Diesel lamp shade, anyone?

After the fragrance Fuel For Life, the fashion brand is now ready to present the home collection, aptly called Successfull Living from Diesel. The collection represents the inevitable and expected next step in order to achieve a complete and integrated lifestyle. Diesel lamp shades, anyone?
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Diesel Rides Zucchi into Home
By Carole Sloan -- Home Textiles Today, 1/28/2008

Milan, Italy — Diesel, a brand known throughout the apparel business as one attracting a younger consumer market with a "cool" approach, will make its debut into the home furnishings world in a licensing agreement with Gruppo Zucchi for home textiles — the first of a broader range of home products including furniture, lighting and decorative accessories.

The home textiles collection will be called Successful Living from Diesel, a reverse of the apparel brand's Diesel for Successful Living slogan. The home textiles, as well as subsequent home furnishings collections, will be created by a design team headed by Wilbert Das, Diesel's creative director, said Filippo Zucchi, president of licensing, Gruppo Zucchi.

The home textiles including bed and bath "will reflect the Diesel mood — a signature Diesel twist on design in home textiles reflecting the changing way people live in their homes," explained Zucchi to HTT. "It will be fun but salable, ironical but not too much far out. It will bring a new mood and concept." The collection will be directed toward consumers in the 30 to 45 age bracket, he said.

Price points will be targeted to the designer level as well as entry points at the Lacoste level or higher, he added. In the United States, Ken Rood, ceo of KJR Home, will work with Zucchi on both the Diesel and Lacoste marketing programs.

Zucchi produces its own brands under the Zucchi and Bassetti brands in Italy; Bera, Jalla and Descamps brands in France; and licenses for Lacoste worldwide and Laura Ashley for Europe.

The home textiles collection will debut at the Diesel showroom here during the April Salone Internazionale del Mobile. Targeted retailers are leading department stores, home textile specialty shops, and Diesel and Zucchi stores. The collection is expected to be in stores by September

About F1 and AF

So the hottest race in town went off with a bang! Congratulations Ferarri on clinching top podium spot. Before anyone accused DIESELFREAK of being also an F1 freak, there is actually method to madness.

The night before the race, DIESELFEAK had the pleasure of attending the ING F1 Street Concert at Bukit Bintang, to witness none other than our diva Ning perform life in the open air concert. Of course one on the banes of being open air is that you will be at the mercy of the unpredictable weather. And merciless was the weather indeed, for it rained so heavily that what the concert was supposed to start at 6pm was delayed to 8pm.

Nevertheless Ning took to the stage at approximately 8.15pm to rouse up the 1,000+strong crowd. Singing classics like Fever, Fame and Awan Yang Terpilu, she glided through effortlessly and ended her performance with her latest single, Age of Pollution.

Her performance ended at around 8.40pm and not a moment to soon. Ning (and DIESELFREAK) did not linger to watch Ferhad, Reshmonu and All4One. Ning must either have a good set of wheels, or tight connections with the traffic police, or magic wings, cuz at 9.15pm, there she is on TV judging Akademi Fantasia. (Notice the same black tube underneath the jacket that she wore at the concert) How does she do it?! I guess thats a trade secret of livin' la vida diva.

EastToWest****

It is no secret that one of Ning's greatest ambition is to make it big on the international arena. And why not? Ever since her first English hit, 'In Another Life' topped the Singapore charts way back in 1993, the local music industry had finally found a bona fide artiste with the brightest potential achieve international stardom.

Of course, it was a tumoulteous journey from the get go, especially when her then managers had scuttled and left her almost bankrupt. Even then, Ning preservered with tentative steps, releasing Always (1997) and the experimental Natural Woman (2001) ,which garnered a degree of success in Japan. Now, almost 15 years later, Ning will attempt her strongest assault yet onto the international scene with the release of 'EastToWest'.

While pop,R&B and soul has always been Ning's forte, true fans would readily aknowledge that she has always had an inclination towards dance and electronica. An early hint of this is the inclusion of the bonus song 'My Journey' in the Ke Sayup Bintang (1997) album. Even more evident is the Natural Woman album, which featured trance and two-step. For 'EastToWest', the featured genre now is classtronica, a fusion of electronic beats layered with classical elements. To put it simply, if Ning's earlier Malay albums are often compared to Mariah or Whitney, this one will evoke comparisons to Madonna and Kylie. Such is a testiment to her versatility and risk-taking as a singer.

