Diesel Wants You to Immortalize Your Canceled Plans for 2020 With Custom Jeans

In terms of big plans, 2020 has been, for the most part, a total write-off. If you were looking forward to a year packed full of music festivals, vacations with friends, weddings, parties and adventures, then it’s likely most of these have since been canceled or are indefinitely on hold.

For its fall 2020 campaign, fashion brand Diesel has found a way to permanently commemorate all of those canceled celebrations in what the brand says has been a “generation-defining year” by offering customers the chance to personalize the leather tags on Diesel jeans with the name of something they could not participate in.

The aim of the campaign, by Publicis Italy, is to commemorate the unexpected memories made this year while boldly claiming “not even 2020 can cancel a great pair of jeans.” A 60-second brand film shows a young group of friends having fun together, despite the circumstances, while tags on their jeans show what they’ve missed out on: a yoga retreat, a trip to the Andes and a festival.

Customers can personalize their own jeans on Diesel’s website and at selected stores worldwide.

Diesel has also signed up influencers to share videos about their lockdown experiences and the silver linings along the way, which the brand will also share across its platforms.

Influencers will include New York skateboarder and model Evan Mock, who spent lockdown reconnecting with nature in Mallorca, Spain; Italian-American actress Julia Fox, who found “unexpectedly restored love” during lockdown; and Canadian dancer Donte Colley, who spent lockdown becoming “more active in fighting for what’s right.”

Diesel has also partnered with European electronic music festival Untold to create limited-edition denim as part of a collection called the 2020 Fallen Edition.

The campaign follows Diesel’s Pride Month ad featuring transgender model-activist Harlow Monroe. The short film, which was also created by Publicis Italy, followed the central character’s transition from male to female along with her dream of becoming a nun. The short film was launched along with Diesel’s 2020 capsule collection dedicated to Pride in June.

CREDITS:
Creative agency: Publicis Italy
Global chief creative officer, Publicis WW: Bruno Bertelli
Chief creative officer Publicis Italy: Cristiana Boccassini
Global executive creative director: Mihnea Gheorghiu
Global creative director: Eoin Sherry
Head of art: Costanza Rossi
Associate creative director/ art director: Arthur Amorim
Associate creative director/ copywriter: Dan Arango
Art director: Daniele tesi
Copywriter: Nicolò Santovincenzo
Designer/art director: Luca Villa
Strategic planner: Monica Radulescu
Group account director: Ilaria Castilglioni
Account Supervisor: Gonzalo Gutierrez
Head of TV production: Francesca Zazzera
TV producer: Erica Lora Lamia, Beatrice Pepe
Art buyer: Caterina Collesano, Marcella Garutti
Social media manager: Saraluna Goodloe
Head of social client services and strategy: Alessandro Bochicchio

Film Credits
Director: Pantera
Director of photography: Jake Hunter
Production company: Somesuch & Co ltd, Anonymous Content
Executive producer: Tor Fitzwilliams
Producer: James Greenall

Music Credits
Music: Sizzer – original composition with Jackie T & the Jetpacks
Music supervision: Michael Bertoldini

Print Campaign
Photographer: JP Bonino
Post production: Numerique

Product Still Life
Photographer: Wookiee Studio
Post-production: Zum Studio
Scenography: Micol Di Palma
Photographer Agent: Carla Pozzi

Talent photographer: Rayscorruptedmind

Sara Spary

@saramayspary sara.spary@adweek.com Sara Spary is a freelance journalist based in London. She's been a reporter for eight years, covering advertising and consumer brands.