If look-at-me logos, raw seams and over-dyed denim have defined Diesel for the past decade, consider spring/summer 2012 the turning point for a global mega brand that’s taking a new direction – and with a capsule caboodle comprising every essential you’ll ever need, you might just be surprised by what’s in store.
Let’s be honest, Diesel’s been nothing if not stuck in a rut for the past 10 years. In the late Nineties, its’ distressed denim, outlandish logos and unfinished hems were ground-breaking: the brand was the leader in a long line of labels whose collections looked like they’d been left in a bowl of bleach and fed to a hungry dog. And hey, who didn’t want to look like they’d just been rubbed up against a wall?
Thing is, women don’t want to look like that anymore. And if anyone knows it, it’s Heikki Salonen. The NEWGEN winner and Fashion East designer has been enlisted to head an entire new womenswear design team at Diesel, and together, they’ve created a capsule collection of the 26 pieces every woman should have in her wardrobe.
“The starting point was to look at the Diesel DNA, keep what was true to the brand, remove parts not needed and simplify what we already had to produce a collection, which retains the essence of Diesel, but with a fresh approach,” the design team told us.
“We took the concept of creating the perfect capsule wardrobe from a list of garments every woman should have in her wardrobe, providing the ability to mix and match premium basics with more key standout pieces which all work with her current wardrobe.
We wanted to create a collection which has new instantly iconic pieces inspired by the woman who grew up with the brand and is now in her mid-late twenties through to early thirties and is confident with her way of dressing.”
Gone is the brash over-branding and in its place is a condensed collection of simple tanks, silk tees, easy-wearing shirts, jersey dresses and luxe leather jackets fit for the playful, sexy and brave modern woman.
And, perhaps most importantly of all, is the completely compacted assortment of denim. It is, of course, still key to the new Diesel female collection, and after asking women what they really want from their jeans (some 60,000 to be precise), just six styles now remain – all stripped-back, all with stretch (yes!).
Wearable, versatile and seriously hot, Diesel’s going to be back on your radar in a big way next season – and we can make that statement with utmost confidence, because we’ve seen the new collection up close and personal, before its launch, to take part in a very exciting project with Diesel and Grazia.
Make sure you pick up this week’s copy of Grazia, on shelves today, to see our editor styling up some of her favourite Diesel looks!
Diesel’s pre-SS12 collection hits stores on November 9. Visit www.diesel.com for more.
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