Diesel Black Gold (Q2928)
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Diesel Black Gold is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Diesel Black Gold |
Diesel Black Gold is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis, the Paris-based model and performer, was sitting front row at today’s Diesel Black Gold show. Sporting countless tattoos and a punkish, heavily graffitied black leather biker jacket, he was a perfect poster boy for the label. “When I was a kid, my mom used to buy me Diesel’s T-shirts and belts with Only the Brave’s Mohican logo. I loved its mohawk haircut,” he said. The mum in question is the French actress Isabelle Adjani, whose porcelain complexion and periwinkle eyes still leave you breathless; as for his father, Daniel Day-Lewis, his talent borders on the miraculous. Gabriel-Kane certainly doesn’t lack abundant doses of good genes.The feel of being part of a tribe is a sort of core value for Diesel, together with a spirit of inclusiveness and the sense of exploration and adventure. For Fall, creative director Andreas Melbostad tapped into this multiethnic background; the bohemian, folksy flair was filtered through the urban attitude that Diesel stands for, infused with a strong posture and stylishly streamlined.“We riffed on sorts of multicultural references here, rebooted with a free spirit,” Melbostad said backstage. “Peru, Iceland, Africa, Eastern Europe, Navajos, Morocco, Eskimos, Afghanistan, India, you name it!” Renzo Rosso, president of the OTB, chimed in: “We delved into my personal archive, which is a treasure trove of all the finds I collected from my travels during my youth in the ’80s, like the Moroccan carpets that I used to patchwork into my collections,” he said. “It’s a celebration of multiculturalism and of a collaborative ethos.”Melbostad worked on visually rich patterns and motifs, giving them a contemporary, almost abstract spin. Though there were many embellishments and embroideries, it didn’t feel heavy-handed; his take is always quite minimal. This approach was apparent in the men’s silhouettes, which were layered yet lean to counterbalance the decorative surfaces of biker jackets, bombers, and denim pants. Mexican and Peruvian sweaters were cut into slender tunics, worn under military peacoats or patchwork shearlings.For the women’s part of the collection, the same references were turned into more feminine, delicate embellishments, while the silhouette was kept slightly more fluid and romantic. A long cotton peasant dress embroidered with Romanian-inspired cross-stitching stood out, as did a series of flared, slim-fitting pants referencing Nuristani styles.
Even if the bevy of geographic references could’ve been distracting or too eclectic, they were blended quite seamlessly into a fluid, appealing lineup. It all looked cool and collected.
13 January 2018
Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis, the Paris-based model and performer, was sitting front row at today’s Diesel Black Gold show. Sporting countless tattoos and a punkish, heavily graffitied black leather biker jacket, he was a perfect poster boy for the label. “When I was a kid, my mom used to buy me Diesel’s T-shirts and belts with Only the Brave’s Mohican logo. I loved its mohawk haircut,” he said. The mum in question is the French actress Isabelle Adjani, whose porcelain complexion and periwinkle eyes still leave you breathless; as for his father, Daniel Day-Lewis, his talent borders on the miraculous. Gabriel-Kane certainly doesn’t lack abundant doses of good genes.The feel of being part of a tribe is a sort of core value for Diesel, together with a spirit of inclusiveness and the sense of exploration and adventure. For Fall, creative director Andreas Melbostad tapped into this multiethnic background; the bohemian, folksy flair was filtered through the urban attitude that Diesel stands for, infused with a strong posture and stylishly streamlined.“We riffed on sorts of multicultural references here, rebooted with a free spirit,” Melbostad said backstage. “Peru, Iceland, Africa, Eastern Europe, Navajos, Morocco, Eskimos, Afghanistan, India, you name it!” Renzo Rosso, president of the OTB, chimed in: “We delved into my personal archive, which is a treasure trove of all the finds I collected from my travels during my youth in the ’80s, like the Moroccan carpets that I used to patchwork into my collections,” he said. “It’s a celebration of multiculturalism and of a collaborative ethos.”Melbostad worked on visually rich patterns and motifs, giving them a contemporary, almost abstract spin. Though there were many embellishments and embroideries, it didn’t feel heavy-handed; his take is always quite minimal. This approach was apparent in the men’s silhouettes, which were layered yet lean to counterbalance the decorative surfaces of biker jackets, bombers, and denim pants. Mexican and Peruvian sweaters were cut into slender tunics, worn under military peacoats or patchwork shearlings.For the women’s part of the collection, the same references were turned into more feminine, delicate embellishments, while the silhouette was kept slightly more fluid and romantic. A long cotton peasant dress embroidered with Romanian-inspired cross-stitching stood out, as did a series of flared, slim-fitting pants referencing Nuristani styles.
Even if the bevy of geographic references could’ve been distracting or too eclectic, they were blended quite seamlessly into a fluid, appealing lineup. It all looked cool and collected.
13 January 2018
“I wanted the catwalk built as an actual street, bringing a real urban vibe to the show,” said Diesel Black Gold’s creative director, Andreas Melbostad, during an early meeting while touring the huge industrial space that was still empty, ready to host his first men’s and women’s show. “NYC, where I live, provides me with constant street-style inspiration. It’s so eclectic. I wanted a runway as close to reality as possible,” he said.The ’90s are a big reference this season, and Melbostad tapped into his favorite disruptive grunge aesthetic typical of that time, with its romantic disobedience and poetic, seditious spirit. For all his sleek, unadorned Nordic sensibility, this designer sometimes lets his sentimental retro side slip through. Yet Diesel Black Gold being Diesel Black Gold, he injected a strong techno vibe into the mix. Melbostad played on a layered silhouette, which he kept elongated and fluid for women’s looks, while for men’s he articulated more blown up and abstract volumes. Genderless statements were not in sight here. “I wanted to keep a clear distinction between masculine and feminine,” he explained. How refreshing.The color palette had delicate accents, with aqua, mint, turquoise, and nude pink conveying a breezy feeling for maxi slipdresses printed with micro floral motifs (Diesel Black Gold doing florals could compare to a tectonic fashion shift), worn over skin-tight pants with a surf-inspired vibe. Core men’s staples like parkas, plaid shirts, and hoodie hybrids were cut extra-long, generously layered over baggy shorts and hyper-skinny leather leggings. It all exuded a pretty cool attitude; the soundtrack, concocted by Michel Gaubert, was The Matrix’s emotional theme, “Clubbed to Death.” “It’s tough and edgy,” said Melbostad, “But it also has a kind of classic beauty. And poetry to spare.”
17 June 2017
“I wanted the catwalk built as an actual street, bringing a real urban vibe to the show,” said Diesel Black Gold’s creative director, Andreas Melbostad, during an early meeting while touring the huge industrial space that was still empty, ready to host his first men’s and women’s show. “NYC, where I live, provides me with constant street-style inspiration. It’s so eclectic. I wanted a runway as close to reality as possible,” he said.The ’90s are a big reference this season, and Melbostad tapped into his favorite disruptive grunge aesthetic typical of that time, with its romantic disobedience and poetic, seditious spirit. For all his sleek, unadorned Nordic sensibility, this designer sometimes lets his sentimental retro side slip through. Yet Diesel Black Gold being Diesel Black Gold, he injected a strong techno vibe into the mix. Melbostad played on a layered silhouette, which he kept elongated and fluid for women’s looks, while for men’s he articulated more blown up and abstract volumes. Genderless statements were not in sight here. “I wanted to keep a clear distinction between masculine and feminine,” he explained. How refreshing.The color palette had delicate accents, with aqua, mint, turquoise, and nude pink conveying a breezy feeling for maxi slipdresses printed with micro floral motifs (Diesel Black Gold doing florals could compare to a tectonic fashion shift), worn over skin-tight pants with a surf-inspired vibe. Core men’s staples like parkas, plaid shirts, and hoodie hybrids were cut extra-long, generously layered over baggy shorts and hyper-skinny leather leggings. It all exuded a pretty cool attitude; the soundtrack, concocted by Michel Gaubert, was The Matrix’s emotional theme, “Clubbed to Death.” “It’s tough and edgy,” said Melbostad, “But it also has a kind of classic beauty. And poetry to spare.”
