For AW22, Diesel Creative Director Glenn Martens presents a new collection full of experimentalism and rebellious spirit. It was his first physical fashion show since he took the helm of the brand, and while the Spring/Summer 2022 collection, which had previously been released as an advertising campaign, had given Glenn Martens a blueprint for reviving the legendary denim brand, it wasn't until the show's release that people began to really see where his ambitions to try to reclaim the character of the Diesel brand lay.
Diesel Fall/Winter 2022 collection
Glenn Martens divides the series into four chapters: Tannins, Functionality, Trends and Craftsmanship. From the oversized belt that returns to pragmatism, the sexy charm of the hook-and-eye clasp, the twist-and-turn stitch design, to the ultra-low waistline, the retro Y2K aesthetic, and the wrong view case and asymmetrical design, he shows his experimental design philosophy. On the look and feel, Glenn Martens has clearly regained the sensuality and invariance diesel once lost, and reawakens Gen Z's original desire for denim pieces.
In fact, Glenn Martens isn't the only designer trying to define denim pieces, and Diesel isn't the only denim brand to regain attention with the growing millennial retro trend in the fashion world. Driven by the return of Y2K aesthetics and the nostalgia prevalent in the fashion world, many fashion brands have refocused their attention on denim pieces. From luxury brands Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Etro, Dior, to designer brands Martine Rose, VTMNTS and more, many brands have added a large number of denim pieces to their latest AW22 collection, which seems to be collectively announcing the return of denim.
Bottega Veneta's Fall/Winter 2022 collection
On the other hand, the once-unique professional denim brand is also returning. Under the blow of the athleisure wind, Levi's, Lee, Wranger, Guess, Diesel and other classic denim brands have invariably experienced a period of downturn, bankruptcy, sale, performance decline and other negative news has always been around these denim-based brands. And now, they are also reinvigorating themselves and returning to the mainstream with a more avant-garde posture. At the same time, their return is accompanied by a rekindled desire among young consumers for denim products, as well as new demands for sustainable fashion and transparency in production.
Levi's Fall/Winter 2021 collection
The cycle of fashion trends has now shifted once again to denim. As people begin to tire of athleisure styles, denim pieces that are more in line with the current collective nostalgia are regaining the favor of young consumers. For designers, compared with other fabrics, denim fabrics are still the "test field" where they can play their creativity most freely.
Juan Piani, CEO of Milan Fashion Showroom InStyle, told WWD: "I am passionate about denim apparel and it offers endless possibilities. Denim fabrics were once associated with casual and sportswear for their hardness and raw texture, and it wasn't until sporty trends dominated stretch fabrics that denim fabrics began to decline. "The showroom has been responsible for the production and distribution of italian denim brand 3×1, founded in 2011, since 2020.
At the same time, Juan Piani also said that the comfort of denim items is now a selection criterion that consumers attach great importance to, such as combined with athleisure style is a new way out of denim pieces. In its 2020 Denim Industry Report, published by retail e-commerce technology company Edited, a retail e-commerce technology company, notes that despite the difficult situation, streetwear may have the ability to combine athleisure with denim fabrics to achieve a renaissance in denim.
Fabrizio Consoli, who has worked for brands such as Diesel, Replay and Gas, founded his own denim brand Blue of a Kind out of a passion for denim fabrics and recently opened the brand's first store in Milan. He told WWD: "Denim is a versatile and democratic garment, and it is probably the most democratic of all. That's why, he argues, is its ability to penetrate into the commercial collections of any potential brand, from fast fashion to luxury. He believes this is a testament to denim's versatility and ability to go beyond trends, enabling brands to offer styles that consistently impress consumers on a relatively low budget.
Fabrizio Consoli says Blue of a Kind takes sustainability very seriously, so the brand collects vintage used denim pieces and unsold inventory and revamps them to give them a whole new look. To further its sustainability mission, Blue of a Kind also recently partnered with Italian dyeer Officina+39 to extract eco-friendly fuel from discarded denim and over-dye its vintage jeans.
Blue of a Kind
In fact, the denim industry has never stopped redeeming itself, trying to make itself more "green" clean and sustainable through technological innovation, and constantly looking for new exports, which is also considered by industry insiders to have enough possibilities to get a new start. The "2020 Jeans Report" released by Euromonitor International shows that in 2019, the continuous innovation of fashionable and comfortable jeans fabrics has indeed attracted consumers.
In addition, the denim market is being dominated by consumer nostalgia, and new brands that continue to make innovative products are beginning to be loved. Levi Strauss & Co. Hailed as an industry leader by Euromonitor International, it plans to reduce the total water consumption of its plants and finishing plants by 50% by 2025, although they are not the only denim brand that is focused on sustainability. Wrangler has also set himself the goal of conserving water, saving billions of litres of water in denim production to date.
American denim brand Frame has launched a new sustainable collection called "Pure", which features virtually no use of water in the production process as part of its ongoing commitment to sustainable and responsible practices. Produced by Saitex USA, the 10-piece Pure denim range is said to be one of the cleanest denim manufacturers in the world, using a production method that does not use water in washing production, using only environmentally friendly liquid finishes and precision lasers. Frame says traditional denim wastes up to 80 litres of water per garment, compared to Pure's unique closure system, which uses 1.25 litres of water, where 98% is recycled and 2% is evaporated and reused. Includes 9% biodegradable and 53% sustainable fabrics and washable styles.
Frame
Everlane, a popular DTC brand in the United States, has firmly focused on sustainable and environmentally friendly fabrics and clothing since its inception, and the Vietnamese factory Saitex has passed the American Energy and Environmental Design Pioneer Certification. Waste resources are reduced by recycling 98% of the manufacturing water in the factory, using air to naturally dry denim and turning excess denim waste into materials for eco-friendly buildings.
Everlane
In addition, a number of companies, including Jeanologia and Tonello, are also actively developing and improving clothing printing and dyeing technology, and many fabric companies, such as Cone Mills, Candiani, Orta, Artistic Milliners, Isko, Arvind, Royo and Kurabo, have been leading the industry in the production of recyclable fibers, recyclable cotton, and dyeing technology. Make the production process of denim greener and more environmentally friendly, while also guiding consumers and other brands.
As the fashion industry continues to take steps to embrace sustainability from a more holistic perspective, denim brands are setting goals around water, land, recyclability, chemicals, energy and labor, and even though this is a complex issue, it's safe to assume that denim brands are on a path to reducing their environmental impact, which in turn is a "peril" that stimulates creators to make radical attempts and achieve amazing results. At the same time, through experimental avant-garde dressing and retro style aesthetics, denim pieces are also rejuvenating their original beauty, re-stimulating consumers, especially young consumers, to desire them. WWD
Written by Jason
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