advertisements were radical and provocative.
Glen Martens - Forward Thinking in efforts to make Diesel a bit more sustainable
Diesel FW 23
Stepping into this role, Marten intends to do much more than create a few viral moments for the brand, instead opting for a more rooted approach. Initially, he will reevaluate the brand’s manufacturing channels and supply chain. He hopes to overlap the “then and now”, by embracing the company’s heritage through sparsely referencing its archives, as well as refitting some of the jeans by diversifying and expanding the range offered to customers. He also intends to extend the fundamentals the brand stands for by highlighting its progressive social and environmental values. Future collections will be made sustainable by using materials and dyeing methods that reduce the usage of water and harsh chemicals.
Marten has made substantial strides for specific sustainability initiatives:
Launching the Denim Library Capsule
D:VERSE
Diesel Jean buyback program and Diesel Second Hand
The Denim Library Capsule is projected to account for more than 40% of brand sales. The current collection is derived from partly recycled fabrics, with the conceptual runway pieces being constructed using deadstock denim. Each of these pieces also has QR codes in pockets transparently detailing the steps of production supply chains. This collection offers a holistic approach to production using washes and treatments that minimize the use of water and chemicals.
Not to be left out of the metaverse and Web3 arenas, Diesel is using technology innovation to gain the interest of GenZ and beyond. The brand debuted its own platform, D:VERSE, to host newly developed physical and virtual products.
Diesel’s jean buyback program and Secondhand circularity initiatives are available only in Milan, Florence, and Rome now with plans to expand. The buyback program launched in July 2021, and in just a few months over 900 pairs of jeans had been recovered and reconditioned. The restored jeans are treated with Polygiene’s anti-microbial and odor resistant ViralOff and Odor Crunch technology. The secondhand status of these items is identifiable by a bright red branded stamp on the waistband.