Diesel began in 1978 in Molvena, Italy, with Renzo Rosso, who had been stitching jeans on his mother's sewing machine as a teenager. He started the label with Adriano Goldschmied from the Moltex clothing manufacturer and became sole owner in 1985. The name came from the 1970s oil crisis, when diesel was thought of as the alternative energy of the moment, which says a lot about the brand's sense of humor. That humor became famous in the 1991 Guides for Successful Living ad series, provocative and ironic in a way fashion rarely is. Since October 2020 the Belgian designer Glenn Martens has led the creative side, and he puts it plainly: Diesel is denim. Even so, the tops in this first group show the brand is more than jeans. The T-Amai logo-plaque stretch-nylon top, the T-Clawa high-neck stretch-cotton top and the T-Ipsya-Lkds logo-embroidered tank give the basics a logo. The M-Melissa flap-pocket knitted cardigan and the Ava cardigan are for layering, and the pink and brown floral-print ribbed jersey t-shirt is the playful one. There is also a Savage Fenty by Rihanna plunge bra collaboration and the Melanie bra top, and a D-Era quartz two-hand gold stainless steel 38mm watch to finish the wrist.

This is the heart of Diesel. The numbered jeans are the archive lines: the 1996 D-Sire wide-leg, the 1992 D-Jiann faded-wash, the 1969 D-Ebbey boot-cut and the black 1971 D-Sent, with the 1971 D-Sent L.32 trousers alongside them. The blue regular D-Lie is the simpler option. Glenn Martens staged his Spring/Summer 2025 show in a hangar filled with about 15,000 kilos of denim scraps, so it is fair to say the brand takes this fabric seriously. For comparison, there are the stories of G-Star jeans and True Religion jeans. The bodycon mini skirt, the mini skirt, the Muj skirt and the O-Mori logo-plaque stretch-nylon midi skirt show the label's ease with stretch fabrics, and the Leslie pant and the legging are the most casual. What I would skip is wearing the wide-leg 1996 jeans with a bulky, long top, because the volume at the hem needs a shorter, neat tee to keep your outline clear.

The accessories are small ways to carry Diesel's logo-led style. The B-1dr W leather belt and the B 1DR 2 0 leather belt use the brand's D, which Martens brought back from the archive, and they are the natural partners to the jeans above, much like the ideas in the gold oval belt edit. The rectangular sunglasses in bilayer Havana, the cat eye sunglasses, the unisex cat eye DL2007U and the unisex large DL3002 give you four face shapes to try, and a slim oval sunglasses guide will help with the choosing. The pink K-Evin hybrid gloves and the Vert quartz silver stainless steel watch 32mm round out the list.

The last group is the most varied. The Oval D logo bags came back under Martens, and you can see the idea in the blue Charm-D shoulder bag, the green 1DR shoulder bag, the Scrunch-D leather shoulder bag and the 1DR denim shoulder bag. For small pieces there are the 1DR logo-plaque leather card holder, the Play mirror patent keychain and the silver and gold metal letter charm cherub keychain. The Dhammer boot adds weight to an outfit, and the strapless midi dress, the Voxa check jumpsuit, the brown asymmetric chiffon and silk-crepe midi dress and the sleeveless mini dress are the dressier side. The skinny leg and 1996 wide leg jeans return here, along with the Msarma knitwear and the DL6004U square plastic eyeglasses. If a compact bag is the plan, the nylon bag edit has a few ideas for pairing.

I would start my Diesel wardrobe with the 1996 wide-leg jeans, a logo tank and one of the 1DR shoulder bags. The brand sits in Breganze, Italy, as part of Rosso's OTB group, but it still feels like the teenager with a sewing machine. It rewards people who like their denim with a point of view, and who enjoy a joke in the styling. In our fashion dreams she crosses the street in wide-leg jeans and a tiny logo top, carrying a bag that says exactly one thing.

If you want to keep going, The Noli Shop Jeans and Elisa Johnson Sunglasses pair well with this edit.