Don’t expect Glenn Martens to go down the traditional route. While all brands are chasing Gen Z, he’s already checked that box at Diesel with his mix of pop collections, democratic shows, engaging activations and leveraging the fascination that generation had for times it didn’t experience with designs nodding to the ‘90s and early 2000s.
Rather than moving on to target even younger customers, Martens is instead looking to Millennials. His pre-fall 2026 collection was about “opening the Diesel world even further, inviting even more into this world” and trying to “tackle the diversity of our customers,” he said.
A more understated look book and more covered, longer-hemmed designs built on the simplified approach and more grown-up direction Martens has been embracing lately. But rest assured Diesel’s Millennials aren’t the boring type — the experimentation and irreverence Martens brought to the brand’s designs are still there.
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Wide belts were the biggest tool in Martens’ hands to play with silhouettes or toy with optical illusions that are dear to the designer, as seen in the opening look that matched a cropped denim trenchcoat with deceivingly low denim capri pants that came attached to a denim bodice.
The accessory was reprised throughout the lineup on pants, trompe l’oeil midi and full skirts and sleek outerwear, which was the category that stood out for its different takes and textures. These ranged from the lived-in effect of leather biker jackets and fluidity of satin trenchcoats to cable-knit zip-up jackets trimmed with leather and shearling options printed like a flannel shirt.
Silhouettes with cocoon sleeves appealed the most for their sculpted shape, as seen in a patent leather jacket with topstitched details or a bonded faux-leather collarless option, which easily conveyed the more mature feel without compromising the unconventional nature of the brand.
Elsewhere, Martens relied on silky shirts, double-layered mesh skirts and tops, floral printed dresses charmingly wrapping around the body, and devoré denim sets sprinkled with crystals to channel the same feel. Yet he didn’t forget to again tap into the power of nostalgia with checks and crinkled effects in grungy layered looks. Gen-Zers might have come across that era through TikTok, but Millennials lived it — and that’s a chord that could again prove strategic to strike.