Fiat 500 by Diesel redux

 

A new colour and the second-generation 1.3 Multijet engine make their debut on the Fiat 500 by Diesel

The Fiat 500 by Diesel has chosen "Bread & Butter", the show dedicated to youth fashion in Berlin, to preview of two important new features: "Midnight indigo" blue, a special body colour, and the 1.3 Multijet II 95 HP (Euro 5) with Start&Stop system fitted as standard, the new second-generation turbodiesel, now even more environmentally-friendly and suitable for city driving.

The result of close collaboration between Fiat and Diesel, the famous clothing brand by Renzo Rosso, the model will be limited edition and marketed worldwide. Its success is boundless and from Italy to Japan, to France, almost 6 thousand cars have already been ordered out of the 10 thousand available in total.

In Berlin, within "Bread & Butter", the Diesel stand and the exclusive Fiat 500 will no doubt attract the attention of the visitors, just as they did at the recent Mumbai Motor Show, India. Spanning a surface area of 700 square metres in the Denim Base section, the Italian label will present its 2010 autumn/winter collections and the new "shop-in-shop/corner" concept, conceived as a genuine stage to present and convey the values of the brand and all its creativity even within multi-brand stores. Features which can also be found in the new Fiat 500 by Diesel.

As regards the new colour, the Centro Stile Fiat (Fiat Style Centre) worked once more with the creative team at Diesel to create a dark blue which recalls the denim used to make jeans. The use of a micaceous rather than a metallic shade offers at first glance the feeling of iridescent colour which varies according to the light, very similar to stone washed fabrics. And this thanks to a finer texture of paint and its ability to create an almost 3-D effect. This new blue also, like the black and green already in the range, perfectly matches the matt paint chosen for the finishes which characterise this model.

The 500 by Diesel is distinguished by some bold aesthetic features, starting with the exterior. Everything is exclusive for this version, the result of the creativity of two teams of designers: the aggressive 16″ alloy wheels, the rear trim with imitation air intake where one of the most famous logos of Italian fashion is set, the yellow brake calipers (only on the 1.4 100 HP version) and the satin chrome painted features, including the mouldings which, with their bosses, revoke the atmosphere of the Diesel fashion world.

The interiors are also highly customised, thanks to the dark denim style fabric with yellow stitching, the fifth pocket with the unmistakable Diesel brand, the head of the famous Mohican on the gear lever knob and the specific satin chrome coloured dashboard.
The range of engines, in addition to the 1.3 Multijet 95 HP mentioned above, includes three Euro 5 power units (the 1.2 69 HP engine, the 1.3 Multijet 75 HP engine with DPF and the 1.4 16v 100 HP engine), each with their own different qualities, all exploited to the full in combination with 5- or 6-speed manual gearboxes (petrol engines can be combined with a 5-speed Dualogic robotised sequential gear box).

Sophia Kokosalaki debut’s her FW2010 Diesel Black Gold collection

By Romney Leader //www.style.com

NEW YORK, February 16, 2010: The gridlocked mass of people at the check-in desk hinted that things were business as usual at the Diesel Black Gold show, but the debut collection by its new creative director, Sophia Kokosalaki, was anything but.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I wanted to infuse technique into the clothes," she said backstage, "but still have them maintain that rock 'n' roll soul inherent to the brand."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While past seasons have leaned heavily toward complicated, overly distressed garments, Kokosalaki's approach was much cleaner and more focused. There was black leather—skinny trousers, sexy little dresses, sleek moto jackets—paired mostly with faded denim shirts and vests. High-end touches could be found in the stitched-up seams and patchworked layers ("I approached the denim like it was yarn," the designer said). With the exception of a one-shouldered velvet jumpsuit that didn't quite mesh with the otherwise tomboyish offerings—even the sexy body-cons that closed the show had more swagger than sweetness—it was a solid effort that will ensure the brand stays on the radar of the many top editors and retailers who made it through the crush.

 

Diesel goes virtual

Virtual reality is coming of age

by Alexander Walters // guardian.co.uk // 31 December 09

If you want evidence of how virtual worlds are breaking into the mainstream, look at how commerce is taking hold within them

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I'm standing outside a branch of Diesel and a colourfully dressed man is dancing the robot in front of me like Peter Crouch on steroids. Browsing through the items on offer in the window, I spot a pair of jeans that I like the look of. The price tag says £1.59. A licensed, authorised, branded pair of Diesel jeans for £1.59. The only catch is that they're made of pixels, not denim, and they belong in a fictional universe that could be the future of advertising, social networking and gaming combined. Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of PlayStation Home.