17 June 2017
Nostalgia is not a feeling normally associated with Diesel’s vision of the world, which favors a more active, propulsive outlook toward the future. Yet for some reason, Andreas Melbostad was feeling a bit schmaltzy. “I was thinking about my years [as a student] in London, when [I’d] just graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts in the mid-’90s. It was a time of raw, essential energy, as captured by photographers Wolfgang Tillmans and Juergen Teller and byi-Dmagazine. I was a big fan,” he said backstage before the show.He worked the Fall collection around a new, elongated silhouette; it was a first for Diesel. It had a grungy, cool, romantic feel to it, injected with strength and moving to a fast, pulsing rhythm. Under their long knitted sweaterdresses or narrow zippered leather maxi skirts, models were wearing soft suede sneakers, which allowed them to walk at a quick, gliding pace.As always with Melbostad’s design ethos, the play on construction and deconstruction, as well as a focus on repurposing and hybridization, was at the heart of the collection, laced by nods to masculine-inspired sartorial ingredients. A Prince of Wales peacoat was shrunken into a fitted shape, topping a maxi skirt covered in paillettes; apron dresses in foulard and cravat micro-prints had a feminine fluidity. The lineup exuded an assertive, confident grace, and the maxi silhouette looked cool. “In my vision, I’ve always tried to provide women with a sense of empowerment, protection, and support,” the designer explained, sensibly referring to the not-so-easy environment we’re confronted with today.
24 February 2017
The ’80s cult action movieRevenge of the Ninjaserved as inspiration forDiesel Black Goldmen’s Fall collection: Creative director Andreas Melbostad was drawn to the Japanese secret agents’ enigmatic aura. Ninjas were shrouded in mystery, black-clad warriors who blended so seamlessly with darkness as to become almost invisible, carrying out the most feral tasks with deadly precision. Their suave ferocity was probably what appealed to the Norwegian designer, together with the concept of protection, which, in Diesel Black Gold’s parlance, is not exactly synonymous with coziness. Their fighters are right out there roaming the urban jungle; they’re not couch potatoes watching TV at home under a cashmere blanket.There’s elegance in Japanese martial arts; Melbostad delved with gusto into their stylish language, injecting Diesel Black Gold’s wardrobe staples with a Japanese-inspired flair. Kimonos, one of the simplest and most elegant shapes, were reworked as a sort of modern armor and tinged with a retro-sporty feel, as in a dark blue tunic/jacket hybrid in Japanese raw denim and finely quilted nylon. It was belted samurai-style, worn with a pristine masculine striped shirt and loose, cropped raw denim pants. Volumes were precisely cut yet comfortable and oversize, like urban carapaces with a combat attitude. They were slightly smoothed by motifs embroidered on the back of leather bomber jackets or on biker pants. A sporty-retro feel together with a military flair was woven throughout the collection, whose neat, compact look didn’t detract from a sense of powerful ease.As is now customary in many men’s presentations, a few women’s looks were also shown; here, a capsule was specially designed, which will be delivered at the same time as the men’s collection. “I used the same vocabulary,” said Melbostad backstage. A late-’70s/early-’80s silhouette was apparent in short black leather pinafores, whose geometric pleats were armor-inspired, their tough, assertive look barely eased by printed floral tunics. In Diesel Black Gold’s land, membership to a secretive ninja clique is highly recommended for girls, too.
14 January 2017
Lack of identity is a problem that seems to affect more than a few labels today, with designers often wavering between respect for heritage and desire to make a personal style statement. Diesel has so far been able to navigate this conundrum, its strong foundation being flexible enough to absorb innovation without compromising its appeal. Andreas Melbostad, Diesel Black Gold’s creative director, has to be credited for leading the brand by balancing the fine line between its tough rock ’n’ roll, streetwise roots and an elevated, polished urban minimalism. It’s a road that he continues to travel for Pre-Fall.The designer presented the women’s and men’s collections while shooting the lookbook in a huge industrial warehouse, which will also serve as the location for the menswear show in January. It was a fitting backdrop for a utilitarian-inspired lineup. “I wanted to go back to our core values,” said the designer. Yet he couldn’t resist playing on hybridity, which has become a personal creative trademark. He reworked modern wardrobe staples through the filter of a polished assemblage sensibility, which also owes a great deal to his Nordic roots. This was particularly apparent in the strong unisex outerwear: Bombers, biker jackets, parkas, and peacoats were combined as if in a genetic experiment, giving way to a new breed of multipurpose, convertible items.“I’m using the same ingredients for both genders, playing on a similar aesthetic approach. The soul of the brand is so strong that it just needs a fresh spin,” Melbostad said. Hence he worked on a subtle yet architectural sense of tailoring, favoring careful construction without detracting from the cool factor. A dash of ’70s retro-sporty flavor added spice to tracksuit-like men’s denim trousers, embellished with colorful side bands; the women’s lineup was infused with hints of the softer silhouette already presented in the label’s Spring show. Dungarees-inspired short dresses in jacquard georgette had a feminine flair, as did tops worn with drawstring palazzo pants. Yet an ultrashort pinafore in pleated black leather was a reminder that the Diesel Black Gold girl is only sweet up to a point: You’d better not cross her.
15 November 2016
Dieselgirls do not usually go around wearing frilly, sugary, lacy frocks in dusty pink shades; they’re more of the tougher-than-nails types, all studded, ripped jeans and rock ’n’ roll attitude. But that notion will be quite outdated after today’s show. Leave it toAndreas Melbostad, Diesel Black Gold’s creative director, to shake things up with his well-mannered, calm, yet undeterred Nordic demeanor.Melbostad was feeling romantic; well, his was a quite peculiar kind of romanticism. He was inspired by the controversial work of photographer David Hamilton and his ’60s and ’70s soft-focus pictures of very languid, very nude, and very young girls. Yet Diesel being Diesel, he injected a strong utility, army-surplus vibe into the fragility of the collection, which featured short baby doll dresses with Chantilly lace overlays, and broderie anglaise–ruffled miniskirts paired with field parkas and military-inspired oversize jackets. The feminine allure was further highlighted by a palette of nude, sand, and ivory and by elements of corsetry and lingerie gracing bustiers and laced-up tight pants. Even combat boots were given a girly spin. It made for a fresh take; Melbostad handled the play between sweetness and toughness with a dynamic flair. Yet hard-core Diesel fans need not worry; the brand is not going to embrace a full-on hyper-romantic aesthetic any time soon. “It’s about pushing the envelope and evolving every time, trying for a more comprehensive lineup,” said the designer backstage. “Duality makes for a fascinating play. There’s strength in fragility; there’s power in the feminine, vulnerable side.”
