Antonio Mcgowan
Renzo Rosso is the owner of Diesel, the Italian clothing brand founded in 1978. Rosso has been instrumental in Diesel's journey from a tiny denim brand to a global fashion powerhouse. He first bought a 40% stake in the company, which was then known as Moltex, and later acquired the remaining shares from his business partner, Adriano Goldschmied, in 1985, becoming the sole owner. Rosso's leadership, focus on innovation, and creative marketing have been key to Diesel's success and expansion beyond denim into other fashion and lifestyle categories, including fragrances.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Founder | Renzo Rosso |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Philosophy | Support passion, individuality and freedom of expression |
| First Fragrance | Launched in 1996, in partnership with Marbert |
| Current Fragrance Partner | L'Oreal |
| Fragrance Line | The Brave fragrances for men and the D perfumes |
| Fragrance Characteristics | Challenging conformity and pushing the boundaries of traditional masculine perfumery |
| Headquarters | Breganze, on the former Moto Laverda factory area |
| Parent Company | Only The Brave (OTB) |
| Current Artistic Director | Nicola Formichetti |
| Current Creative Director | Bruno Collin |
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What You'll Learn
Diesel's first fragrance
Diesel fragrances are known for their unusual packaging. For example, the bottle for the Only the Brave fragrance is shaped like a clenched fist, representing strength, fearlessness, and limitless determination. Diesel fragrances are aimed at the young adult market, in line with the company's other products.
The company's success in its first 20 years is largely attributed to former Creative Director Wilbert Das, who joined the company in 1988. Das's vision guided the company's fashions and international marketing strategies, and during his tenure, Diesel launched several lines, including Diesel Black Gold, Diesel Kid, eyewear, lingerie, bags, accessories, and eventually perfume.
In 2006, Diesel signed with L'Oreal, and in 2007, they launched their first fragrance under this partnership, called Fuel For Life. Diesel fragrances continue to be produced and sold worldwide, with a focus on challenging the status quo and redefining the codes of men's fragrances.
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L'Oreal partnership
Diesel fragrances were first launched in 1996, in partnership with Marbert. The first fragrance was a unisex scent, simply called Diesel. In 2006, Diesel signed a deal with L'Oreal to produce its fragrances. The first scent developed under this new partnership was due to be released in 2007 and was called Fuel For Life.
L'Oreal's Luxury Products Division signed a licence agreement with Diesel, a cult brand founded in 1978 by Renzo Rosso. The contract covers the creation of a line of fragrances. The partnership aims to harness the experience of L'Oreal, the world's leading cosmetics group and number one company in luxury fragrances, and the creative strength of Diesel, which has developed into a €1 billion group over the past 25 years.
The Diesel fragrance licence was previously held by German company Marbert, with whom Diesel launched several popular fragrances. However, the products developed by that partnership are no longer sold. Diesel fragrances are known for their unusual packaging, such as a fist-shaped bottle for the fragrance Only the Brave and an industrial spray bottle for the Green series.
Diesel's philosophy has always been to support passion, individuality, and freedom of expression. This is reflected in the brand's collection of fragrances, which includes the Brave line, made for men who live bravely and achieve through determination, and the D line, for those living with high intensity and unlimited seductive passion. The D fragrances embody the desire of free minds to be themselves and leave a mark.
The partnership with L'Oreal is a long-term deal that aims to build something stable and harness the synergies between the two companies. Diesel's CEO, Renzo Rosso, chose L'Oreal because it is very close to his mentality, and he believes that the two companies share a passion for their work. L'Oreal's president of the Luxury Products Division, Marc Menesguen, has stated that Diesel has the potential to be a top 10 fine fragrance brand worldwide.
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Expansion and collaborations
Diesel fragrances were first launched in 1996, with a unisex scent known simply as Diesel, in partnership with Marbert. The brand's first fragrance was designed to be unisex at a time when most brands were still designating their perfumes and colognes by gender. Diesel's fragrances are known for challenging conformity and pushing the boundaries of traditional masculine perfumery. They are aimed at young adults and are noteworthy for their unusual packaging, such as the fist-shaped bottle for Only the Brave and the industrial spray bottle for the Green series.
In 2006, Diesel signed with L'Oreal, marking the brand's expansion into the fragrance market. Diesel fragrances are now sold worldwide in thousands of stores, including several dozen exclusive Diesel outlets. The company has continued to expand its fragrance line, introducing new scents such as Fuel for Life, which has separate versions for men and women, and the D perfumes, which embody the modern man: daring, real, and constantly evolving.
The success of Diesel fragrances can be attributed to the brand's philosophy of supporting passion, individuality, and freedom of expression. Diesel fragrances are designed to be eye-catching, with modern designs, bright colours, and brilliant bottles. The scents themselves are exciting and invigorating, offering a modern alternative to traditional perfumes and colognes.
