Designer Glenn Martens accepts applause after his Diesel women’s Spring-Summer 2027 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno).
As Donna Summer’s “Love to Love You Baby” played, performers danced, kissed and moved through the crowd, turning the venue into something that felt more like a late-night club than a traditional fashion show. This one was a bit more … experimental,” Martens said backstage. Martens said Diesel never tried to present itself as a traditional luxury label, even while showing during Milan Fashion Week. “We never pretended to be a luxury brand, even though we were on during fashion week,” he said. “We also wanted to do more alternative things, and think about the community.”
For his final show as the brand’s creative director at Milan Fashion Week, Martens turned the runway into a red-lit club filled with denim, leather, bare skin and plenty of attitude. It was provocative, playful and very Diesel. “Every season we try to do something unexpected. “I think the whole celebration of being body positive and loving each other is part of the Diesel DNA. The final collection brought together many of the ideas Martens had explored at Diesel: experimentation, denim, sex appeal and a willingness to blur the line between fashion and performance.
As the show ended, Martens received a standing ovation. He may be leaving Diesel, but his next chapter remains within the same fashion group, with his role at Maison Margiela continuing.