23 September 2016
Small Trades, Irving Penn's book of stark black and white portraits of workmen wearing their everyday uniforms taken in the 1950s, stands as one of photography's masterpieces. "The dignity, the proud postures, the fiery spirit that he was able to capture: I was so inspired by it," said the serene Andreas Melbostad,Diesel Black Gold'screative director, before today's show. At that time, denim was just a humble, sturdy fabric, suited for the hard life—certainly it wasn't the uniform for cooler-than-cool hipsters, fashionable rock stars, and street-style gurus that it has become. "I wanted to bring back that original, modest yet noble vibe and elevate it in a contemporary way. Giving it cachet but steering clear from retro, vintage, or costumey interpretations; making it more abstract," the designer elaborated.Workwear influences were aptly integrated in the urban, utility-inspired lineup; streamlined and slimmed down, they made for a sharp silhouette. "I wanted a more precise look, less layered and more edited," said Melbostad. And edited it was, yet all of Diesel BG's staples were there, only with adjusted volumes and fine-tuned proportions. The emphasis was either on fitted tops paired with baggy parachute nylon pants or else, reversing the play, voluminous outerwear worn with extra-slim jeans with a crushed effect. Boxy kimono padded jackets referenced the crisp, immaculate shirts worn by chefs and waiters; raw, dark denim brought to mind the protective, tough quality of overalls, while aprons and jumpsuits called to mind butchers, fishmongers, or factory workers. All looked cool and lightly handled; yet a subtle emotional undercurrent could be felt, expressed in the color palette. An unusual nude-pink shade was added to blacks, indigos, and whites. "I wanted to give the show a more cinematic vibe, a bit of romance and poetry," Melbostad said. This gentle approach enhanced by contrast the strength of Diesel's DNA, which by the way is already quite strong; a little smoothing of the edges only added to its character.
20 June 2016
Andreas Melbostad,Diesel Black Gold’s creative director, was keeping his Nordic cool during a shoot for the label’s Resort lookbook in a derelict warehouse in a middle-of-nowhere Milanese suburb. On a cold, rainy, miserable day, which seemed more suitable for winter coats than miniskirts, he managed to use the not-so-resort-y weather conditions to prove his point: “The collection is trans-seasonal and flexible,” he said. “It’s summery, but a few pieces will definitely be wearable all year round.” A statement very much in sync with the current trend of trying to rejigger the fashion system.In Melbostad’s hands, Diesel’s vocabulary is in the process of being slightly reshuffled: “I’m reconstructing, re-fabricating, reconditioning its iconic staples,” he said. “Every season we work around a new generation of hybrids, playing with our streetwear roots and giving them a contemporary allure.” Hybrids were in no short supply in the new lineup, where the cut-and-paste exercise bordered on the virtuosic. Asymmetrical dresses rose from the ashes of denim or nylon bombers, leather biker jackets morphed into sexy corsets or were truncated into puffed-up boleros, and the top part of a trench coat received an unmerciful slicing but was promptly resuscitated as a miniskirt.An early-’90s flair was apparent in the off-the-shoulder feminine silhouette; it contrasted nicely with a masculine shirting theme, which itself added a crisp, light counterpoint to workwear-inspired, substantial fabrications. Sequins were scattered on boyfriend jeans; broderie anglaise and lace were paired with hickory stripe denim or poplin. The same playful assemblage spirit applied to the menswear collection, where volumes were blown up and layering was a strong point. A bomber/biker jacket was worn with inflated parachute nylon trousers, and wide-legged five-pocket palazzo pants came in a thick, bonded trench-inspired fabric. A sweatshirt/parka/bomber contributed to the already lively hybridization conversation; huge embroidered scorpions roamed its surface. “Here at Diesel,” Melbostad said, “we like a bit of danger.”
11 May 2016
“It feels good to be back in Milan,” said Andreas Melbostad, Diesel Black Gold’s creative director, backstage before the label’s runway show (which for the past several years has been held in New York). “There's definitely a new energy in the city and it seemed the right move for the brand to be closer to an international audience of buyers and press. Also, being able to directly and quickly access the Italian supply chain gives you more control on quality and execution, focusing more on the collection.” And indeed the lineup looked more focused, with a new energy trickling down into the clothes.Diesel has always stood for a rock ’n’ roll look with intense street style vibes. In today’s show that soul of the brand was still there, but it was smoothed over. The edges felt more polished, less raw. One could feel the difference in mood just listening to the soundtrack: a cinematic, emotional, sweeping theme from the movieGattacawas served up by the maestro Michel Gaubert. It set a very different tone from the stomping rhythm of industrial-techno usually associated with Diesel’s presentations—not to mention their raucous, coveted parties. “I wanted something warmer,” said Melbostad. “Richer in texture, nocturnal, almost luscious. Yet still controlled.”It made sense that midnight blue was the color of choice, which then morphed into signature deep black as the collection progressed. The utility elements were all there as they should be: the hybrid-looking outerwear in which the designer excels acted as the lineup’s foundation. Yet what felt new was the extensive work on different textures: paillettes gave a glam attitude to biker jackets; macramé lace was encrusted and embroidered for raw denim miniskirts; appliqués of ribbons and fabrics decorated high-waisted, straight-legged denim cropped pants. Velvet and Lurex added shine and depth to the dense fabric mix. To top it all off, the hems of skirts were unusually a little longer; apron/pinafore pleated dresses looked sleek and (yes!) feminine. Multilayered styling might look street-savvy and cool—but it was banned: “I wanted to keep it linear,” said Melbostad. There’s definitely nothing wrong with that.
26 February 2016
Andreas Melbostad is a solid, competent designer. His work as creative director has servedDiesel Black Goldwell, rebuilding its foundations, putting it on a sure footing, and conveying a compact message. Born in Norway, his sensibility has a natural Nordic bent, and he has streamlined Diesel BG’s language accordingly, adding a touch of restraint and finesse to the brand’s emotional language. For Fall, he drew inspiration from the the look of bike messengers. “I live in New York and they’re such a distinctive element of the landscape; their look is so iconic,” he said backstage. During his research he found a photo book from the ’90s of messengers’ portraits taken on a white background; the pictures highlighted their renegade, rebellious individuality.The collection had a utilitarian feel, built on oversize proportions for a powerful impact. Layering added thickness and volume, bolstering the protection factor. The house’s staples—parkas, bikers, field jackets, bombers, and military vests—were reworked with a sharp sensibility, resulting in a strong, yet functional silhouette with a techno vibe. Zippers, pockets, straps, detachable quilted linings, and harnesses of the practical variety abounded. Ultra-slim pants were worn with quilted shorts, in true messenger fashion. Hybrid outerwear made for one of the most interesting proposals of the lineup, as in a great parka-cape number that had an appealing allure. Who says that utility cannot be married to elegance? Certainly Melbostad knows his way around it. Yet Diesel is also a bit of a boisterous, passionate character: Who says that elegance cannot be a bit raucous too?
