Since Diesel shared the news that Damiano David, the Italian singer known for his sultry, gender-irreverent style, would become its first-ever male ambassador back in June, much has changed for the Maneskin lead singer and the brand’s own front-man Glenn Martens.
Martens announced his departure from Y/Project in September; he’s now focusing all of his efforts on Diesel (and a just-announced capsule with H&M launching in 2025). David, is redirecting his energy, too, having launched a solo career with a performance at the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in which he debuted a whole new look. The two recently came together to create a capsule collection for Diesel, one that mirrors both of their aesthetics: It’s sexy, cheeky, and designed for a new generation.
If, before the pandemic, the look of Gen Z was nebulous and hard to pin down, nearly five years on, and with the help of talents like David and Martens, it’s completely indexed: The style of today is gender-agnostic, body empowering, rule-breaking, thrown-together, and, most importantly, free.
“It’s about projecting an energy of self-confidence and power and what we call ‘coolness,’” David says. “Charisma is what makes people attractive, sexy, and interesting.” I sat down with David and Martens to discuss the beginnings of their relationship, their shared outlook on fashion and gender, and how they replicated David’s tattoos on a second-skin top. Read on for all that, plus a tip on how to look and feel sexy in one’s own skin. (Or David’s, if the idea of wearing his tattoos turns you on.)
Courtesy of Diesel
Courtesy of Diesel
How did you two first become aware of each other?
Glenn Martens: I’m a bit of a workaholic, as you can imagine, and most often I go to my classics, which in music would be Portishead or Massive Attack, bands from my teenage time. I’m not updated in music, so I didn’t discover Damiano in that manner. I discovered him because he was always wearing Diesel in a very sexy way, and when I got tagged by his fans I was like, who is this guy who is always looking so good? Then I discovered Måneskin, and I realized he is actually quite good and the music is great.
Damiano David: I’ve always been aware of Diesel as a brand. My mom, who is a big fashion mom, freaked out when I told her I was going to be working on this because she has always been a huge fan and she asked me to design something specifically for her, though unfortunately we didn’t. There was a moment last year where basically I was only wearing Diesel, and this was before we started working together, so it was very cool when Diesel reached out.
Courtesy of Diesel
Courtesy of Diesel
Courtesy of Diesel
When did you decide to take Damiano’s ambassadorship to the next level and put together a collection, or was that always the plan?