RENZO ROSSO, Founder

Born in 1955 in Padua, north-eastern Italy, young Renzo Rosso ran up a pair of extravagant flares on his mother’s sewing machine. When he wore them, all his friends wanted a pair too. And a clothing pioneer was born. He began producing his own clothing in 1975, after graduating from a textile manufacturing college. In 1978 he joined forces with several other manufacturers in his region called the Genius Group. This created a number of brands that remain famous today, including Katherine Hamnett, Replay and, of course Diesel. In 1985, Renzo took full control of the Diesel brand. He surrounded himself with like-minded designers with the aim of creating unusual clothes for individualistic consumers. Driven by its singular brand image and its bizarre yet appealing advertising, Diesel is today a cult name, collecting over the years an incredible series of awards. In 2005 Renzo celebrated his 50th birthday with a blockbuster book called Fifty: part biography, part history, and part vision of the future. Today his energy remains unabated and he continues to guide the brand through its evolution from jeans pioneer into leading purveyor of luxury casual wear. Renzo’s best-known quote is: “Diesel is not my company, it’s my life.”