18 January 2016
Andreas Melbostad is perfectly well aware that people come to Diesel Black Gold for jeans and leather jackets. The question is, how do you spice up those staples and keep the DBG clientele coming back for more? Melbostad had a couple solid ideas about how to do that this season—the first of which, in essence, was to give his clothes a splash of razzle-dazzle. At an appointment, the designer explained that he was thinking about the city at night, lights sparkling in the darkness, and with that in mind, he threaded materials like Lurex jacquard and metallic leather through the collection. A metallic blue leather bomber was a showy instance of the strategy; cropped denim inset with a stripe of the jacquard, as well as another stripe of velvet, expressed it with a bit more understatement. Elsewhere, he elaborated on the nightscape theme via appliquéd tees and sweatshirts and go-to ribbed turtlenecks glittery with Lurex.Melbostad’s other key idea was to take durable outerwear, such as parkas and motorcycle jackets, and play with their proportions. Mostly, he was interested in expanding the volume of his coats—but to keep them from swamping the body, he inserted zippers in parkas and cropped the front of his oversize biker jackets, the better to give the shapes some dimension (and literal breathing room).The most interesting pieces here, meanwhile, were the velvet-printed jeans. These didn’t fit into the collection’s main plotline (they were more of a B story, as screenwriters might say), but they proved that Diesel is continuing to push technical frontiers where denim is concerned. Velvet had been printed—three-dimensionally—onto the surface of jeans, either in a mottled pattern or all over. The mottled pairs were a touch eccentric, but the ones covered in velvet gave the glam effect of velvet trousers without carrying all that material’s substantial weight. Paired with one of those Lurex turtlenecks, they’ll be just the thing for a night on the town.
11 December 2015
According toAndreas Melbostad, the starting point for this season’s Diesel Black Gold collection was the image of a girl wearing her boyfriend’s button-down shirt as a dress. That’s one of those images that recur frequently in fashion, and whether the trope comes off shopworn or as a durable idea that can continually be renewed depends entirely on the inventiveness of its reinterpretation. Melbostad’s tack was to take scarf-like squares of cotton shirting-like fabric and pattern them into slip dresses and skirts with handkerchief hems. The look was repeated in white-and-black geometric broderie anglaise, and with studs, and in leather, and, most appealingly, in blue-striped cotton broadcloth that quoted directly from the original inspiration. The pieces each had a kicky charm, but Melbostad hammered the look home a few too many times, which dulled the collection’s impact. Of course, Melbostad hadn’t forsworn the Diesel Black Gold staples: biker jackets and denim. The brand’s biker signature was worked into buckle details and sharp-looking dungarees and leather overall dresses. There were also relatively straight-up biker jackets emblazoned with hardware. The jeans, meanwhile, came off best here in versions dark, mannish, and low-slung, but the Diesel Black Gold girl will also like the pairs done in lace or lace-textured white denim. They’ll look pretty sexy matched with her boyfriend’s button-down shirt.
15 September 2015
Affluent, developed-world, 21st-century urban man has scored himself a pretty sweet deal. The closest most of us venture to primordial fight-or-flight crisis is when there's an inconveniently long queue in Starbucks or we neglect to charge our phones overnight. Yet that wholesale absence of danger makes our atavistic desire for it, or at least its appearance, all the keener.The press notes for Andreas Melbostad's Diesel Black Gold collection pitched the notion of the metropolitan safari: This was a finely mustered collection for young men in search of edge. The waist and thigh-borne storage system, the abundance of strapping, and the gloriously butch utility shirts were about as functional as your appendix, but they sure looked tough. Although less so in white. Oversized bombers and parkas faced off against undersized bikers and skinny jeans expertly distressed and weathered with leather lacing and metal eyes. The trousers were too long and so were many of the sleeves. You feared that if this Diesel Black Gold man really did run into a spot of bother, he'd still be fingering the zipper of his fanny pack as the first punch landed. All that said, Melbostad remains a deft articulator of aesthetic grit.
22 June 2015
Andreas Melbostad lightened things up at Diesel Black Gold this season. A trip to Los Angeles will do that to you. At the company's Chelsea headquarters this morning, Melbostad said a visit to L.A.'s Saks Fifth Avenue, which recently picked up the label, got him thinking about the ways that street and surfer culture intersect in Southern California. And so, he treated DBG's staple leather jackets with bonded jersey linings and ergonomic scuba seaming; they looked very much like the top half of a wet suit, but you wouldn't want to wear them into the waves. Jeans, the brand's proverbial bread and butter, came oversized and cuffed for a real tomboy vibe, or were as skinny as ever with doodle-like scribbles meant to evoke the ways a surfer would personalize her denim. The dresses that rounded out the collection had fewer studs than usual and more eyeleting for results that felt more delicate and feminine. Jean jackets and cotton poplin shirts with rounded shoulders and kimono-style sleeves pushed the collection further into fresh territory.Fashion has seen its fair share of biker jackets and ripped and shredded jeans lately. This was a well-timed shift for Melbostad and the Diesel Black Gold label.
27 May 2015
The Diesel Black Gold formula is tried-and-true. Black leather, black denim, grommets, studs. The challenge for designer Andreas Melbostad, who has been at the label for two years now, is how to renew it each season. Spring gave him a bit of trouble, but he was back on track for Fall. It was photographer Peter Lindbergh, he said, who helped him get there. Lindbergh's pictures of famous and beautiful women were gathered together in a 2013 book and, more recently, at a Gagosian Gallery show in Paris. Among his most iconic images is a gritty black-and-white shot of the early-'90s supermodels wearing motorcycle jackets, miniskirts, and boots. It's a very DBG kind of picture, but Melbostad's collection wasn't a line-for-line lift."I love Lindbergh's kind of raw beauty, and also the masculine-feminine aspect of it," Melbostad said backstage. Like other designers this week, he opted for a shades-of-black palette, layering a biker jacket or parka over a chunky knit and a lace-edged slip, or sweetening up a boxy man's jacket with a flippy mini. Melbostad wasn't rewriting the rule book with these outfits, but the proportions looked good (cut and fit are things he's gotten right since his days at Phi). Another key aspect of the clothes was their industrial, utilitarian details. D-rings replaced studs as the embellishment du jour. Parachute straps added definition to waistlines but were just as often used as decoration, connecting the top and bottom halves of a tank dress or creating a sort of hard-core fringe on the front of a skirt. Melbostad even threw in a pair of bondage pants, but we'll do you and him a favor and skip the obligatoryFifty Shades of Greyreference.
17 February 2015
"Black Gold Subversion League," read the pseudo-collegiate patches on many of Andreas Melbostad’s safety-pinned, chained, and studded pieces of outerwear. Pshaw: To advertise subversion as a selling point is a crass act any vaguely sensitive anarchist would baulk at. This blunt scrawl aside, Melbostad presented plenty of well-drawn if perhaps ersatz merch best described as preppy-punk—think Johnny Rotten at a job interview.So a perfectly pleasant above-the-knee slim gray overcoat was blistered with chains, pins, and all that old whatnot, then worn over what looked like a slim-fit gray tailored jacket and white shirt, and washed out tartan pants with four silver zipped pockets. A studded biker was rendered in check tweed while a parka came in houndstooth. A rower’s blazer—one of the jock-est of all garments in the canon of attire this collection fumbled with—fought with a quilted leather gilet and distressed jeans. Over-styled to press the trad vs. bad proposition, this collection featured plenty to speak to that constituency of consumers who wear Ramones T-shirts without ever listening to the Ramones. Melbostad is a very talented designer, as his former residency at Phi proved, and he made a strong, positive start at Diesel a couple of seasons back, but now is the time to really define his personal voice at the label.