Some of the tracks best exemplifying this are the joyous EAST TO WEST EXPRESS, hi-camp DRAMA (ENGLISH VERSION), the Abba-esque TANGO IN PARIS and the debut single, AGE OF POLLUTION, a miasma of heavy bass beats designed to complement Ning's whispery delivery in what could have been the club anthem to last year's Live Earth Concerts. Ning also revealed a suprising rock-chick side of herself with tracks like the edgy REAL MAN-EATER, A MATTER OF TIME and ASSASSINA, a romp of a song announcing her superheroic alter-ego. Things get a little dark with AGAIN (think 'Senang Tari' on acid), SENSELESS & BLIND and the mysterious ethno-vibe of MOTHER. Those who miss Ning's R&B roots will probably find it in SHARPENING YOUR BLADE. But perhaps, the most intruiging song in the whole album is WATER & SALT. It is an understated gem: completely unadorned save for acoustic piano, flute (by the renowned maestro Andrea Griminelli) and strings to accompany Ning's yearning vocal performance. Simply mesmerising!

That is not to say that the album does not have its shortcomings. While the sparse production by DJ Morano and Valerio Vicentini are competent enough, they are certainly no Mirwais Ahmadzai or Bloodshy & Avant. Meanwhile, Ning's straightforward vocal delivery is expected of for a dance oriented album, but at times sounds a bit rough in some parts probably due to the tight recording schedule in the prestigious Jamestown Studio's in London.

Overall, 'EastToWest' is a highly listenable album that rewards with repeated listens. DIESELFREAK looks forward to the critical reception here at home, and more importantly its intended European market.

TRACKLISTING:

1. Tango in Paris (Olivia Cinquemani / Valerio Vincentini / Scobie Ryder)*** 1/2
2. Real Man-Eater (Scobie Ryder)****
3. Sharpening Your Blade (B Bajona / Olivia Cinquemani)*****
4. Age of Pollution(Olivia Cinquemani / Valerio Vincentini / Zara Ruban)*****
5. Water & Salt (featuring Andrea Griminelli) (Olivia Cinquemani / Valerio Vincentini)*****
6. Assassina (Olivia Cinquemani / Valerio Vincentini / Scobie Ryder)***
7. East To West Express (Olivia Cinquemani /Marco Morani / Valerio Vincentini)****
8. Again (Olivia Cinquemani / Valerio Vincentini)**** 1/2
9. A Matter of Time (Scobie Ryder)*** 1/2
10. Senseless and Blind (Olivia Cinquemani / Valerio Vincentini / Scobie Ryder)****
11. Mother (Olivia Cinquemani / Valerio Vincentini)****
12. Drama (English Version) (Audi Mok / Paul Gelsomine / Ad Samad)****

EastToWest

Ning's latest album is officially realeased nationwide today. Watch this space for DIESELFREAK's exclusive review.

Finally Legalised!

It gives DIESELFREAK great pleasure to announce that Fuel For Life has finally been legalised in Malaysia! Launched on 1 March by Loreal(M)Sdn Bhd and distributed exclusively by Isetan, DIESELFREAK managed to visit its promotion booth at the KLCC ground floor.

Crash boom bang...

Literally the 'black oil' for your car engine...

Even the ladies have fun too...

The precious cargo.. use with caution!

From the inside looking out.
Check out the salespersons busy enticing a sale from a prospective customer

Diesel dollars... the testing swatches for the fragrance

Are you alive?

Prices for Fuel For Life For Him is only RM160 for the 50ml bottle and RM190 for the 75ml bottle. Thats cheap compared to Singapore (75ml for Rm233!). Whats more, during this promotion period, the 50 ml bottle comes with a aftershave gift, while the 75 ml comes with a 5ml mini vial, perfect for travelling.... At these attractive offers, DIESELFREAK may just be tempted to get himself another bottle. hehe :)