Italian fashion brand Diesel utilised 14.8 tons of denim scraps to cover the runway of its Spring Summer 2025 show at Milan Fashion Week.
The Diesel show, which took place on 21 September in Milan, Italy, saw piles of blue denim and matching rectangular columns on its runway to highlight aesthetics of waste.
Produced by designer Sayan Benbady, the set was built to serve as an immersive environment for the fashion show, with its columns first created in the studio, then hand-assembled on location.
The two columns were constructed without glue, standing parallel among the scattered denim scraps on the runway surface.
After the show, the set is intended to be repurposed in its entirety – its denim parts to be reused for products like denim roll, which is used in automotive and insulation sectors.
The set design takes cues from the brand’s signature use of denim, highlighted in the show with over 70 looks, many of which feature experimental styling of the material.
Models also wore pale blue contact lenses, accentuating colours of the surrounding denim.
Spring Summer 2025 marks the fifth collection by creative director Glenn Martens for Diesel since joining in 2020, as he aims to redefine the brand’s denim legacy.
Martens also displayed a fluency with denim in his work at Y/Project, which he left in September 2024.
Previous Diesel shows that have featured experimental set designs include its Spring Summer 2023 show, which saw the creation of the world’s largest inflatable sculpture to date, and a pile of 200,000 condoms at the centre of its Autumn Winter 2023 catwalk.
The photography is courtesy of Diesel.