19 January 2015
This much is true: The rock-and-roll look does well for Diesel Black Gold. The onus is on creative director Andreas Melbostad to tweak his customer's closet staples—the Moto Jacket, the Black Pant, the Studded Anything—just enough so that she wants to buy yet another."Ongoing ingredients," said Melbostad, gesturing to a sleeveless georgette shirtdress decorated with flat circle studs. "This time with a '90s sensibility." Lightweight tops and high-waist trousers hung alongside not-so-basic motorcycle jackets: a navy version piped in red, a burgundy tweed style with quilted black leather accents, a black rendition embroidered and studded to the max. This season's denim was treatment-driven—supersized polka dots were printed onto a blue vintage wash, white geometrics onto black. But the outerwear pieces were the best bets, including a knee-length wool peacoat in gray pinstripe and a hip-length anorak in black or olive. Unlike the rest of the collection, there was little novelty to them. Just want-it-now appeal.
12 December 2014
As a denim and leather brand, music is at the heart and soul of Diesel Black Gold. Designer Andreas Melbostad riffed on rockabilly and New Wave for Spring, citing as major inspiration a leather jacket studded with metal stars once sported by the 1980s icon Gary Numan. Melbostad's not the first designer to get into those grooves (Saint Laurent's Hedi Slimane currently leads the pack in this category), and he won't be the last, so the question is: What does Melbostad bring to the Spring conversation?The quick answer: cute denim and leather separates. After several seasons of dyeing, studding, and otherwise mistreating jeans, he opted to use raw denim in vivid shades of red and baby blue. On a short A-line skirt, the red denim had a crisp naïveté that the bra top it was paired with didn't quite manage to subvert. Melbostad cut bra tops every which way; we imagine Rita Ora, who strolled in half an hour late, rocking a vestlike, lace-front version in silver and black leather. "It's my kind of thing," said scenester deejay Mia Moretti backstage. Numan's star studs materialized everywhere—as embellishments on skirts and jackets, and as prints on dresses that looked playful and young. Nothing to take too seriously. That's rock 'n' roll for you.
9 September 2014
Diesel Black Gold's creative director, Andreas Melbostad, brings an enviable design pedigree to the brand, having held senior positions at Phi, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, and Nina Ricci. Since his arrival in 2012, the Renzo Rosso-backed contemporary label has gone into expansion mode. Its first U.K. store, the eleventh worldwide, has just opened in London. That said, Melbostad is still new to the menswear game (he was handed overall creative direction of the label after making a fast start on the women's side). Spring is only his second season showing Black Gold during the men's collections. At today's show, Melbostad pushed an ultra-skinny silhouette. Skinny jeans are not necessarily trending elsewhere this season, and they've been excellently worked on other runways in the past—Dior Homme circa 2004, for instance. Motocross leather jackets littered with patches or Keith Haring-like pictographs, while sharp, also seemed familiar. But if there was room for growth and a bit more originality here, there's no denying that the denim looked high-quality, and there was one camel coat that was a little slice of heaven.
22 June 2014
"Race to the Grave," the T-shirts at Diesel Black Gold pronounced. Bikers themselves may or may not have a death wish, but the biker look never gets old. Andreas Melbostad returned to it for Diesel Black Gold's new Resort collection, studding and stenciling every inch of black leather moto jackets; cutting denim miniskirts pelmet-short; and otherwise infusing the offering with its usual tough-as-nails vibe.Another fashion perennial he tapped into this season: rockabilly. It came through in twisted Hawaiian print shirts with contrasting yokes and razor-sharp pinstriped jackets and stovepipe pants. They added a slightly dandified, somewhat more dressed-up new dimension to the label's current profile. A neoprene-bodice Hawaiian-print slipdress was almost sweet. But denim and leather remain the focal point of this brand, a point that came across in the diverse ways Melbostad treated denim. Indigo jeans dyed a deep red were subtle and cool, but the best was a pair of red denim cigarette jeans covered in messy stripes of waxy black paint. They looked utterly badass accompanied by a black tuxedo jacket with a built-in pocket chain.
28 May 2014
A swing through Diesel Black Gold's backstage dressing area revealed silvery leather jackets with the quilted proportions of space suits. So Andreas Melbostad had watchedGravity,then? Turns out, Alfonso Cuarón's spellbinding movie didn't figure into it; the designer hasn't seen it. "It has always been a dream of mine to do a sort of astronaut-futuristic collection," he explained. Melbostad has never been one to venture too far out there, though. He had a look at Phi and he stuck to it, and he's very quickly established some signatures at Diesel. In keeping with that, this collection wasn't so much futuristic—either by our contemporary standards or by nostalgic sixties ones—as it was sharp. Save for the rounded proportions of shiny leather parkas (positively great, by the way, with their substantial shearling linings), it was all hard edges, down to the studded square metal discs embellishing the pleats on miniskirts and stretchy dresses. Those discs were reminiscent of ones he used last season. You want to see Melbostad push his limits a bit more in that regard. But you'll hear no complaints from this direction about his tailoring. He makes a mean, mean pair of trousers. This season, they're slung extra low on the hips, cut lean through the thigh with some space-suit seaming at the knee, and unzipped at the ankle for a bit of a flare. Outer space, here on earth, anywhere, there's only one word for those pants: cool.
10 February 2014
"It's my first men's collection—ever," Diesel Black Gold's Andreas Melbostad said backstage after his Florentine show. Pitti Uomo is a large and intimidating stage on which to make your debut, but if Melbostad was fazed by the occasion, he didn't show it. His approach was methodical and, more to the point, probably the right one given the circumstances. He didn't shoot out of the gate with an entirely new proposition; he identified the core of what Diesel does well and offered a stark, pared-back version of it that plays well with the biker-chick look he's been plying at Diesel Black Gold's womenswear. (To underscore the point, Melbostad sent out a few girls in custom looks.)Diesel's hard-rocking fans should find plenty to tickle their studded, high-shine fancies. The flashier among them will thrill to the silver-foiled separates, and maybe the jeans fairly wallpapered in studs. This reviewer inclined more to the fur-trimmed hooded parkas. But whatever one liked or didn't here, there was no disputing that this was a palate-cleansing first step toward a new, more cohesive Black Gold—though it may be a misnomer to use the word "cleansing" for a collection this treated, oiled, foiled, and spackled. TheDin "Diesel" might as well stand for "denim," but in view of the fact that DBG is the company's most luxurious line, Melbostad shied away from it in its plain form. Instead, he drew on the company's yen for denim innovation to create glossy, slick fabrics out of humble cotton that looked like patent leather, vinyl, and eel skin. A working knowledge of alchemy can only serve him well as he starts on collection number two.
8 January 2014
Things are rolling along at a nice clip for Andreas Melbostad at Diesel Black Gold. First came the news that he'll take on the men's range, and then the announcement that it will get its debut next month at Pitti Uomo in Florence—pretty much the biggest menswear stage in the world. And there's also a new store in the works in London, set to open early 2014. Nearly a year into his tenure at the label, Melbostad continues to sharpen its point of view. By now you know to expect lots of leather, denim, and studs. He had all of that and then some; this is a label shoppers should learn to think of first when in the market for a biker jacket. His have great details, and, more important, a great fit. The goal moving forward is to build a more comprehensive collection around those key pieces. Picking up where things left off for Spring, there are sweet, lace-edged slipdresses in a hybrid camo-animal print, and he's adding other soft items to the lineup, like intarsia sweaters, as well as more tailoring. A crisp, stripe-y button-down with camo-print shoulders looked cool. Also interesting: a pair of stovepipe jeans with a finish that appeared silver-leafed. Melbostad said we should expect to see more metallics for Fall.
