After the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier and Valentino announced they will offer customers the chance to buy rental and vintage fashion products, Diesel is the latest big name to make its entrance into the Nu-Vintage space.
The brand has unveiled the Second-Hand project, offering a curated edit of Diesel denim that has been edited and restored. So far 900 pairs of jeans have been re-assessed and given a new lease of life, each available to buy in selected stores throughout Italy as well as online.
Earlier this year, Diesel founder Renzo Rosso promoted his company's budding buy-back program with a video that riffed on old-school "we buy gold" commercials. The approach is almost in line with Levi's SecondHand project, which also allows people to turn in their worn pieces for credit.
It's well documented that denim is an environmental problem child, with anything between 1,800 to 10,000 liters of water needed to make a single pair of jeans. When Rosso returned to the helm at Diesel in 2019, the Responsible Living Strategy was rolled out shortly after. This was created to further the brand’s “commitment to taking action for the benefit of current and future generations," with garments rolled out under the umbrella bearing a green label.
Denim brands moving into the resale space comes as no surprise. Not only is it a sound brand equity play as far as the environment is concerned, but it also allows lets them tap into Gen-Z and Millenial shopping habits. Vintage jeans, while always being highly sought after, have become even more popular in recent times. According to Vestiaire Collective data, sales in 2021 were up 278 percent and deposits 254 percent compared to last year.
You can check out the time Highsnobiety visited Diesel's cultural hotspots here.
