Diesel Displays 200,000 Condoms For Fall/Winter 2023 Show - How Sustainable is Fashion Week?
Photo Courtesy: hypebae
The D in Diesel took on a new meaning at Milan fashion week: Durex. Diesel’s latest collaboration has taken sex positivity to the next level, starting with invites encased in Durex wrappers as a teaser of what was to come. Upon arrival, guests were greeted by a garish mountain of 200,000 condoms. Unused of course, but still not necessarily what you might expect as the backdrop of a catwalk. Or is it? Since the pandemic, brands are striving to create a bigger splash than their competitors. The French power duo behind Coperni has set the bar high. Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant have gone from spraying Bella Hadid into a silky white slip during their SS23 show in Paris, to redefining the early noughties Robot Wars TV show in Paris last month. But what does Diesel’s use of 200,000 condoms mean for our goal to create a sustainable fashion industry?
In today’s hyper-critical world, critics are quick to judge and more militant than ever. Accusing Diesel of exploiting single-use plastic and destroying the planet is a knee-jerk reaction, and it’s untrue. Creative director Glenn Martens has announced that from April he will give the condoms out for free in Diesel stores. So, those condoms that piled high behind their runway show will be put to good use, to say the least. Diesel’s celebration of choice in the bedroom and mini initiative to look after our sexual health on top of providing us with their freshest take on denim is pure innovation. It’s the sexiest brand collab to date.
The question of whether Durex condoms are sustainable is another question. The synthetic material in Durex condoms is polyisoprene, and it’s not biodegradable. Durex has never particularly been given a run for its money by contenders, so instead of ruling out the only contraceptive that prevents the spread of STIs, we need to develop biodegradable condoms that don’t compromise pleasure or the planet. For now, Diesel is the only brand that has succeeded in replicating the sex-positivity of their clothes in their activism. Their Pleasure Island campaign represents people across the gender spectrum and of different races, body types and ages. Diesel’s message is loud and clear: sexual wellbeing and inclusivity are essential to ‘Successful Living.’
The runway captured Glenn Martens’ sex-positive vision perfectly. Models donned luxury distressed denim that celebrated showing off skin through rips coated in silky mesh. The brand’s origins in denim were woven into the floor length, semi-transparent dresses. The pointed toe heeled knee-high boots, a few of which incorporated a healthy dose of bling, offset the grunge perfectly. Martens’ playful and powerful show placed choice and fun centre stage. So while YSL lit the same chandeliers that set their stage in the seventies, and SUNNEI resorted to crowd surfing models, it’s safe to say Diesel understood the assignment this fashion week, and delivered in more ways than one.
Regardless of Diesel’s impressive sex-positivity, their show illuminates that the fashion industry’s watchful eye over brands’ sustainability is not going anywhere any time soon. Diesel’s show stopping condom mountain may have gotten away with it this time, but sustainability and climate activists may not be so forgiving going forward. Time to develop those biodegradable, or better recyclable, condoms.