Nicola Formichetti finaallyyy showcased his first collection for Diesel last thursday – and it had everything a rock chick like me would want in my wardrobe (except the fur) -Tie dye, distressed denims, leather, combat, metal – Everything!! I’m lusting for these belts from the collection – I can’t wait to get my hands on one!!
While I go deal with my cravings, we present 10 things you should know about Nicola’s debut…
1. The Successor
Nicola Formichetti joined Diesel a year ago as the label’s first artistc director succeeding founder Renzo Rosso. Formichetti was the former creative director of Uniqlo and Mugler and stylist to Lady Gaga before boarding the Diesel train. Says Rosso, “I followed his career for about three years and said wow, this is my man. When I was younger I was crazy like him.”
2. The Influence
Social media is a major part of the new direction for Diesel. Formichetti uses these digital tools like Facebook & Instagram to lock in on what his followers will want to wear. He is super interactive online and hell bent on tapping into new gen’s love for all things digital. So much so, he even casted models for his SS’14 campaign on Tumblr.
3. The Brave
Renzo Rosso was founded by Diesel when he was just 23 and has gone on to build an empire under OTB – Only The Brave – that holds brands like Maison Martin Margiela, Marni and Viktor & Rolf. He stepped down from the position of creative director at Diesel five years ago to manage OTB.
4. The Build-up
Even though Nicola Formichetti was appointed creative director a year ago, it is only last week that he revealed his first full collection for Diesel. Uptil now he’s been teasing us with snippets of capsule collections and special projects, while working out the brand at the same time.
5. The Guestlist
Renzo Rosso flew three hundred of the most influential people in fashion from all over the world to Venice, his hometown and the birthplace of Diesel, for Nicola’s debut collection – Viktor & Rolf, Courtney Love, Anna Dello Russo of Vogue Japan, Franca Sozzani of Vogue Italia, Dree Hemingway, the Dsquared2 twins and Marni’s Consuelo Castiglioni – to name some.
6. The Venue
The location of choice was an ex naval factory called the Arsenale. The guests were ferried down the Grand Canal on a gondola to the beautiful brick building that was lit up in flames.
7. The Collection
Formichetti calls this collection a “foundational collection”, paying homage to Diesel’s original aesthetic: Denim, Leather and Military. The catwalk was divided into these 3 themes with models styled with a nod to fashion cults and London street gangs.
8. The Atmosphere
Visual art was projected on 3 huge screens through films directed by Nick Knight who has collaborated with Formichetti several times over the years.
9. The Muse
Formichetti’s newest muse, rapper Brooke Candy, took the final bow with him dressed in leather hot pants & a bralet with lace-up thigh highs, after which whipped off her top and stuck her fingers up to the crowd. In the words of the designer, “I feel like that excitement when I first met Gaga. They have that same energy; they’re über humans. Aliens, I call them.”
10. The Finale
Or the ‘showstopper’ as we like to call it here in India, was a banging tribute to Pussy Riot. An army of models marched up on the runway in fur trimmed balaclavas to a bad a** score narrating the bands unfair arrest and calling out for freedom of speech. Take that Putin!!
Check out the entire show below!