Diesel CEO Alessandro Bogliolo talks to Men’s Folio about what’s new at the edgy brand, and reveals how it stays ahead of the pack.
How has Diesel evolved over the years?
Since the 1990s, our founder Mr Renzo Rosso has been at the frontier of building a lifestyle. Diesel is a way of living that is casual and confident. The brand has ventured into different areas like watches and fragrances, and built partnerships with different brands. One of the collaborations was with Ducati, and the Ducati Monster was extremely successful. More recently, we had a partnership with Bugaboo – we made baby strollers that were purchased by many Hollywood stars for their kids. Also, Diesel has a separate arm – Diesel Living – that offers a full array of home products ranging from furniture to lighting to kitchen and bathroom essentials.
What’s the creative process like at Diesel?
Unlike some brands, we don’t have to go back to our archives to brainstorm for ideas. Our ideas come in different forms and we constantly expand our product lines. In my three years here at Diesel, what I find most fantastic about the brand is how it has such a rich history. It was founded in 1978 and in close to 40 years, we have had so many ideas and innovations. There are just so many stories about Diesel. We constantly have new initiatives and projects that keep us busy. For us, Diesel is really about being crazy and self-confident.
You’ve worked with brands like Bulgari and Sephora. Have these experiences helped you as Diesel CEO?
Absolutely. I have been working for 27 years now and mainly in luxury brands. I have had the pleasure of working with different product categories – from jewellery and watches to leather goods to makeup – and of course, all these experiences have been useful. I had the privilege to live and work in Asia, Europe and the United States. I was in San Francisco just before joining Diesel and there, I witnessed the digital evolution of the Silicon Valley and that was a very useful experience because Diesel customers are very digital.
What sets Diesel apart from other companies?
I have to say that Diesel is a very open-minded company. Let me give you an example: In the mid-late 1990s, when the Internet was starting to thrive, all the other brands were saying that it was not possible for products to be sold online. But Diesel immediately started a rudimentary website selling our products. Diesel is a company that embraces novelty and we strive to communicate with our customers to meet their needs.
What can we expect next from Diesel?
Diesel works in a very transparent way and through our website, we let our customers know what we are up to. We launched our new website last October and it is a platform where consumers can seamlessly switch from online shopping to reading the content we have curated for them. We now have an editorial team for our online magazine, which we push out on a monthly basis – it talks about everything under the sun, including fashion, digital and lifestyle topics.
RELATED ARTICLES
