Staying true to Diesel’s disruptive nature, our design team subverted Diesel’s classic logo with subtle misspellings to look like a real knock-off. We then rented a store in the heart of NYC’s counterfeit district for two weeks. For authenticity, we designed it to look cluttered and hired two actors to perform as suspicious shopkeepers. The store opened secretly for the first week. Those brave enough to shop there during this time bought real Diesel pieces, disguised as DEISEL, for knock-off prices. The second week was the big reveal during New York Fashion Week. Full price this time. First, we teased the idea through Instagram Stories, then we let the secret out through social media, attracting thousands of fans and fashionistas. The store was supposed to be open for several days, but it sold out in one. Then we launched the brand globally on Diesel.com, selling out in several hours.

We rented an actual store in the heart of NYC’s counterfeit district. For authenticity, we designed the store to look cluttered, put up a cheap cardboard sign of our DEISEL logo with duct tape and hired two actors to perform as suspicious shopkeepers. The store opened secretly for the first week. Those brave enough to shop there during this time bought real Diesel pieces, disguised as DEISEL, for knock-off prices. Then, for New York Fashion Week, we let the secret out through celebrity influencers, major publications and social media, bringing Fashion Week far away from fancy 5th Avenue to the most unfashionable destination in NYC: The intersection of Canal Street and Broadway. Thousands of fans and fashionistas lined up around the block to experience the DEISEL knock-off store. The store was a commercial success, completely selling out on the first day.