Diesel

founded by

Renzo Rosso

about

Diesel has long been a leading pioneer in denim and casual fashion, known for moving outside and ahead of trends in its industry. While retaining always its DNA, in recent years Diesel has evolved into the world of premium casual wear, becoming a true alternative to the established luxury market.

Despite Diesel�s extraordinary growth, its philosophy is the same as when Renzo Rosso created it in 1978: he envisaged a brand that would stand for passion, individuality and self-expression. With the recent appointment of Nicola Formichetti as its Artistic Director, the brand is ready to �reboot� and continues to blaze its own trail.

The collections include: Diesel, Diesel Black Gold (the contemporary line designed by Andreas Melbostad), 55DSL (a streetwear collection under the creative direction of Andrea Rosso), Diesel Kid. Diesel is not just apparel and denim: it�s a lifestyle, which has been interpreted through licences with leading brands to develop watches and jewellery (with Fossil), eyewear (with Marcolin), fragrances (with L�Oreal), helmets (with AGV), headphones (with Monster), bikes (with Pinarello) and a complete home collection (with Foscarini, Moroso, Zucchi and Scavolini).

Diesel is a truly worldwide organisation. From its headquarters in Breganze (Vicenza), it directly manages 19 subsidiaries across Europe, Asia and the Americas. It is present in more than 80 countries with 5,000 points of sale, including more than 400 company owned stores.

Diesel is part of OTB, the holding company of Maison Martin Margiela, Marni, Viktor&Rolf and Staff International, a synonym of pr�t-�-porter Made in Italy (and managing the licenses of brands like DSquared, Just Cavalli, Vivienne Westwood Red Label and Man, and Marc Jacobs Men).

The brand is famous worldwide also for its provoking ads: in the course of years, they have generated shock, laughter and disbelief, as well as shelf-loads of awards, as the Gold, Grand Prix, and Advertiser of the Year awards at the prestigious Cannes International Advertising festival.

The Company has received numerous awards also for the business model it proposes. In 1996, Renzo Rosso and Diesel received the �Premio Risultati� award from the prestigious Bocconi Institute in Milan for being the �Best Italian Company of the Year�. Renzo Rosso was also nominated, by North American division of Ernst & Young, as �Entrepreneur of the Year� for 1997 for the company�s progressive moves in the U.S. On July 2000, CUOA Foundation (Italy�s first and most renowned MBA program) conferred an honorary master in business administration to Renzo Rosso, calling Diesel �one of the entrepreneurial phenomena of the 90�s�. In December 2000, Diesel snatched New York�s �Made in Italy Award� in the Fashion Innovation category, while in 2001 Renzo Rosso was designated �Entrepreneur of the Year - Innovation category� by Ernst & Young. In November 2003, Hollywood�s Movieline magazine awarded Renzo with its �Original Vision Award� for his long term success in communication and advertising. In November 2004, in Montecarlo, Rosso received the �International Leading Entrepreneur Award�. In Jan. 2005 the University of Verona conferred him a master ad honorem in Supply Chain Integration Management, in February Rome�s Major Walter Veltroni awarded him for his �creative vision of business�, in May Germany�s Textilwirtschaft gave him the �Forum-Preis� for his outstanding personal and entrepreneurial performance. In June, inside the historical Fortezza del Basso in Florence, Renzo Rosso received the prestigious prize �Pitti Immagine Uomo� and in November, the �GQ Man of the year� award from GQ Germany. In 2006, Hollywood Life magazine has named Renzo Rosso, the president and founder of Diesel, as the "Fashion Visionary" at the 3rd Annual Hollywood Style Awards, as one of the most innovative and successful brands in fashion. In 2010, Renzo Rosso has been named a Millennium Promise MDG Global Leader, together with personalities such as Tommy Hilfiger and Youssou N�Dour, while the company was awarded a Gold Lion at Cannes for its Be Stupid campaign.

history

Renzo Rosso created the Diesel brand in 1978, choosing the name because it is easy to understand, pronounced the same way around the world, and has a rugged feel about it; at that time, Diesel was also considered an �alternative energy� so it was representative of an alternative taste in casual wear. In 1985 Renzo Rosso acquired sole control of Diesel and surrounded himself with an international team of talented designers and staff. Diesel launched its first �For Successful Living� advertising campaign in 1991, instantly establishing a reputation for innovative marketing. The brand�s first flagship stores, in New York, Rome and London, opened in 1996.