10 December 2013
No sophomore slump for Andreas Melbostad at Diesel Black Gold today. The energy level was high inside Grand Central's Vanderbilt Hall, and the clothes had a cool factor that's registering. Back in February, Melbostad established a structured, body-con look. Denim and leather remain the building blocks of the label; that's not changing. But for Spring, the jeans have a more generous fit (slouchy at the hips, with deep rolled cuffs at the ankle and strategic fraying here and there), and Melbostad cut his leather motorcycle jackets in icy blue and baby pink. Nice developments, both. Melbostad liked the notion of a "courageous fragility," and he played the brand codes against more delicate pieces, like cotton eyelet dresses with handkerchief hems and camisoles cut from gauzy silk in grayed-out pastels. Picking up where Fall left off, he put grommets on the hems of miniskirts and the sleeves of a leather jacket, and, taking that look a step forward, he decorated fun little dresses with shiny mirrored disks in geometric patterns. These gave off just a whiff of a bohemian vibe, but not enough to scare away the tough-chic Black Gold customer.
9 September 2013
There's been change afoot at Diesel—former Phi designer Andreas Melbostad took over the women's Black Gold collection, and ex-Mugler creative director Nicola Formichetti is taking on artistic director duties at Diesel—but the men's Black Gold label is staying its charted course. Its DNA has always been about leather and denim—often distressed, never polite. In that spirit, a thudding blast of Joy Division filled the room at the 9:30 a.m. show, and guys in paint-lacquered brogue boots clomped along to the beat. The jeans come a bit looser and cuffed high for spring, and the jackets offered every way station on the rock 'n' roll spectrum between bomber and moto. Even the tailored jackets looked beaten up and stitched back together. It's a tough world at Diesel. Which made it all the more curious that the unexpected floral trend that's cropped up at Italy's menswear shows, from Kolor at Pitti to Prada and Gucci in Milan, bloomed here, too.
23 June 2013
Getting a jump on the Resort season, Diesel Black Gold's Andreas Melbostad was in New York this week, showing off his second collection for the brand. Studded with leather biker jackets, it's a continuation of his confident, cool February outing, but with a somewhat gentler feel. The look is influenced by workwear—Melbostad mentioned painters, plaster workers, and even firemen, and, in keeping with those influences, coated denim with a white dust or added oversize metal toggles to jackets. Still, the results seemed subtler here. Chalk that up to several things, among them the prevalence of white and ivory (counterpointed, of course, with plenty of black), his use of silk on a couple of short, breezy dresses, and an absence of the kind of hardware that gave his earlier clothes such a tough-girl feel.The collection's black-and-white print was designed, Melbostad said, to resemble an "aggressive bandanna." As graphic as the printed jeans, T-shirts, and paneled sweaters looked, they were the least persuasive, mostly because they looked somewhat familiar. A hybridized tuxedo jacket combining silk twill and denim played to the brand's strengths, and the designer's. Other likely hits: denim separates that combined three different washes, and a fitted, almost strict indigo utility jacket. More of a surprise was a chunky fisherman sweater that gave off an almost preppy vibe. That was something new from Melbostad. Alluding to his upcoming show in September, he promised he'll be expanding the Black Gold vocabulary even further.
1 May 2013
With apologies to Sophia Kokosalaki, who was formerly at Diesel Black Gold and is a talented designer, you have to wonder what took Renzo Rosso so long to install Andreas Melbostad at Diesel's high-end label. Melbostad, who made Phi white-hot with sexy young things by designing mostly black body-con clothes, is the perfect man for this label. As his motorcycle leather jackets, pants, and dresses stalked down the runway, women in the audience made mental shopping lists.Melbostad isn't necessarily breaking any new ground, but he brings an exceptionally deft hand to the process. The fit on skinny wool pants, resin-treated so they looked sort of like worn-in leather, was great: narrow all the way down the leg, then unzipped a few inches at the ankle for a kicky little flare. Jackets and coats, too, showed off what Melbostad called his efforts to "bring new structure to the clothes." A side-zip jacket in that treated wool clung in the right places; a waxy trench had swagger. Studs have been everywhere and back again, but Melbostad did what he could to make them fresh; his are blunt and gunmetal gray, and he embroidered them in geometric grids. The leather minidress covered in them will be a workout, but we don't suppose that will stop girls from wanting to wear it. You won't find the midi lengths trending on other runways here. In fact, you can't get much more mini than the skirt with front zips that he paired with a lacquered sweatshirt. Expect to see a lot of these clothes in the front rows come September.
11 February 2013
Diesel's latest collection for Black Gold envisaged a psychedelic rock band on a worlds tour—plural, as in our world, the next, and the next. As The Cosmic Tour—Diesel's name for the collection—tripped through the universe, it did so in slithery, rock-god style. This collection was a natty, suited-up one, spit-shine polished right down to its patent-leather penny loafers, but the breath of other planets came through via satiny fabrics a man from Mars would love. Hairy furs and geometric prints, extrapolated from cathedral-meets-concert-hall graphics, tricked out the lot.
14 January 2013
When Phi was shuttered nearly three years ago, designer Andreas Melbostad had built himself an enviable following. Cool girls elbowed each other to squeeze into his front row. Newly installed at Diesel Black Gold, where he replaces Sophia Kokosalaki, Melbostad has delivered a tough, urban collection that will reignite the fervor that surrounded his last shows for Phi. His penchant for contrasting textures, leather, seaming details, hardware, and the color black are an excellent fit for Diesel's advanced contemporary label. "The attitude of the product is familiar to me," he said. "I like that it's a little more accessible."Melbostad went with an American biker theme for pre-fall and made that familiar source of inspiration feel fresh. The emphasis was on outerwear: motorcycle jackets with quilting at the shoulders, a mac with leather detailing, a long, hooded parka equal parts practical and chic. Denim, naturally, was a major component, too. Melbostad did it two ways: engineered and treated (some skinny jeans almost looked like leather) or authentic and unadorned. His girls will almost certainly go for the former. Rounding things out was a series of vibrant, Art Nouveau silk prints inspired by an Austrian wall painting. "I wanted the prints to feel like biker tees," he said. In the end, they were a whole lot more sophisticated than anything we've seen on the back of a Harley, but that's no demerit. All around, an exciting beginning.
5 December 2012
For her last collection at Diesel Black Gold, Sophia Kokosalaki looked back to her first years in fashion, as a student at Central Saint Martins in London in the nineties. "We were always waiting to see what Melanie Ward or Corinne Day was going to do in the next issue ofThe Face," the designer said before the show, explaining how a nineties aesthetic made its way into this season's clothes. As the ramp at the head of the runway and the four male skaters who opened the show made clear, skateboard culture also had an influence. Kokosalaki developed this season's print from pictures she snapped of an ever-evolving graffiti wall in a skate park near the Thames. Jeans came wrapped with shiny black tape at the ankles—the way skaters wear them—and the seams on leather jackets were actually bonded shut, as opposed to sewn, also with tape. Embossed leather miniskirts that wrapped closed were a little punk rock, but they had the classic simplicity Kokosalaki was going for. Most of the embellishment came from swinging fringe on high-heel sandals or long, low-slung belts made from techy, braided rope. It was a succinct definition of this brand's identity: Athletic and urban street wear with a clean, pared-down appeal. Kokosalaki's successor, Andreas Melbostad, the former Phi designer, is now charged with overseeing the next stage of Black Gold's evolution.
