It was hard to know where to look at Diesel this season. For once, that was a good thing! At the centre of the showspace for the brand’s FW26 collection stood 50,000 objects documenting its evolution since its founding in 1978. From merchandising ephemera like window standees and shoeboxes to memorabilia from past shows and parties, and even trinkets gathered from employees’ desks, the installation formed a living history of the house told through objects. It also served as a nod to Diesel’s enduring commitment to reuse and recycling, a philosophy that was prominent throughout the collection.

For Glenn Martens, it was all about the morning after the night before. “This collection is about waking up in a place, with no idea what happened last night, and you are the most glorious person ever,” he wrote in the show notes. “When you sneak away from the hotel room of the person who you don’t even know, you are truly at your best.” 

In that ethos, there was an authentic rough-and-readiness to the collection, as if the clothes were pulled on at a twilight hour. Each wrinkle purposeful, and every awkward twist of fabric there by design. Jeans were treated with resin to look extra grubby and leather jackets had a peeling patina to make them look war-beaten. A number of silhouettes were constructed from leftover felt, usually discarded as scraps but here tailored into dramatic coats and straight-leg trousers. Extravagant fur coats were dissonantly patch-worked together, a clash of colours and cuts.

A new family of sunglasses, the D-mentional, came with curved frames. While the D-One, a new bag festooned with buckled straps, came in shocking floral prints, leather or crystal-encrusted denim.