Sex sells and Diesel’s buying. Glenn Martens just presented his FW23 collection for Diesel. Featuring an array of distressed and revealing looks, and a collaboration with none other than Durex – yes, the condom brand, it would appear that Diesel is ushering in an era of sexploration and “sucsexful living”.
Hosted in the Superstudio Maxi in Milan, the show space, which was at first basked in a scarlet hue evocative of the red light district, slowly dimmed to black as audiences took to their seats. As the lights gradually came back up a mountainous, glittering pile of red Durex condom boxes was revealed in the centre of the space, confirmed by Diesel to be made up of 200,000 boxes in total, with 300,000 more to be handed out at Diesel stores over the next month.
The collaboration with Durex was actually teased earlier this morning on social media, with Diesel sending its limited edition branded condom boxes out in the place of invites to attendees of the show. For Diesel, a collaboration with a condom brand isn’t only natural, it’s responsible. Wearing clothes this provocative definitely calls for protection, thus Diesel want the partnership to remind fans that “safe sex is still important”.
On top of the presence of the giant pile of condoms, Diesel committed to the theme by playing the echoing sounds of moaning as the music intensified. Amid the sex noises, models dressed in an array of ultra-distressed clothing, applied to everything from denim jeans to knitted dresses, walked the space, with the laddered, torn, and ripped fabrics giving a new meaning to the idea of having your clothes ripped off.
Glenn Martens also demonstrated his versatility through a series of more conservative looks, including patchwork-style hoodies and foil-look leather jackets each emblazoned with the iconic Diesel logo, and a series of garments printed with blown-up graphics of saturated mouths and teeth which broke up the collection. However, the overriding theme of sexuality was ever present, even in just the materials used which were dominated by leather, latex, and nylon.
Previously sex psychologists had dubbed the years since the pandemic “a sex recession”, claiming that Gen Z were having less sex than ever before; however, it’s clear from Diesel’s FW23 show that this period of chastity is over. With Diesel promoting an unabashedly sexual lifestyle and fashion only getting more and more provocative, it would appear that we’re exiting the “sex recession” and entering a “sex boom”. Here’s to more sex in 2023, just don’t forget to use protection!
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