Diesel’s Renzo Russo on Blogs & the Future of Margiela

PSFK recently caught up with the designer and face of Diesel (who likewise owns the majority stake in Maison Margiela, which the house's namesake just departed), to talk about inspiration and online expansions. "We definitely want to do more with our website," Russo says of Diesel. "We really like blogs, websites --- they’re more real ... For all of my life brands have just been buying press, buying good reviews -- and now it’s up to the people whether they like your product."

Though a self-proclaimed fan of blogs and Twitter, and of Google for its ability to rapidly satiate image requests, Russo is partial to one particular social networking venue: “most of all I like Facebook.” But it’s actually tweet from the New York Times’s Horacia Silva regarding Russo that had the fashion industry buzzing Friday: “Just had a chat with Diesel’s Renzo Russo who says he is thisclose to naming a new designer at Martin Margiela.” Also, in a separate interview with Fashion Indie, the marketing maven explains the inspiration behind one of Diesel’s latest debuts: day-glo jeans. “My kids. They came up to me saying they wanted something bright, new and fun, and this is what I gave them.” In all of his years in the business, what’s his biggest regret? Not doing more charity work. But that’s not to say Russo isn’t intent on making up for lost time: “we are currently working on building a village in Africa.”