DIESEL UNVEILS NEW RED TAG PROJECT BY GLENN MARTENS IN MILAN

Diesel premiered the second installment of its Red Tag Project by designer Glenn Martens of the label Y/Project on Saturday, June16. Red Tag Project is a new platform conceived to host influential and globally coveted designers tasked with creating capsule collections that will be distributed exclusively by selected retailers. The Red Tag Project debuted earlier this
year with a first edition by Hood By Air designer Shayne Oliver.

“This collection is based on Diesel’s slogans, particularly ‘Go With The Flaw.’ I thought this was quite strong and recognizable,” says Martens of his capsule. “You need to embrace the mistake and own it—operate each piece in your own way, to make it work for you. The pieces are inspired by wardrobe basics, but there are conscious pattern manipulations, such as the hemline or waistband of a jacket being seven sizes smaller than the actual garment. The seams are also buttoned, so you have to keep the sides open to fit the garment. In a way, the collection is actually then both size-free and genderless.”

Included in Martens’s lineup are slouched trousers, warped blazers, and voluminous shearling jackets, and throughout, there is a unique demonstration of denim manipulation and play.

“Glenn comes from Belgian training, so he has this practical-yet-surreal, Margiela-like sense,” adds Renzo Rosso, founder of Diesel. “But then he’s young and modern, and knows how to appeal to a global, educated consumer, while simultaneously being able to experiment with denim.”

The Red Tag Project by Glenn Martens was presented on a gridded and tiered platform stands at Milan’s Fabbrica del Vapore. The installation featured four models per tier, in six ascending rows. Each group of models wore the exact same look, with each look adapted in a different way. The setup was designed so that each and every look could be seen, at once. The simple industrial structure also served a function by connecting many types of people through one unique setting.

The lookbook for the capsule was lensed by the artist Hans Eijkelboom, whose work is best known through his book, People of the Twenty-First Century. Eijkelboom’s material is about connecting a diverse group of people through one key item, which is exactly the aim of Martens’s capsule; to link varied individuals via the versatility of the garment.