10 September 2012
The opening salvo at Diesel Black Gold was a model with a scrolling neck tattoo, but it proved a red herring of sorts. There was still attitude at Renzo Rosso's designer label—where the man himself was on hand, with Adrien Brody at his side, to observe—but this season, there was a new sense of polish. The military bent of the show's first looks, which featured army colors of olive and khaki, aviators, and an appealing little quilted jacket, quickly gave way to something more dandyish. An abstracted, geometric floral motif was the season's big story, and it appeared on tonal suiting, cut into leather jackets, embroidered onto shirts, and even wound into an evening scarf. What's good for the gander is good for the goose, it turns out: Bianca Balti made a guest appearance on the runway, wearing a leather jacket etched with the motif.
25 June 2012
Sophia Kokosalaki lives and works in London's East End. Her studio is right where last year's riots roiled. She watches the kids relaxing in Victoria Park, where, as she says, "you might not have money but your look is important." That's the kind of honest, everyday life that had a big effect on her pre-collection for Diesel Black Gold. The Lurex-threaded knits were the sort of thing Kokosalaki sees on stalls in Broadway Market. There was urban athleticism in a bonded cotton shift with a racer back, or a net tank, or short shorts. A baseball jacket was based on one the designer wore when she was 16 years old (though she revisited it in butter-soft pastel suede). The cocktail dresses paired with trainers felt like a proper Diesel hybrid, but there was also something New Wave-y about the look.In fact, the eighties weighed heavily on the collection. It's a decade those cash-stretched creatives in her neighborhood are particularly attached to, according to Kokosalaki. So there was a patchworked print inspired by New Wave record sleeves in the Victoria and Albert Museum'sPostmodernismexhibition, along with stiff pieces that were a reminder of how structured clothes were back in the day. "Stiff is cooler," Kokosalaki said with a wry laugh as she hauled out a hide-bound biker jacket and black cotton jeans lacquered to look like leather. She also went to the soft end of the eighties spectrum with washed silk jumpsuits and a trench—top half gab, bottom half detachable sheer silk. The kids in Victoria Park mightn't have the money for these pieces, but they'll surely appreciate Kokosalaki's artful evocation of a golden era in inner-city style.
31 May 2012
Sophia Kokosalaki stayed at home for Diesel Black Gold's latest show (she's expecting a baby), but over e-mail she said that the brand's well-received pre-fall collection became the foundation for this one. That meant a continued focus on outerwear—a leather trench with a slouchy knit turtleneck stood out—and a strong dose of menswear. Kokosalaki also injected a bit of humor for Fall, opening the show with a pop art image of a pixelated girl in tears on a black-and-white sweater. OK, maybe that's not funny, exactly, but it set the tone of irreverence the designer was going for. For a little more cheek, slouchy shorts in treatments from shiny leopard print to pony hair were layered over men's boxer shorts in a blue and white stripes. It looked like the kind of outfit a rocker girl might make up after rolling out of bed with a banker.Skirts came slung low, too; they hung just at the hips with the help of wide, sexy belts that attached at the back. For a denim prediction, it looks like prints aren't going anywhere soon. The jeans in this collection came splatter-painted or patterned and were cut with a bit of give, to just below the knee. These were fresh reworkings of street staples, laid-back and super-cool.
13 February 2012
Diesel Black Gold is hell-bent for leather and raised on rock 'n' roll. That puts it at a distance from much of the properly suited, decorous collections that have largely made up Milan's offering this week, but it had the courage of its convictions. Renzo Rosso's higher-end label showed the usual lot of skin, from oily perfecto jackets to leather pants to the suede-sleeved raglan sweatshirt knit. Tailoring was on the edgier end, with skinny shawl lapels and Carnaby Street stripes. There was one vintage-esque three-piece on display worn with—was that one of Milan's many turtlenecks? Ah, no: just the model's full neck tattoo.
16 January 2012
Diesel Black Gold has been forging ahead for about five years now, and at a recent pre-fall appointment, executives were excited to announce several new initiatives, including the opening of the label's first "preview boutique" during New York fashion week. (The space will be designed by fashion's favorite interior decorator, Ryan Korban). Additionally, Black Gold is separating menswear and womenswear on the runway (usually they are combined) to reflect the increased attention the team is paying the softer sex.This season, Sophia Kokosalaki rolled out a grown-up collection that emphasized polished tailoring (think tweed trousers, crisp button-ups, and menswear-y belts) while maintaining the rock 'n' roll edge we've come to expect. Serious outerwear pieces served as the foundation. A utilitarian double-face wool overcoat, patent windbreaker, and oversize pebbled leather jacket were balanced by parachute silk dresses and other lightweight "wear it now" fare for those early deliveries. Treated denim, leather leggings, and motorcycle boots gave the proceedings a shot of brand identity. After a fun Spring show full of high-tech metallics and this tight pre-fall lineup, we're psyched to see what Diesel Black Gold has in store down the road.
10 January 2012
The message on the program at Diesel Black Gold's Spring runway show was: "It's time to reflect." A giant mobile of silver panels hung at the end of the warehouse runway, bouncing the light off guests ranging from Gerard Butler and his date, Petra Nemcova, to Sarah Lerfel, Olivier Zahm, and the Roitfeld girls. As for the designer, Sophia Kokosalaki has been reflecting on Diesel. "I wanted to be honest to the brand," she said backstage after the show. "It always comes back to that." For Kokosalaki, that means utilitarian pieces that are a little high-tech. A photograph of mirrors was turned into a print and fused with leather; the resulting fabric looked a bit like a Hershey's Kiss wrapper. A pair of pants in the stuff were narrow to the ankle, where they cinched in with a drawstring and then flared out. While those are probably too shiny for everyday wear, the roomy blazer in pale pink it came with was casual and cool.Men will have fewer silver flares and more solid outerwear options. A classic trench was well proportioned, and a leather vest worn over a blazer was fashion-forward without being too trendy. For women, the pants that will really sell are the boyfriend jeans. Rolled at the hem, they were a true baby blue, but they had a silver sheen when the light hit them—jeans you can see yourself in, but not actuallyseeyourself in.
12 September 2011
The siren song of the sea called to Diesel Black Gold this season. Its designers spoke of the modern nomad, who apparently won't confine his travels to mere dry land. A palette of washed-out slate grays and ocean blues dominated, and the official word was that the navy was the inspiration point. Diesel's roués aren't necessarily of the serviceman stripe, but you could see the influence in the profusion of nylon tech jackets and outerwear, the kind of thing you'd imagine would be light enough and resilient enough to be a boon on board. Pants came lower and looser than in seasons past, and the overall impression of the collection was a shruggy slouch. It might have been interesting to see the designers truly plumb the military world and borrow some of the rigidity and formality of uniform, but no shame in going with what works. For Diesel, that's casual, and there are plenty who like it that way. They'll have much to look forward to when the label opens a standalone Black Gold shop in New York this fall.