 

The concept of PlayStation Home is simple. It's a free-to-use, beautifully rendered, fictional universe in which anyone who owns a PlayStation 3 can reside. Once a user loads up their profile they are dropped into an apartment with a balcony that overlooks something resembling Monaco. In the town outside lie a communal square, a bowling alley, a pool hall and even a shopping mall in which to buy real estate or clothes.

This brings us to the jeans. Inside the shopping mall lies a branch of the real-world clothing brand Diesel. In it, users can buy any number of pixelated replicas of Diesel's real-life ranges for real-life money. Diesel is by no means the last brand that will set up shop here, because PlayStation Home has just announced reaching 10 million users. Home isn't alone either, it's merely the latest in a long line of virtual reality (VR) worlds that are now springing up all over the internet.

Is this all a waste of time? Conventional wisdom states that we should have better things to do with out lives than spending hard-earned pennies on pixelated pairs of jeans. Critics will argue that these worlds are populated by nerds, geeks and middle-aged recluses with all the social skills of a road accident. Perhaps years ago this was the case, but the popularity of VR environments has seen a staggering rise. World of Warcraft now has over 11 million subscribers worldwide. Second Life has an economy so large that their Linden dollar is tradeable currency in the real world to the tune of $29m per quarter. The games industry now generates more revenue than its cinema counterpart. It appears that, one by one, we're all becoming geeks.

With so many people now taking part in these environments, it's just not possible that they are all losers. I've dipped my toes into Second Life, Home and (briefly) World of Warcraft. While they didn't hold my attention for long, the people I met there were, by and large, friendly and interesting. Perhaps tellingly, most of them admitted that they kept their VR identity a secret in the real world for fear of mockery, so a VR enthusiast might be closer than you think. Admittedly, these worlds still have a long way to go. Anyone with a reasonably busy lifestyle probably can't spare the time to indulge in them and wouldn't see the point. This was my initial reaction, and the one that still holds me back from diving in to VR headfirst. But pause a second, and imagine the possibilities that VR might enable in the future.

One day these experiences will be totally immersive. Sony already has a patent on (though are unlikely to be anywhere near developing) a device that replicates sensory interaction via a neural connection to the user's brain. Touch a granite surface in the VR world and it will feel like granite. Drink a glass of Coke and it will taste like Coke. In this kind of genuinely immersive, graphically photorealistic world, the possibilities are endless. Imagine constructing your own dream holiday to a perfectly rendered 1960s London, or ancient Rome. When you combine these capabilities with the attraction such worlds already have for brands and advertisers (imagine a living, breathing VR Paris with your company's banner hanging over the Eiffel tower), the horizon grows broader still.

In addition, the scope for VR worlds goes beyond gaming. What is Home but a graphical manifestation of social networking? The same people who once scoffed at old-world networks such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, but now use those services daily, may one day warm to a VR version. Why Facebook a friend in Thailand when you can catch up in a virtual reality Bangkok? VR has come a long way, but it has not yet broken into true mass appeal. Worlds such as Home do, however, do show how far the technology has come. Personalised fantasy holidays, as popularised in films such as Total Recall, are closer than we think. With new worlds that are graphically comparable to the latest game releases, supported by advertising and almost unlimited in scope, the possibilities for virtual reality are endless.

Xin Nian Kuai Le

 

祝我所有美丽的朋友们恭喜发财

Happy Chinese New Year

of the Tiger

A word from da’ man…

Rules of Style from Renzo Rosso

The man behind Diesel is reinventing jeans. Again.

By Courtney Colavita, // Photographs by Jennifer Livingston

Details // January 2010 Issue

If you've ever found yourself over thinking the wash of your jeans, you can thank Renzo Rosso, the soccer-playing, motorcycle-riding 54-year-old owner of Diesel. His name may not be as recognizable as those of other fashion icons, but he's had just as much influence on the way you dress. Over the years, Rosso's nearly $2 billion alternative luxury empire has evolved well beyond denim to include vanguard labels like Viktor & Rolf, Maison Martin Margiela, and Dsquared. When he's not throwing parties for 25,000 of his closest friends, getting private time with the Dalai Lama, or inspecting renovations at his hotel, the Pelican, in Miami, the globe-trotting Rosso likes to practice his downward-facing dog. Details caught up with the tattooed Italian on his private jet to talk about why his life is never boring.

