27 June 2023 |
The brand threw a party last week in partnership with the Tom of Finland Foundation.
Following last year’s successful Pride partnership with Tom of Finland Foundation, Diesel reprised their collaboration with the organization. This time the two created The AllTogether Clubhouse, a series of events as well as an exhibit that took place in New York City last week. There’s also a corresponding merch collection, featuring 17 pieces ranging from t-shirts to denim to jockstraps, all printed with images from artists like Stanley Stellar, Michael Mitchell, and naturally, Tom of Finland. Drawing from gay and queer culture as well as nightlife, the images are a celebration of freedom and sexuality — sentiments that feel especially relevant given the current political landscape.
To celebrate, the two threw a party that brought together the likes of Diesel It-girl Julia Fox, Earth Eater, and Devin Halbal as well as DJ sets by Silvia Prada and Papi Juice. We caught up with Martens where he gave us insight into not only The AllTogether Clubhouse and Pride Capsule, but into the introspective vision of Diesel as a whole.
What made you initially want to get involved with The Tom of Finland Foundation and put together this show?
If you don’t already know the story of Durk [Dehner, the co-founder of The Tom of Finland Foundation], he’s really amazing. In the eighties and nineties, he was receiving so much art from kids suffering from the AIDS Pandemic that he wanted to start something to showcase it. He never had the resources to bring all this work together so Diesel came in, and we wanted to make sure their story was told. Of course, that ties in with Pride — Diesel as a global brand and this is something we want to celebrate. It’s an amazing story that people should know and hear about.
Diesel, being a lifestyle brand, how are you able to share stories like these?
We’re not a luxury brand so we’re able to talk to a vast audience from different markets. I think when you are creative director of such a company, you’re able to share information on important aspects of the past that truly matter, such as the Tom of Finland Foundation.
Do you think Diesel benefits massively though by not being a luxury brand?
Of course. When you’re working with a luxury brand, you’re only able to target a small fraction of the population, whereas being a non-luxury brand you’re able to widen the people who really get to see your work. For example, my brother, who is a fireman, wears Diesel — he’s not buying Louis Vuitton! That’s why it’s important to always keep the conversation going.
Diesel is able to attract so many people because it is a lifestyle brand and appeals to people that may not be in a position or who are not interested in the “luxury” market. Also the brand is purely about having fun, owning your life with a no bullshit mentality, that appeals to so many.
Has it been difficult juggling Diesel with Y-Project, as Y-Project is more of a luxury brand?
Super easy! I have two separate teams so the moment I come to Diesel it feels like another world to me. They are also two languages completely, with Y-Project being a more luxury brand and Diesel, of course, being on the different end. However they do come together, as both are about not taking themselves too seriously so the core values are quite similar.
With Diesel reviving a lot of Y2K trends, do you ever think your pieces would go viral?
No, not really! The lucky thing about Diesel is that their heyday was during Y2K. The first thing a Creative Director of any brand should do is to go back and see why your brand was successful before you arrived. You celebrate it by honoring the core values, which of course included the brand’s influence during the early 2000s. I just didn’t expect it to go so fast — it’s really exploding which is just crazy.
Shop the Diesel AllTogether Pride capsule collection here.
Glenn Martens of Diesel (R) and Durk Dehner of the Tom of Finland Foundation (L), Julia Fox, Jazzelle UglyworldWide, Eartheater, Devin Halbal and Silvia Prada