10 July 2011
Diesel Black Gold's Resort collection felt lighter and more accessible than Fall and Spring, which were, dare we say, a touch too rock 'n' roll for even Diesel's flashy customer. This season was about feel-good prints, with seemly doses of leather and denim (a fabric surprisingly absent on recent runways) mixed in. Designer Sophia Kokosalaki showed a psychedelic, "mineral-inspired" pattern on parachute silk, which she whipped into various blouses, and a sporty jacket that was very Members Only. On another vibrant note, there was a series of color-blocked knit looks that had Tetris-like charm. Leather came into play on a dress bodice that could be detached from its jersey skirt. And as far as denim goes, we'd skip over the poncho jacket but go for the boyfriend jeans that had just the right amount of slouch and a slight pink tint. While you could certainly find similar ones for less, there's no way they'll have been washed, treated, blasted, beaten, and painted like this pair.
13 June 2011
Minimal madness infiltrated nearly every corner of the fashion world following the runaway success of Celine and its like-minded labels—but it didn't reach Sophia Kokosalaki, or Diesel. Kokosalaki's inspiration for the season, she shrugged backstage, was simply, "not to go minimal—at the moment, everyone's going minimal. You can still dress in a casual way and dress up," she said.Trends can be hard for even principled designers to resist, but Kokosalaki knows her Diesel clientele isn't going for less-is-more. For them, she offered a bold-hued assortment of lace-up denim, thick cabled knits, and military-inspired jackets. These aren't your army-issue—or at least not recent-issue. "There's always a military influence in Diesel's DNA," the designer explained. "I just tried to release it with other references." That meant drawing on the uniforms of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries—the sort that soldiers of the British Empire might've worn, cropped in front with long tails dangling behind. (The guys got a sort of cavalry riding pant in denim, too, low and loose through the leg, but tapering to button at the cuff.)But it's not just for queen and country; the Diesel DNA is encoded with a bit of rock 'n' roll, too. That must account for some of the lapels, borrowed from biker jackets, not to mention the python-printed leather pants and exaggerated bell-bottoms any late-seventies band aid would love.
14 February 2011
Get this: Diesel had a runway show and not a single blue jean was included."We have a lot of blue denim in Diesel, so it's not necessary to go down this way—everybody knows we have this," Sophia Kokosalaki, Diesel Black Gold's creative director, explained backstage. That's a bold move, but one that made for a compelling show. Kokosalaki subbed dark, dusty colors for the indigo blues, and, for the most part, leather for the denim. (It's central, she says, to the company DNA, and owner Renzo Rosso agrees.) And when Jacquelyn Jablonski tromped out in the first look—a cognac-colored leather jacket with a peplum and a thigh-grazing mini made of sewn-together leaf-like scraps that looked like nothing so much as a cowhide hula skirt—oh, brave new world!Where that world is remains to be seen. Kokosalaki mentioned the desert inspired the palette she chose (caramels and cognacs, coppery greens and corals, sands and stones). Judging from the ratty bouffants the ladies wore, I'd say a desert island—and not one with a comb. But as styled by Marie-Amélie Sauvé, the collection had an appealing savagery and ingenuity both. The leather pieces emphasized handwork and craftsmanship, whether they were embossed, painted, appliquéd, or tied. (A few too many ties, come to think of it.) "Sometimes it was really intense, really couture style," Kokosalaki said. Well, if you were marooned at sea, you'd certainly have time to ply your craft.
12 September 2010
Get this: Diesel had a runway show and not a single blue jean was included."We have a lot of blue denim in Diesel, so it's not necessary to go down this way—everybody knows we have this," Sophia Kokosalaki, Diesel Black Gold's creative director, explained backstage. That's a bold move, but one that made for a compelling show. Kokosalaki subbed dark, dusty colors for the indigo blues, and, for the most part, leather for the denim. (It's central, she says, to the company DNA, and owner Renzo Rosso agrees.) And when Jacquelyn Jablonski tromped out in the first look—a cognac-colored leather jacket with a peplum and a thigh-grazing mini made of sewn-together leaf-like scraps that looked like nothing so much as a cowhide hula skirt—oh, brave new world!Where that world is remains to be seen. Kokosalaki mentioned the desert inspired the palette she chose (caramels and cognacs, coppery greens and corals, sands and stones). Judging from the ratty bouffants the ladies wore, I'd say a desert island—and not one with a comb. But as styled by Marie-Amélie Sauvé, the collection had an appealing savagery and ingenuity both. The leather pieces emphasized handwork and craftsmanship, whether they were embossed, painted, appliquéd, or tied. (A few too many ties, come to think of it.) "Sometimes it was really intense, really couture style," Kokosalaki said. Well, if you were marooned at sea, you'd certainly have time to ply your craft.
12 September 2010
Style.com did not review the Fall 2010 menswear collections. Please enjoy the photos, and stay tuned for our complete coverage of the Spring 2011 collections, including reviews of each show by Tim Blanks.
15 February 2010
The gridlocked mass of people at the check-in desk hinted that things were business as usual at the Diesel Black Gold show, but the debut collection by its new creative director, Sophia Kokosalaki, was anything but. "I wanted to infuse technique into the clothes," she said backstage, "but still have them maintain that rock 'n' roll soul inherent to the brand." While past seasons have leaned heavily toward complicated, overly distressed garments, Kokosalaki's approach was much cleaner and more focused. There was black leather—skinny trousers, sexy little dresses, sleek moto jackets—paired mostly with faded denim shirts and vests. High-end touches could be found in the stitched-up seams and patchworked layers ("I approached the denim like it was yarn," the designer said). With the exception of a one-shouldered velvet jumpsuit that didn't quite mesh with the otherwise tomboyish offerings—even the sexy body-cons that closed the show had more swagger than sweetness—it was a solid effort that will ensure the brand stays on the radar of the many top editors and retailers who made it through the crush.
15 February 2010
The Diesel team looks at any occasion as a potential party (last year's around-the-world bash to launch Diesel TV comes to mind), and on opening day of their largest store—a Fifth Avenue "mega flagship"—they brought the good times to the Black Gold runway. A trumpeter busting out jazzy renditions of Lou Reed and Nirvana hits set the stage for a collection that may have been inspired by the Roaring Twenties but was mostly an ode to today's street culture.The girls played it up in coquettish, lingerie-inspired dresses, lace-up tanks with garter-belt hems, and nubby wool sweaters with faux-corset insets. In one of the final looks, Freja Beha Erichsen worked a number that echoed a factory jumpsuit, but for the open panels that left most of her tattoos on display. The effect was all a bit "she's come undone"—something it seems the Diesel brand is in no danger of.
16 February 2009
Freja, Lily, and Isabeli stomped out to sarcastic lyrics by the Pierces—"Saturday night / We look all right / We're going out / Bo-ring!"—and that set the tone for a confident Diesel Black Gold show. Now in its second season, the line was launched as a higher-end addition to the Diesel brand, but the denim behemoth obviously hasn't forgotten what draws people to the label in the first place: quality jeans in unique washes and sportswear that cop a bit of 'tude. The coolest pieces for Spring were a leather biker vest and jacket with a destroyed, yellow-tinted finish, and bleached-out jeans with the original rinse color left as racer stripes on the seams.
7 September 2008