Q: Diesel has had tremendous success over the past 20 years. Do you ever worry it's gotten too big?
A: We're actually in a period of transformation. We made the mistake of taking the product in a direction that was too high-end, and it got confusing. We're making Diesel Diesel again: young, rebellious, fresh, and modern.

Q: So you're shaking up your company?
A: Yes. Diesel needs new energy. We're getting a new design team in. I promise that in the next six months to a year, Diesel will be completely fresh. We're changing everything.

Q: Sounds like you're not afraid to admit mistakes.
A: I don't bullshit. I'm not fake. My parents were farmers. They taught me dignity and to have shame if I do something that doesn't turn out right. I've made mistakes. Last night I saw [hotelier] André Balazs, and I thought to myself, I should have taken him up on his offer to do a hotel together years ago.

Q: If you were to lose everything tomorrow, what would you do?
A: I started from nothing, so I'm not afraid to have nothing. Anyplace I go, I know I'll be able to earn people's trust and do something.

Q: You're 54, the father of six, and you're dating a 33-year-old. Are you as content as you seem?
A: I try to be happy and tranquil, and I work out every day—either yoga or running. It was a difficult year. I suffered a lot. My son was in a car accident and in a coma. I separated from the mother of my three youngest children. We were together 15 years. I was really in love with her, but sometimes things end. I look to stay true to who I am and be happy.

Q: You're a joker—was stating your undying loyalty to Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi serious?
A: I like irony, but sometimes I go too far and people aren't sure if I'm being serious or not. Everything about me and my company is ironic. Without irony, life is just sad.

Q: Tonight it's New York, tomorrow you'll be riding horses with your twin girls on your vineyard in Veneto, and the next day you're off to Rome. Do you ever get fed up with all the travelling?
A: Many mornings I wake up and I don't even know where I am. I'm like most people in that, yeah, I complain—but I love what I do. Every day I'm working on something different—jeans, sunglasses, bags, watches, clothes, interior design, stores, windows, a hotel, and even wine. I can never tire of my job. It's not boring. I'm a lucky man.

de Singapour avec amour...♥ ♥

I can never repeat this enough: I heart Singapore… So it should come to no surprise that while I just went there for the Xmas vaycays, three weeks later I was back to this island again. But this time its for business: attending an IMF-STI Course on Financial Programming and Policies (so serious, hehe)…

So, for the next two weeks, I stayed at the M Hotel at Tanjung Pagar, the heart of the central business district and just a short walk from the MAS building, where the lectures and workshops are held…

The room is not too shabby either…

 

 

So is the view…

 

The course itself went extremely well. There were 31 of us from various central banks and finance ministries across Asia. It was interesting to learn of each other’s experiences and make new contacts.

I learned a lot on the various inter-relationships within the economy: domestic demand, external demand, government and monetary sector. I was literally a sponge. Befitting the new year, I also tried to be as active, inquisitive and as participating as possible. Even managed to make a big presentation at the course finale…

 

But of course, all work and no play makes for a dull Dieselfreak, hehe… luckily i managed to slot in some fun here and there during my two weeks stay ;) So, some of my friends dropped by during their weekend. Being their first time in Singapore, I am all too willing to be their tour guide.

First stop for virgins to the island: the Merlion, hehe… As you can see the Maria Bay Sands casino is progressing nicely in the background. I definitely cant wait to checkout the floating LV store when its open… perhaps it will be the place where I will  finally buy my Damier Geant Canvas Messager bag? hehe…

 

Next stop: Orchard Rd.

Shopping wise i think i have been a pretty good boy. Lets see, just a couple of Diesel T’s…

…and a Monogram Canvas Billfold with 6 credit card slots, so i can alternate with my Damier Ebene Canvas Multiple wallet. See, no biggie, I was pretty CCC right? hehe…

We also dropped by three places that I have never been to before despite my numerous times in Singapore: Arab St., Bugis St. and Chinatown … like i always say: there's always something new ;) I managed to sample more local delicacies, like the scrumptiolicious martabak Arab St. and rojak Geylang Serai. Yummy…

And to cap the night off, we checked out the local clubbing scene. How lucky are we to realise that Tanjung Pagar has some of the most happening clubs, all within walking distance to the hotel. What made is all that much fun is that there were other friends from KL turned up too…

So there you go. Time does fly fast when you are having such a great time. But hopefully now I'm brimming with recharged enthusiasm when I go back to office :) Je t'aime à Singapour. Jusqu'à ce que nous rencontrer à nouveau la prochaine fois…