Diesel has collaborated with itself for its latest capsule

Glenn Martens and Renzo Rosso know well the concept of irony. It's no coincidence that their match with Diesel is perfect: irony, together with the quality of denim, is a bit the stylistic benchmark of the brand. For their latest capsule collection, inspired by the brand's heritage, Martens and Renzo Rosso (whose archive and experience have been the main creative force behind the collection) have looked at things with irony and that's why the collection is an ironic and meta-referential sling of the thousand collaborations that dominate the fashion industry – except in this case Diesel collaborates with itself: therefore the name Diesel x Diesel of the collection. Accompanying it is the surreal Fake Smiles campaign, in which a deliberately exaggerated smile is printed on the faces of the models.

The collection consists of 24 items that recall and celebrate vintage Diesel pieces by updating them to 2021. The aesthetics are decidedly North American, inspired by the research trips that Renzo Rosso and his team of designers made in the late 1980s. The preppy world, the on-the-road world and workwear are the main inspirations: there are a college leather jacket with a ruined effect; the mixed coat of shearling, cotton, leather and jacquard wool; the leather vest treated with patches. Denim is an essential element: the most notable example is a straight-leg silhouette with applied leather details also inspired by a piece from the late 1980s but also four other models of trousers flanked by sweatshirts, miniskirts and shirts re-proposed as their archive versions.