Glenn Martens reminded us of Diesel’s roots at Spring/Summer 2025, in a collection that made denim the main character. We went backstage before Diesel’s show in Milan on Friday kicked off to link up with its SS25 skincare partner, The Ordinary and see what was going down behind the scenes. From glowing contact lenses to next level ripped denim to an insane lineup on the runway, here’s our main takeaways from Diesel’s latest show.
Back in the seventies, Diesel’s founder Renzo Rosso was a fifteen year old with a sewing machine, stitching jeans in low-rise, bell bottomed silhouettes that he’d sell to his friend’s for 3500 lire a piece. Fast-forward 50 years and now Diesel is one of the biggest high fashion brands in the game, competing on the world stage at Milan Fashion Week each season, but we all know you should never forget where you came from.
As usual, Glenn Martens’ Diesel attracts an A-list crowd to its FROW, with the likes of Tinashe, Christine Quinn, Damiano David, Khalid, and more all showing up to witness the brand’s SS25 show. However, as is the case at many of Diesel’s shows, like at SS24 when Martens invited the 4800 members of the public to purchase tickets to the show or FW24 which allowed anyone to join a two-way livestream and have their face broadcasted inside the show space, Diesel doesn’t exclude fashion fans who aren’t able to attend in person.
This season, Diesel’s open invitations arrived in the form of a sneak preview. Posting on Instagram ahead of the show, Diesel invited us to join a live stream left running a full 24 hours for four days revealing what was going on behind-the-scenes at Diesel’s Milan HQ before the show actually kicked off. This preview of what goes into Diesel’s collections maintained Glenn Martens personal touch and reminded us why we love Diesel: it's a brand unlike other high fashion houses, unafraid of opening the door and letting people in.
Whilst guests were arriving and fans were tuning in live, we were backstage with The Ordinary, getting a look at what goes on behind the scenes of Diesel’s shows minutes before the action. Capturing Diesel’s models getting prepped for their insane makeup looks, we found out the key three ingredients that go into a runway model’s skincare routine.
When we caught up with the MUAs backstage at Diesel, they highlighted three products in particular being used to prep models’ skin: The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5, The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA, and The Ordinary Squalane + Amino Acids Lip Balm are all essential for hydration. Walking under the kinds of spotlights that are pointed at the runway during fashion shows seriously dries out your skin, as does the amount of flights that Alex Consani takes, so keeping your skin hydrated is up there with drinking water.
Using all three products helps to treat and seal your skin, preventing dryness and dehydration through the use of ingredients that support the skin barrier and appear naturally in your skin. After models had had their skin appropriately prepped by The Ordinary, they were turned over to the makeup artists who added the alien contact lenses in bright colours and matching eye makeup that made Diesel’s collection pop.
Following the theme of denim as his inspiration, Creative Director Glenn Martens swapped runways littered with condom boxes and covered in TV screens for a vast space carpeted with denim scraps. As the light came up on the fabric-filled scene, guests heard the reverberating sound of techno fill the space, joined by a distorted woman’s voice reading aloud a description of denim: what it is, how it's made, and why we as a society love it so much.
The collection itself was denim-focused but not in the typically Americana, workwear route that brands tend to take denim down. Instead it was denim but elevated in a way that felt characteristically Diesel, styled ready for the club and accessorised with piercing coloured contact lenses. Seen on the likes of Alton Mason, Alex Consani, Kit Price, Callum Harper, and many more of the industry’s most sought after models, the runway was littered with denim scraps and icons alike.
Reimagining typical denim styles, Glenn Martens shredded jeans into shorts, leaving strips of fabric hung in tassles; distressed tailored denim suits with sporadic tears; revealed shag coats made completely out of raggedly cut denim; and tore up the necklines of dresses, revealing skin in a typically suggestive Diesel way. Glenn Marten’s SS25 collection was a reminder of Diesel’s roots that delivered on the one fabric it's kept close since 1978: denim.
Hit up The Ordinary to get your hands on the three-step hydration routine Diesel used on its own models this season.
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