I take the time during my train travel between Paris and Basel to talk about the new campaign of Diesel, the fashion brand (and not the british music band).
We all know the ad campaign “Stupid by Diesel”. Basically, Stupids do it better… That could be a nice tag line for a T-shirt or for twitter #stupidsdoitbetter 🙂

It is a clever ad campaign because it plays with the No-star attitude. A part from the idea of a well organized marketing campaign, at least Diesel had chosen Humor as a claim. Which I must say it is rare.

With the new 2010 swimming collection, we can see a re-evolution of the concept. They kept the wicked context of some scenes and added a “cool mood”. Welcome to the “California girls attitude”.

With the sharped design of Wilbert Das, the Creative Director of the brand, we can see here thereturn of the californian glamour… with a 60’s hint. So juicy. It is time for Beach Boys sound and californian roadsters.

Diesel has done a great work through out the years taking the italian Jeans company to the odds of fashion. The company was founded by Renzo Rosso and his former boss Adriano Goldschmied of the AG Jeans company, in 1978.

Diesel’s milestone years include 1985 (Renzo’s complete acquisition of the company).
1988 the hiring straight out of fashion college of current head designer and Creative Director Wilbert Das.
1991 beginning of the international marketing strategy
1996 opening of Diesel’s first flagship store on New York City’s Lexington Avenue.
2007, the company launched a major intimates and beachwear division for men and women Diesel Black Gold was announced in November. The company has around 2,200 employees in 18 subsidiaries across Europe, Asia and the Americas. Its products are available in 5000 retail outlets, of which 300 are Diesel-branded stores.
2009 annual sales were approximately €1.3 billion.
(source: wikipedia)

We can say that part of Diesel success is the creative energy of its Creative Director, Wilbert Das. He is a Dutch fashion Designer born in 1963. He graduated in 1988 from the famous dutch academy of Fine Arts in Amhern. His graduation collection was brilliantly welcomed by the press and his pairs as a cutting edge yet wearable clothes. His inspirations are the workwear and the heavy industry & street culture. Destructured cuts, blend of materials made the birth of Wilbert Das style.

After graduating, Wilbert Das met Renzo Rosso, the co-founder of Diesel and he offered right away a job. Since then he has been developing the Diesel attitude and style.

Each advertising campaign is treated as a rich artistic blend. Das’ creative messages like: “for a successful living” are always put on stage by brilliant photographers. Previous collaborations: Ellen Von Unwerth, Terry Richardson, Mert Alas, Marcus Piggott, or David LaChapelle.

In recent years the company has driven its attention to endorsing young creativity by sponsoring several projects such as the Diesel-U-Music Contest[1]. Diesel has been the founding partner of International Talent Support in its various forms. Diesel has also offered sponsorship and creative contribution to the 2006 edition of Vienna’s Life Ball AIDS charity, as well as the Sundance Film Festival.

Diesel’s innovative approach to marketing has let it to be perhaps the first clothing company to market their clothing in video games, and has developed innovative approaches to fashion shows.
In December 2008, Diesel announced a marketing partnership with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, to sell their designs in Sony’s virtual world, Playstation Home.

Diesel power then.

LA