News Bites | Diesel Black Gold Announces Co-Ed Show, Axes Women’s Pre-Collections

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Diesel Black Gold is to combine its men's and women's shows.

The label’s unified shows will take place on the men’s schedule, and will begin with the Spring/Summer 2018 collection at Milan Fashion Week in June.

Diesel Black Gold will also cut the number of women’s collections it delivers per year from four to two, however it will continue to produce men’s pre-collections alongside its main menswear offering.

"With today's culture moving towards less gender conformity, combining the men's and women's shows feels like a natural step for us," Diesel Black Gold creative director Andreas Melbostad told BoF. “The two collections are designed and developed parallel to each other and there is a lot of crossover.”

"I have always been a big supporter of co-ed shows. We actually launched Diesel Black Gold in New York with a men's and women's show at the very beginning," added Renzo Rosso, president of Diesel's parent company OTB. "Diesel Black Gold is now a point of reference for the contemporary market and it became crucial to communicate a strong, cohesive seasonal message."

Diesel Black Gold follows a number of brands including Saint Laurent, Gucci and Calvin Klein, in showing co-ed runway shows on the menswear calendar, contributing to a wider shift in the international fashion calendar.

"The timing of the women's shows, especially in Milan and Paris, is really late. A good option could be [shifting] the women's shows to the men's timing. It would not only make sense for the business but also the direction the global industry is taking," said Rosso.

Melbostad agreed: "I think every brand is trying to find the correct approach to how the best present their vision. There is a need for a structure and a system, but increasingly there's also opportunities to find an individual path." — Christopher Morency

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