5D: Diesel Dream Disruption Deviation Denim
DIESEL is releasing a new retrospective book titled 5D:DIESEL DREAM DISRUPTION DEVIATION DENIM, produced with publishing house Rizzoli.
The 248-page tome kicks off with DIESEL founder Renzo Rosso’s history of developing his label, from sewing his first pair of jeans at the age of 15 on his mother’s Singer machine, to the formation of DIESEL in 1978, through to today. One thing has remained consistent and inviolable since its inception: DIESEL is as progressive, bold and fueled by an uncompromising and against-the-grain spirit in the design of its product, as it is in its marketing and communications outings.
“In 1978, DIESEL came into being. It was the moment of alternative energy. We’ve continued with that energy and that fearlessness through to the present. At the core, there’s no difference between who you are and how you identify. DIESEL is an attitude, and it always will be.”
The book is edited by the fashion writer Susie Lau, and it surveys DIESEL’s denim history—from the company’s late Seventies beginnings, to more recent activations, such as the DIESEL RED TAG project, which sees ongoing collaborations with young, disruptive designers around the world.
“Are jeans part of a uniform of comfort or are they a wearable escape getaway? Conform or rebel? It turns out, they’re both. DIESEL has made it their mission to use this most egalitarian of materials to make its wearers stand out from the rest.”
This new volume tracks and highlights the hallmark moments of denim within DIESEL’s multi-decade history including hundreds of photographs from DIESEL’s archive in Breganze, Italy, which houses over 175,000 garments. Unique and rare pieces found DIESEL’s research teams in flea markets, thrift stores and re-sellers around the globe.
There is more: stories from DIESEL employees fill one chapter; another displays contributions and letters from friends of the brand; many pages flash historical campaign images, which, true to form, have always endeavored to pioneer and to disrupt.
From innovative production methods to groundbreaking marketing, 5D: DIESEL DREAM DISRUPTION DEVIATION DENIM takes an uncompromising look at the DIESEL approach, celebrating its singularity and tenacity. Like the company’s ethos itself, which Lau describes as “refreshing irreverence,” the book’s aesthetic is daring and dynamic—capturing the story of not only a denim powerhouse, but of a denim universe.
5D: DIESEL DREAM DISRUPTION DEVIATION DENIM will be released in November 2019. The book will be sold at DIESEL stores, on www.diesel.com, in Rizzoli stores and in top bookstores worldwide.