Diesel Practices Safe Sex & Fendi Keeps it in the Family at MFW23

Glenn Martens Diesel is all about freedom, pleasure and experimentation. Their sex positive message was clear and we are glad they are promoting safe sex in the form of a 200,000 condom mountain that served as the backdrop for their fw23 Milan show.

The impressive backdrop made from 200,000 Durex condom boxes solidifies Marte’s tenure for larger-than-life set designs. Last fashion week he even broke a World Guinness Record for biggest inflatable! Diesel is keen on people practicing safe sex as they will be giving away around 300,000 boxes to the public in their stores across the globe. “It’s very important to live your life, have fun, be sex positive but respect each other,” said Martens in an interview. 

Diesel and Durex will partner up and sell hoodies, t-shirts, hats, and more with a Diesel x Durex logo. Coming to stores most likely late April, and the collaboration merchandise will be available on Diesel’s online store. Thankfully, while the condom boxes were definitely a big statement, they did not take away from the runway looks.

The garments in this collection are connected to Martens safe sex message because different pieces have cutouts and sheer spots to reveal different parts of the model’s body. Denim is been a Diesel staple, their Spring/Summer 2023 show was filled with Canadian tuxedos, acid wash jeans and denim jackets. So when many denim pieces came down the runway for their latest show, it was no surprise. 

Photo: Diesel

Many of the garments in this line were distressed and look almost torn apart, which is a common theme with Diesel. The burns, tears, and holes in the garments are what make Diesel stand out as Martens is not afraid to experiment with the clothes. He uses blow torches and other chemical treatments to create that distress look popularized by the rise of Y2K. With Diesel, there is always a great balance between experimentation and art, which can be hard to do. 

While Diesel experimented with silk, distressed denim and Pollock-like prints, Fendi took to its biological tree for inspiration.

Kim Jones became creative director for the Italian luxury house back in 2020 succeeding Karl Lagarfeld. Since then his designs at Fendi have been known for incorporating multiple themes into each collection instead of just sticking with one. This time he blended simplicity, sophistication, and minimalism.

Photo: Fendi

Simplicity doesn’t mean boring and Fendi’s fw23 set proves just that. A simple, dark, straight runway illuminated by a multi-color light show. This allowed the audience to really focus on the garments themselves without any kind of distraction, complementing the clothes and making the entire show more cohesive. 

Jones's color choices were very interesting and personal. As I said, Fendi look into it’s own to find inspiration. Observing Delfina Delettrez Fendi and her personal style, from which Jones took inspiration for the brown and blue palette as well as the pleated kilts form the collection.

The looks started out in a baby blue, then grey, beige, cream, and finally bright orange and pink to end the show. The bright, flashy colors at the end injected a spark of life to the otherwise neutral collection, balancing sophistication with youthfulness.

As mentioned before, masculine tailoring plays a large role in this collection adding a touch of asymmetry to the silhouettes that would generally be associated to mens. An asymmetry that slowly strats to soften as the bright colors appear.