“The more hate you wear, the less you care.” this is the message behind the latest Diesel commercial, that showcases some of the pieces from the brand’s Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2018 collection while bringing cyber-bullying issues to light.
The ad stars a host of celebrities including rappers Nicki Minaj and Gucci Mane, actors Tommy Dorfman, Miles Heizer, Bella Thorne, Yoo Ah-In, Bria Vinaite, social media influencer Yovanna Ventura, plus-size model/actress Barbie Ferreira, and Brazilian model Jonathan Bellini rocking pieces that feature the most hateful messages they have received on social media. Thus, Nicki Minaj’ is seen wearing a hood emblazoned with the words “The Bad Guy,” Gucci Mane a shirt with the text “Fuck You, Impostor” written on the chest, South Korean actor Yoo Ah-In a shirt featuring the text “Cynic”, Barbie Ferreira a shirt featuring the text “Fat”. Dorfman, known for his role as Ryan Shaver in the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why,” and his co-star Heizer, who plays Alex Standall in the same drama series, appear walking down the hallway of a high-school wearing jackets embossed with the names they have been called.
The end of the campaign film, which was directed by Jovan Todorovic, sees the “crew” dancing in the streets after one of them steps on a smartphone. The soundtrack music is a cover of the famous song “I Wanna Be Loved by You” which was first performed in 1928 by Helen Kane and became one of Marilyn Monroe’s most famous musical performances. Written for the 1928 musical “Good Boy”, the track has been recorded over the years by numerous artists, including Annette Hanshaw, Frank Sinatra, Vaughn De Leath, Jack Lemmon, Rhonda Towns, Tina Louise, Rose Murphy, Patricia Kaas, Sinéad O’Connor, Shiina Ringo, Paul Manchin, Lorraine Allan (formerly Lorraine Gray), Eve’s Plum, Barry Manilow (in a duet with the Marilyn Monroe recording) and many more.
The brand’s new campaign was teased by its founder, Renzo Rosso, earlier this year, in July, when he attended the Maison Margiella show. He then wore a T-shirt that said “Haute Couture” – only with the “u” crossed out so it read “Hate Couture”. He described the Haute Couture collection as “a bold message toward haters worldwide” and “an invitation for everyone to step up, face and own the negative messages we receive every day”. “This campaign will be a supermagic atomic bomb, something incredible.” he also said.
The limited-edition pieces will be available in Diesel stores and online, and, starting October 6, customers will be able to create their own customised items. Diesel announced that it will donate part of the proceeds from the sale of the pieces in order to support anti-bullying programmes at its OTB foundation, a non-for-profit organisation.
