Andreas Melbostad

Strikes gold at Diesel Black Gold

IESEL BLACK GOLD launched in 2008 to help save Diesel from itself. The Italian brand had become famous for its denim and leather jackets, often tragically worn by a certain kind of bro. It needed a new label to broach the realm of high fashion — and the kind of men who gravitate to it — with elevated cuts and fabrics. It started out well, but it wasn’t until Andreas Melbostad came on board as creative director in 2012 that the new label came into its own. “With Diesel Black Gold we are always working around an irreverent attitude,” he says. “Season by season we look at how we can bring new nuances to this core spirit. We always return to a range of iconic staples. I love iconic pieces because of how they carry an emotional attachment, and I love looking at how to maintain this emotion while transforming the styles to create new hybrids for today’s wardrobe.” With the latest collection, Melbostad has continued to push the brand into new territory. “In the past, we would be a little more layered and more complex, and have more of a street attitude in the way we put the clothes together,” he says. “This time we wanted to make it a bit more edited.” It’s like Melbostad is the sartorial equivalent of a jazz musician — making beautiful music by paying attention to the notes that aren’t being played.

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