Diesel has also collaborated with various companies to expand its product offerings beyond fragrances. In 2007, the brand partnered with Italian carmaker FIAT to redesign the classic Fiat 500, resulting in a limited-edition model called "500 by Diesel." In 2008, Diesel collaborated with sportswear giant Adidas, creating a special denim collection exclusively available at Adidas Originals stores. This was followed by Adidas' creation of special sneakers, including the Forum Mid Diesel Lea, Forum Mid Diesel Txt, and ZX 700 Diesel, which were sold in Diesel stores worldwide.
In addition to these collaborations, Diesel has licensed its brand to other retail manufacturers to create new product categories, including Diesel Eyewear in partnership with Marcolin, Diesel Watches in partnership with Fossil, and Diesel Living, a home furnishings line created with various companies such as Moroso and Seletti. These partnerships have contributed to the expansion of the Diesel brand beyond fragrances and into a diverse range of lifestyle products.
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Creative directors
Diesel fragrances are owned by Diesel, which was founded by Renzo Rosso. In 2006, Diesel signed with L'Oreal for the production of its fragrances. L'Oreal, the world's leading beauty company, announced in 2024 that it had entered into a mandate with an investment services provider for the purchase of its own shares.
The founder of Diesel, Rosso, has been instrumental in the company's success. He began stitching jeans on a sewing machine at the age of fifteen and later worked for a clothing manufacturer called Moltex. In 1976, he bought a 40% holding in the company, which was then renamed Diesel. By 1985, Rosso had become the sole owner of the company. Throughout the 2000s, he increased Diesel's share in the global fashion market through opening more company-owned stores, brand collaborations, and business expansion. In 2007, Rosso and Diesel partnered with L'Oréal for the production of Diesel's first fragrance, Fuel For Life.
The success of Diesel in its first 20 years is also attributed to former Creative Director Wilbert Das, who joined the company in 1988. Das was initially hired to design the men's collection but quickly rose through the ranks and was named Creative Director in 1993. During his tenure, Diesel launched several lines, including Diesel Black Gold (casual luxury goods), Diesel Kid, eyewear, lingerie, bags, accessories, and eventually perfume. Das left the company in 2009, and the current Creative Director is Bruno Collin.
In 2012, Rosso was listed on the Forbes list of billionaires for the first time. The following year, he named Nicola Formichetti, the former stylist of Lady Gaga and creative director of Mugler, as Diesel's Artistic Director.
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Diesel's philosophy
Diesel fragrances are known for challenging conformity and pushing the boundaries of traditional masculine perfumery. The brand's philosophy centres around supporting passion, individuality, and freedom of expression. Diesel fragrances encourage their wearers to embrace their singularity and live with unapologetic passion. The brand's founder, Renzo Rosso, has described Diesel as "one of the world's hottest brands, part of today's pop culture".
Diesel's first fragrance, a unisex scent simply called Diesel, was launched in 1996 in partnership with Marbert. The brand has since released several popular fragrances, including Fuel For Life, a collaboration with L'Oreal in 2007. Diesel fragrances are aimed at the young adult market and are known for their unusual packaging, such as the fist-shaped bottle for Only the Brave and the industrial spray bottle design for the Green series.
Rosso founded Diesel with the vision of creating a fashion house that would be a leader and carve out its own niche in the industry. He began stitching jeans on a sewing machine at the age of fifteen, producing low-riding, bell-bottomed jeans that he would sell to his friends. After working for a clothing manufacturer called Moltex, he used a loan from his father to buy a 40% holding in the company, which later became known as Diesel. Rosso has attributed Diesel's success to learning marketing from the US, creativity from Italy, and systems from Germany.
Under Rosso's leadership, Diesel expanded its global presence, opening more company-owned stores and embarking on brand collaborations. In 2002, Rosso began purchasing additional fashion companies under the parent company Only The Brave (OTB), including Maison Martin Margiela, Viktor & Rolf, and Marni. Diesel's headquarters are in Breganze, Italy, and as of 2008, the company had 5,000 points of sale across 80 countries, including 270 mono-brand Diesel stores.
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Frequently asked questions
Diesel fragrances are owned by L'Oreal.
Diesel was founded by Renzo Rosso, who began stitching jeans on a sewing machine at the age of fifteen.
Diesel's first fragrance, a unisex scent known simply as Diesel, was launched in 1996 in partnership with Marbert.
Diesel fragrances are aimed at the young adult market, like their other products.
Diesel fragrances challenge conformity and push the boundaries of traditional masculine perfumery. They support passion, individuality, and freedom of expression.
