Italian fashion maverick Renzo Rosso was born the son of a peasant farmer. In 1978, after going to school to learn about textiles, Rosso developed a design conglomerate called the Genius Group, which included Diesel as its low budget brand. Diesel tinkered along for about eight years, earning approximately £3.0 million during that time. Although Rosso couldn't pinpoint exactly why he believed in the brand--other than that it was pronounced identically in a number of world languages--he devoted himself full time to Diesel in 1985. Although Rosso had practically no experience running a company, he managed to grow the brand into an international phenomenon. Rosso always has had a soft spot for vintage clothing, and he designed pre-worn blue jeans and apparel long before industry insiders considered such a strategy viable. While jeans and pants are still at the center of the Diesel empire, sexy blouses for women and trendsetting shirts and jackets for men round out the line. Diesel has embarked on numerous ironic ad campaigns to set the brand apart from other, more conventional clothing companies. The company's tag line, "For successful living" doesn't really relate to the clothing. It's an ironic nod to the consumer. This anti-advertising has helped Diesel leapfrog its more conservative fashion counterparts, while trendy jeans, jackets, pants, tops, and accessories keep wearers at the peak of fashion. In 2000, Diesel announced a campaign to promote a hitherto unknown Polish singer by the name of Joanna Zychowicz. The press thought highly of Diesel's acute marketing promotion and followed the story religiously. Later on in the season, Diesel revealed that the Polish Zychowicz was an entirely made-up character--the joke was on the press, once again. Despite all the fun and the irony, Diesel continues to make extremely well-made clothes, with their fun and flattering cuts of denim being a flagship item.
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