Great Italy: Renzo Russo brings diesel to new heights - Walla! Fashion

2020-01-26T08:58:03.949Z

The well-known Danish brand is launching an impressive archive book and we have had a rare glimpse into the corridors of the Empire in a quiet town in Italy. Owner and founder Renzo Russo plunged with us for 40 years of work and revealed ...

Greater Italy: Renzo Russo brings diesel to new heights

Wildest Ever - Imagine Diesel Archive Number (Photo: PR Abroad)

Diesel (Photo: PR Diesel, PR)

In a quiet town called Berganza, a three hour drive from Milan is located to the village of Diesel. Don't let the word village confuse you - it's not a picturesque log cabin office, the crazy diesel complex is just the opposite. The long path that leads from the town into the complex manages to do an exact job of empowering the drama - "Entering Hell into Heaven," according to owner and co-founder Renzo Russo. The entrance with the caption Be Brave and the dreamy wall laden with tropical vegetation, which spans tens of meters, makes it clear and smooth - everything Russo desires is realized.

The intimate encounter with Russo led to an unequivocal understanding - this is a star. The man is faking 64 and cooler than any 16-year-old you will ever meet. Authentic, without filters, crazy for attention and also a tattoo with his initials on his hands adds the desired roughness. His personal fortune is billions of dollars, he is the father of 7 children when the 42-year-old and the 4-year-old is small, he has a fine wine line sold in the world's most prestigious restaurants, owns a football team from his hometown, owns real estate in many strategic places and the president of OTB Group (Marney , Victor & Rolf, Vivienne Westwood, and others) who recently renovated the famous Venice Rialto Bridge.

Rousseau around the world

Rousseau leads us to the crazy archive he collected during his 40-year career and behind every full-style item stands a fascinating story, one that Rousseau can describe in great detail: "At Eighties I was on a trip to Mexico and decided to incorporate a rug that I really liked in a denim jacket." The jacket was received with great enthusiasm and Rousseau ran to fill a container with Mexican rugs. On the same trip he also experienced his first experience with drugs: "I came to pick up the rug and the local showed me a box and inside was marijuana. I asked him 'What is it?' And a friend of mine standing next to me immediately said 'Take, take.' This is the first time I've smoked grass. I do not use drugs today at all, "Renzo sharpened, and after deepening the persona understands the natural lifestyle he is trying to adjust to. A vegetarian, crazy about sports, adores the local cuisine (you can understand it) and seems that his next move is to enter the food market with products Healthy.

At the door of the Russo three-story archive with thousands of items, stands his first sewing machine that belonged to his mother, through which he stitched his first jeans when he was only 15. "At the time, I did everything with a simple machine and crafts, today we have serious machines For every little thing. " One of Rousseau's favorite items is a jacket taken from an aircraft carrier in the Eighties, while the movie "Love at Games" with Tom Cruise was a serious bagger. "This item is close to my heart," Renzo says, "it was the beginning of a new era for me. I got rid of all the companies I owned and decided to focus only on diesel."

From there, an entire collection was built inspired by this stained jacket. From the trip in the Netherlands he took the towels that were on the edge of the bar and incorporated them into shirts, and the great ambition is that when the time comes to leave the world they will sell the archive items and donate the money to charity. All of Rousseau's stories, collections, unique designs, and well-known branding campaigns have been incorporated into an impressive book (in the cover of course) which will be released at the end of 2019 and will be sold at the brand's stores worldwide.

The Mexican rug that has become a complete collection (Photo: PR Abroad)

Diesel (Photo: PR Diesel, PR)

The Danish Empire in action

Russo as mentioned is a man of vision. He does not want to be introduced to the "designer" of the brand, but it is clear that he is conducting the orchestra and his personal style is reflected in each of the items. "As a young guy, my dream was to be a manager. He would have a few employees and operate everything. I couldn't believe we were coming here. I'm not a designer, I can't sketch, but I know exactly what I want and so I pass my instructions to the team."

Indeed, the staff is attentive to instructions and ticks like a lubricated machine. The creative team sits in one space of clothing, footwear, furniture, lighting, clocks, perfumes, and even tableware and transfers impressions on an hourly basis. The Danish brand most closely associated with the brand is undergoing a variety of treatments and manipulations to reach a prototype that will be replicated in crowds at factories with which diesel works around the world. Millions of feet of jeans lie in the huge compound of Diesel and receive daily reference to scuffs, stains, stripe decorations, Richards and the delicate scraps done by manual work.

"I went into strong business two years ago," Russo adds, explaining strategy and designs, "I was too much in the other business, but the team really insisted that I come back to be more involved." One of the things that has been important to me since I came back is to lower my age. I really want the Z generation, not just Millennials. I really like the change in the industry in recent years, "adds Russo." Today you can't be 'pike' in the digital world. If you make a mistake, it's trampled on in a second, when it really wasn't like that. "

"The team insisted that I come back to be more involved." Rousseau (Photo: PR Abroad)

Diesel (Photo: PR Diesel, PR)

Sexuality, gender blurring and disgust with trends

When you go by the inspiration board for the 2021 collection, which is currently at work, you can understand the brand's distinct DNA. Overdose of sexuality, roughness and gender blurring with many unisex items. Trends on the other? Not here. This brand just didn't succumb to trends Yes, he is considerate of the strong trends in the fashion world but always goes his own way.

On the occasion of a new decade and the coming of 2020, diesel is promising to enter strongly on sustainability. They are about to launch a green collection made entirely of recycled fabrics, proud that they have no cheap labor force and are already working with innovative factories that are considerate in the environment. The head of the department responsible for the "green" trend points out that it is still very difficult to reach a situation where the brand "completely green" - "difficult to reach perfection. Each brand tries to reach the maximum positive points in parallel with the things it must comply to align with the global change. Anyway he says - I'm responsible. "

Moving towards a "green" future. Diesel designers (Photo: PR Abroad)

Diesel (Photo: PR Diesel, PR)

The pre-spring 2020 collection is called "digital minds". Basic color palette, and wide silhouettes alongside sexy denim. Work clothes continue to be present this season too, and many models feature black and white prints, patchwork and stripes that adorn the sides of the jeans. The well-known jogo model Russo says he designed with the aim of "feeling comfortable in jeans like in Potter pants", is also present in the new collection, along with two major and premium models D-Reggy for women and D-Macs for men.

"DIESEL DREAM DISRUPTION DEVIATION DENIM" will be released in November 2019, will be sold at the Diesel brand's branches, on-site at Rizzoli (publishing company) stores and the world's leading bookstores.

The reporter took part in a press trip.

Spring 2020 Collection - "Digital Brains" (Photo: PR Abroad)

Diesel (Photo: PR Diesel, PR)

Jeans with scuffs, stripes on the sides of the pants, patches and grandiose hemp (Photo: PR Abroad)

Diesel (Photo: PR Diesel, PR)

Men's D-Macs Model (Photo: PR Abroad)

Diesel (Photo: PR Diesel, PR)

Basic and winning color palette (Photo: PR Abroad)

Diesel (Photo: PR Diesel, PR)

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