An abandoned railway platform in Milan is the last place you’d expect to see Joe Jonas. But it happened at the Diesel Black Gold show. Jonas and his coterie arrived early, and were ushered backstage where I was waiting to have a quick chat with Renzo Rosso, the founder of Diesel.
As president of the OTP Group, Rosso has under his wings Diesel, Diesel Black Gold, Maison Martin Margiela, Marni and Victor & Rolf.
I asked him if he still got the jitters after taking care of so many brands and so many shows.
“For this one, we’ve prepare very well and we’re confident this is how we want to show the brand, and where we want to take it in the future,” he said.
Diesel Black Gold is the premium line of Diesel and is taken care of by creative director Andreas Melbostad. Nicola Formichetti is in charge of Diesel.
Rosso, who says he found Melbostad after “many many years of research”, says he’s proud of where the designer is taking the label. “We want to be the leader in the contemporary area. It’s the alternative to luxury and it’s the biggest market right now and there are so many opportunities,” he said.
Melbostad told me in an interview later he chose the railway platform to bring that street-style vibe to his otherwise very solid collection featuring impeccably tailored clothes with a sporty flair.
Lines were very slender compared to many of the loose-fitting looks we’ve seen over the past few days. The jackets were fitted and cropped, the pants were slim cut and the shirts hugged the models’ slim frames tightly. The collection of leather jackets were the highlight for me, some of them motocross-inspired, with one black piece featuring wild skeletal prints in white being a particular stand-out.
Because Diesel is a brand that’s obsessed with feedback, Melbostad, who joined in 2012, says he’s working hard to give Diesel Black Gold the right place in the contemporary market.
“We shape and change according to the market demands but what’s important is to do it with conviction, and from the heart,” he said.
Watch out for my full interview soon.
Dressed in a two-toned sweater, the most fashionable Jonas brother has been keeping busy at Milan Fashion. He was also seen at John Varvatos and Vivienne Westwood over the weekend.
After a quick photo-op with Rosso, this Jonas was ushered to his front row seat where he politely posed for photos.
The Milanese, or at least those at the Diesel Black Gold show, are very discreet about their celebrity adulation. No screaming fans here, no major fuss.
Water continued to be an ongoing theme this spring-summer showcase. If Philipp Plein and Prada held theirs by a pool, at the Gucci show, it was projected on the wall of the stage.
Then designer Frida Giannini went on familiar ground with a collection around a single note: black and white stripes. Remember I said water?
The nautical theme began immediately with a model in a navyal jacket. Then the black and white stripes began. They were on suits, cropped trousers, lapels. And on the solid coloured suits, like the teal and navy, they peeked from scarves underneath. They were even on the straps of the giant duffel bags. Completing the theme were white loafers paired with taut suits.
It was old school, alright. But done with the right panache that fans of the brand will no doubt appreciate very much.
