By Kim Bernard
The fun at the Fall/Winter 2026 Diesel show began before the models even emerged thanks to a visually overloaded set design. An all-white room with sterile benches was filled with a riot of colorful objects laid on the floor. Picture an inflatable palm tree, a cluster of Santa gnomes, a sculpted bust, a football, a dinosaur statue, and even a winking elephant! These trinkets and treasures were in fact repurposed Diesel memorabilia, an upcycling celebration of the brand’s party essence.
A pulsating beat burst the nostalgic bubble, and a new tone was set as the models around and through the installation via paths as breezy as a flea market alley. That tone? “You are the most glorious person ever,” says Glenn Martens (now written in all caps on the Diesel website). The corresponding collection was a clear crescendo of Diesel disruption.
Classic Denim and Flamboyant Furs Over Refined Silhouettes
Denim, of course, is dominant. The first looks in a blue-grey palette include head-to-toe denim and washed-out jeans with fluted knits. Denim is later ripped, paillettéd, lined with yarn, and dyed to the extreme as in Look 27 where bleach is the rule, not the exception. The tough fabric is sometimes complemented by more delicate pieces, like a lace and satin dress in neutral tones in Look 31, which Martens does equally well. Perhaps the best example of this aesthetic is the flowy pastel ensemble in Look 57 with structured details like a defined waist.
Diesel Fall/Winter 2026: Looks 21, 31, 57 (Images courtesy of Diesel)
This collection feels almost weather-blind with some vivid colour blocks, golden makeup and sun-soaking looks like in Look 34. A recurring theme was cozy winter textiles like fur, shearling, and down rendered in loud colors and patterns. For example, in Look 67, an oversized puffer jacket is bubble pink with silver streaks and in Look 39 a long coat is a patchwork with fiery notes, each worn over a feminine and multi-colored garment.
Diesel Fall/Winter 2026: Looks 34, 67, 39 (Images courtesy of Diesel)
The Promise of Super-wearability
If your idea of feeling fabulous is less extravagant, this collection is also for you. The opening Look 1 is the street equivalent of the LBD: a plain white top and blue jeans with a shopper bag. Want a pattern at least? Martens incorporates tradition with tartan: Look 32 sees the comfortable, fitted pairing of a gathered tee-shirt with tartan trousers and a matching shirt tied around the waist, or the illusion thereof.
Diesel Fall/Winter 2026: Looks 1, 32 (Images courtesy of Diesel)
The designer takes his bow by jogging down the runway, dapping familiar hands. He is not wearing the all-black uniform of his peers. His outfit is a distressed green leather jacket with dark jeans and a pop of electric blue at the collar, which would not have been out of place within the collection. This is the best testament to his statement – made in the same breath as his “glorious” comment – that “these are super-wearable pieces.”