As one of the first shows to kick off Milan Fashion Week, Glenn Martens certainly knows how to make an entrance. Set amongst a pulsating warehouse, thronging with fashionable bodies, it was impossible to ignore the cascading, ruby-red mountain at its core. An avalanche of Durex condom boxes  – 200,000 to be exact – formed the centrepiece of Marten’s runway (the show invite was also a box of Durex x Diesel condoms). The purpose of the installation was to promote safe sex and “sex positivity as a human right”, according to the brand. With that, Diesel FW23 promised to be a more than pleasurable affair, built upon the fundamentals of play, freedom, and experimentation.

As guests took to their seats, the speakers cracked and sizzled as the techno beat kicked in, and outpoured a stream of sexy, grunge-laden looks. Without straying from the label’s iconic roots in denim, Marten’s continues to evolve the Diesel identity. FW23 is described by the brand as “more focused, more experimental, more ambitious than ever.” Leaning into the same distressed fabrics and torn hemlines as last season, but with the addition of denim devoré; an in-house technique that results in flesh-baring panels across the garments. The collection offered something for each and every Diesel devotee: from glittering thigh-highs and slinky, silk dresses, to those occupying more of the classic Diesel edge; like the rugged, blow-torched biker jackets and laser-cut utility wear. Not to mention the multiple garments emblazoned with the Durex x Diesel logo – part of a capsule collection due in April this year. 

The collection proves, once and for all, that denim really is forever – just like the Diesel logo tattoos etched upon the bodies of the brand’s youthful disciples, teased on Instagram in the days leading up to the show. Inviting us to find ourselves within its rebellious and raucous universe, Diesel never fails to guarantee a good time.