Yesterday Diesel announced that the Diesel Black Gold S/S13 show during New York Fashion Week next month will be Sophia Kokosalaki's last. The designer has officially stepped down from her role as creative director after being at the hellm of the Italian brand for the past six seasons.
'The last three years I have spent at Diesel Black Gold have been a very interesting and enjoyable experience,' she said in a statement. 'I would like to thank the whole DBG team for their hard work and support in helping me to establish this line. I am now looking forward to new challenged and wish Diesel Black Gold every success in the future.' Talking about her departure Diesel found Renzo Rosso said: 'I am extremely grateful to Sophia for her work and the achievement of the growth of this line. Thanks to her talent Diesel Black Gold has defined its clear identity as a premium stand-alone label.'
Last night Diesel hosted an event at their newly revamped Covent Garden store and as you would expect, the team were keeping quiet about her replacement. What they did confirm, though, is that a new appointment has already been made and will be announced soon.
Anyone that follows The Fash Pack on Twitter and Instagram will know that I was in the Diesel store this morning but rather than being as a result of an impromptu morning shopping session (as you know I end up doing), it was actually for a good reason. I, along with a handful of other online journalists, were invited by the team to see the recently revamped space in their Covent Garden store and the new season offerings.
For anyone that hasn't had a look at the latest collections, it's definitely worth having a look because they've also undergone a transformation. After years of focusing purely on their distressed denim, the brand has really taken some of the recent criticism on board by introducing more fashion-led pieces along with the Diesel signatures that their customers know and love.
If you visit the store over the next two weeks you'll also be able to see some of my favourite styles from the latest collection that I picked out this morning. All you need to do is keep an eye out for the Fash Pack tag in the above image to find them.
When it comes to innovation with denim, you don't get much better than Diesel, so it won't come as a surprise that the brand are currently launching a new paid of jeans tapping into new technology.
Let us introduce you to the Jogg-jeans. Intended to merge comfort and multi-functionality, the collection - which hits stores this week - is available in women and men's styles including a jacket for men and used a woven technique to give them the comfort a joggers but with a denim appearance. Although we're usually sceptical about all things purpose - jegging, I'm talking about you - if it's good enough for Keri Hilson, it's good enough for us.
Last Saturday, everyone from Lara Bohnic to Derek Blasberg came out to support Diesel Black Gold as they presented 'The Chase' with Another Magazine - a film directed by Will Davidson about the creation of the brand's A/W10 collection.
Diesel's Spring/Summer sunglasses collection is both colourful and stylish. Check out how each of these celebs rocked the sunglasses whilst at this years Glastonbury. Whether from the world of music, fashion or TV they all chose to sport a pair of the brands sunnies to top off their festival style. Teamed with high waisted shorts and a crop top like Kate Nash or a cute playsuit like Lola Lennox and Black Cherry they are the perfect finish to your festival look this summer.
In accordance with Diesel's "Be Stupid" campaign, the company is asking one very important question: How would you be stupid with £50,000? In an exclusive Stupid competition, Diesel will give one lucky winner the chance to actualize a highly creative but very unusual idea...perhaps taking your band on a tour of the UK or creating 50 pieces of art and leaving them in random locations across Europe.
To enter, submit an idea of how you'd be stupid with 50K - or propose your idea with art, film or a good old-fashioned chat (for the camera) at the Diesel store in Carnaby Street in London. If none of those ideas work for you, you can also submit your plan on Flickr or YouTube using the link www.bestupidwithfiftyk.com. Good luck being stupid. It could win you a lot of cash.
Renzo Rosso's group will see plenty of changes over the coming days. Diesel and its parent company, the Only the Brave group, will move to a new home in Breganze, Italy. Only the Brave will be put into a new organizational structure. And perhaps most importantly, starting in July, the CEO role at Diesel will be entrusted to a new manager, Daniela Riccardi.
Riccardi was born in Rome and brings 25 years of experience from Proctor & Gamble, where she most recently was president of the company's Greater China division. Renzo Rosso will stay on as president, keeping some form of stability across the brand. For the 5,500 Only the Brave employees across the globe - who also handle Staff International, Maison Martin Margiela and Viktor & Rolf - there'll be plenty to take in by summer.
Despite last season being her first designing for Diesel Black Gold, it seems Sophia Kokosalaki's take on the brand impressed not only the buyers and audience of their AW10 show, but also Diesel owner Renzo Rosso, who is now undertaking actions to expand and reposition the company. Hiring a new management team, Rosso plans to re-brand the area of floorspace in which Diesel Black Gold sits within the Diesel stores, and to open shop-in-shops in department stores.
A lesser focus on denim will also take the label in a new direction, "We believe that Diesel Black Gold has in it's DNA all the elements of authenticity and the right attitude to effectively connect with the next generation of customers: the millenials," Rosso told Fashionista, "The new strong and dedicated team will make it happen." With a runway show approaching in Tokyo on April 12, we can't wait to see where Kokosalaki - and her new team - take Diesel Black Gold.
