“I wanted the catwalk built as an actual street, bringing a real urban vibe to the show,” said Diesel Black Gold’s creative director, Andreas Melbostad, during an early meeting while touring the huge industrial space that was still empty, ready to host his first men’s and women’s show. “NYC, where I live, provides me with constant street-style inspiration. It’s so eclectic. I wanted a runway as close to reality as possible,” he said.
The ’90s are a big reference this season, and Melbostad tapped into his favorite disruptive grunge aesthetic typical of that time, with its romantic disobedience and poetic, seditious spirit. For all his sleek, unadorned Nordic sensibility, this designer sometimes lets his sentimental retro side slip through. Yet Diesel Black Gold being Diesel Black Gold, he injected a strong techno vibe into the mix. Melbostad played on a layered silhouette, which he kept elongated and fluid for women’s looks, while for men’s he articulated more blown up and abstract volumes. Genderless statements were not in sight here. “I wanted to keep a clear distinction between masculine and feminine,” he explained. How refreshing.
The color palette had delicate accents, with aqua, mint, turquoise, and nude pink conveying a breezy feeling for maxi slipdresses printed with micro floral motifs (Diesel Black Gold doing florals could compare to a tectonic fashion shift), worn over skin-tight pants with a surf-inspired vibe. Core men’s staples like parkas, plaid shirts, and hoodie hybrids were cut extra-long, generously layered over baggy shorts and hyper-skinny leather leggings. It all exuded a pretty cool attitude; the soundtrack, concocted by Michel Gaubert, was The Matrix’s emotional theme, “Clubbed to Death.” “It’s tough and edgy,” said Melbostad, “But it also has a kind of classic beauty. And poetry to spare.”
