Y/Project’s Glenn Martens Is Diesel’s New Creative Director

President of the OTB Group (the parent company for Diesel, Maison Margiela and Marni) Renzo Rosso confirmed the appointment to WWD in a statement. "I know many designers and I just know Glenn is the perfect fit for Diesel, the first designer creative director of this brand in its 42 years of history," he said.

"Glenn has an incredible background, he comes from the Antwerp school, and I love the way he can pick iconic pieces and reinterpret them, denim in particular, with modernity. I have been following his work for years since he won ANDAM, and I know he can take Diesel, and its iconic global lifestyle, into the future. After all these years, I am happy to hand it over to someone who will carry it forward with new energy and a fresh vision."

Martens makes his Diesel debut just nine months after Massimo Piombini, previous chief executive officer for Balmain, was appointed CEO at Diesel, and their combined visions are bound to breed a new era of repurposed denim for the legacy Italian brand. Diesel hasn't seen a marquee talent at its helm since Nicola Formichetti departed in December 2017, and Martens, who successfully kept Y/Project in fashion's top tier since his designation as artistic director in 2013, certainly has a high fashion revamp on his agenda.

He will also continue to be at the creative helm of Y/Project. "I am extremely honored and excited to join the Diesel family," Martens said in a statement. "Synonymous with radicality, honesty, and optimism, Diesel helped shape the way we see the future. Its unique voice has made it an undeniable icon. Today, more than ever, I feel the need to celebrate these founding values, to build bridges through a message of hope."

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OTB is proud to announce the appointment of @glennmartens as Creative Director of Diesel effective immediately. In his new role, Glenn will overview the global brand’s style, communications, interior design, and more in general its overall creativity. Born in 1983, Glenn Martens is a Belgian designer who started his career at Jean Paul Gaultier, and since 2013 he is the Creative Director of Parisian brand Y/Project. In 2017 Glenn won the ANDAM award (of which OTB is one of the historical supporters), and in 2018 Glenn was one of the guest designers of Diesel’s experimental capsule series Diesel Red Tag. Thus Renzo Rosso, founder of Diesel: “Ever since I met Glenn in 2017 I saw his experience grow and his talent cement. Working with him on Diesel Red Tag, going through our company’s archives and heritage together, seeing him interact with the brand, brought us closer, and I am happy to now see him take the helm of Diesel, where he will marry his design vision with the iconoclastic values of this unique brand”. “I am extremely honored and excited to join the Diesel family. Synonymous with radicality, honesty, and optimism, Diesel helped shape the way we see the future. Its unique voice has made it an undeniable icon. Today, more than ever, I feel the need to celebrate these founding values, to build bridges through a message of hope”, is the comment of Glenn Martens.

A post shared by Diesel (@diesel) on Oct 8, 2020 at 2:30am PDT

Photo courtesy of Diesel/ Arnaud Lajeunie