Image: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Greentech Festival

CEO-Interview
The 15th edition of Greentech Festival in Berlin launched Wednesday with a gala at the former Tegel Airport, an area that is now called Urban Tech Republic. During the Green Awards gala, Renzo Rosso, the founder and chairman of OTB, received the 'Special Prize Italy‘, with Italy being this years' guest country of the festival.
OTB, whose portfolio includes brands Diesel, Margiela, Viktor & Rolf, Marni, and Jil Sander, has been focusing on innovation, digitalization, and sustainability for many years. Among other things, the group is planning a complete switch to renewable energies by 2050. In his acceptance speech, Rosso called for politics to regulate companies more, introduce tougher laws on sustainability, and to close loopholes for greenwashing in order to level the playing field. FashionUnited spoke to Rosso after he received the award.
Congratulations on the award. Could you speak a bit about what your sustainability efforts at OTB include? 
Sustainability is a total project, so it starts with having the right people in your company, who think about how to run the business in a way that it emits less CO2, how to work without chemicals in the dyes, how to find sustainable materials and trims, how to use less water, source recycled paper, recycled plastic and so on. We are full of green in every aspect.
We also do a lot in terms of social sustainability. We audit all our suppliers, we want to see the conditions in which the workers work and know the salaries that they are paid. Our suppliers have to reflect the values and mentality of OTB.
We’ve also invested strongly in technology, so we can save costs and produce less. For example, we can now do our samples on avatars, so we can sell the clothes through our digital showroom. The consumers decide what they want to buy, and then the product is made to order.
Usually, you have 20-30 percent of a collection that is not sold and has to be thrown away. So by using this technology, we can avoid waste, we can produce less, and we can raise the quality and the standards.
And in terms of our stores, we looked at how much CO2 our lights emit and use sustainable electricity. That means costs increase by about 10 percent. So, sustainability takes a lot of time, money, and organization, while at the same time you don’t want to raise prices for the consumers.
Your financial results in 2021 were strong and up from the first pandemic year 2020. Now the war in Ukraine has forced you to close stores in Russia. How do you assess the situation?
Things are difficult. First Covid, now the war - the prices of the materials have increased, or you don’t find them at all. The transport costs have gone up. The situation is tough.
Even in this crazy situation, the company is doing quite well. We increased almost 20 percent this year. And the luxury business overall is doing fantastic, it is even up 30-40 percent.
With Glenn Martens, you’ve brought in a creative director who connects to the beginnings of Diesel as a denim brand, but who can also take it further towards luxury. You’ve also launched a new athleisure line. How do you see the future of Diesel?
I am quite happy for Diesel because we’ve made big changes there. We cut the long distribution channels and increased the quality of materials. We’ve brought back a lot of the production from overseas to Italy. Now with our RFID tags, the customers can see exactly where the materials came from, and where their product was made.
I am very proud of Diesel and its new creative direction. Diesel is my baby. You’re right, in the very beginning, it was a denim brand, but I see Diesel as a lifestyle brand today. That includes a very wide range of products, like cars with Fiat, motorbikes with Ducati, watches, jewelry, shades, fragrances, and home products. We just signed a contract to furnish 250 apartments in Las Vegas, so Diesel to me is very unique. It is a way of life.
What are you wearing today?
[He looks down at himself. It is a gala, so he is wearing a black suit, but combines it with a t-shirt, sportive socks, and sneakers]
I only wear my own brands, I can’t wear any other brands, because I know how we produce and I am very proud. [Points to the suit] This is Margiela, [points to the socks] this is Diesel, [points to the shoes] this is Jil Sander [points to the t-shirt] this is my birthday t-shirt [the shirt is black with stitching on the pocket that says 66, reminiscent of Route 66].
On stage, you mentioned your OTB Foundation. What exactly does it do? 
[Renzo Rosso's wife, Arianna Alessi, sits next to him during the interview. Asked about the OTB Foundation, he passes the recording device to her. She is the foundation's VP]
Arianna Alessi: We work for women's rights and female empowerment in many countries around the world. Among many other efforts, we have a special focus on Afghanistan, where we support the ‘Fearless Girls’ project, providing legal, psychological, and educational activities to Afghan girls detained in juvenile prisons accused of committing “crimes against morality”, while they were only fleeing forced marriages or other types of violence. We support refugees, currently many from Ukraine, who have found work with us. We are teaching them Italian, integrating them as best we can. I hope that this war will end soon and they will be able to decide whether to return or to stay in Italy. But currently, we are giving them the opportunity to build a new life in Italy, which is important.
Renzo Rosso: I am very proud of our foundation. I think, as a modern company, you have a social responsibility. My father always said: “You were lucky, life has given you much.” So we have to help the community.
You recently met with Mark Zuckerberg and Italian business leaders at a meeting he described as 'Meta-Porter in Milan', what did you talk about? What are your plans for the metaverse?
The metaverse is a new way of life for the younger generation. Many people don’t even know what the metaverse is or means. The new generation wants to live a digital life, for example on Roblox, where you can interact with your friends, build digital houses and wardrobes, and change your clothes or make-up. I believe companies are obliged to invest in the metaverse and to create content for this new life.
We have built a company that my son Stefano runs [BVX (Brave Virtual Xperience), the business unit of OTB Group dedicated to the development of products, content, and experiences for the virtual world or ‘metaverse’]. BVX creates content for all our brands in the metaverse. We’ve already done an NFT with Diesel, which also generated quite a lot of sales. The first NFT was 700,000 euros in sales. Now we are underway to do something for Margiela, which I cannot yet talk about. But it will hit like an atomic bomb, I believe.
And what does the future of OTB look like? Which markets or acquisitions are you currently eyeing?
The group is very solid and growing organically. We can grow more through new markets or acquisitions, but I don’t want to buy just for the sake of buying. I am only interested in the luxury business because it is better to express sustainability and the margins are higher. I am still looking, but it is very difficult to find something because beautiful things aren’t for sale. But if a brand is in difficulty, we can give them incredible support.
You’ve announced OTB’s IPO for 2024, are you still on track for that timeline?
I would love that very much. The numbers look great for the end of 2024, beginning of 2025. I cannot wait for that moment, because I have so much to tell on the roadshow of all the beautiful projects we are working on in the company that the consumers don’t yet know about.
I am also looking forward to OTB becoming a public company because I want to make the consumers my partners, and all the people who work for me, too. When you are a public company, you have to be more transparent, which I think is a nice way to run a business. And also for my successors, my family, it will be easier to run a public company.

OTB founder and chair Renzo Rosso talks the metaverse and IPO plans

Posted On June 10, 2022 CPP-LUXURY 0
DIESEL , OTB Group ‘s flagship brand is to unveil a residential project in Las Vegas, in partnership with BelVillage, a community-driven division of real estate developer Bel Invest Group, with which Diesel already partnered on a Wynwood estate in Miami. The building will be erected in Las Vegas’ buzzy Arts District neighborhood, which is the target of major investments in the city and home to trendy breweries, coffee shops and restaurants. It will include about 250 residential units, including penthouses, designed by Diesel Living, the brand’s home and interiors division, as well as communal areas. The complex will offer ownership and short-term rental options with presales for apartments kicking off in January 2024 and construction works in the first quarter of the same year. The companies expect to complete them over the following two years and have pledged to meet LEED sustainable criteria. “It’s really cool,” Renzo Rosso, founder of Diesel and of parent company OTB, told WWD in an exclusive interview speaking from Tokyo, where Diesel held a repeat show on Thursday. “It’s in the Arts District, which is somewhat similar to Wynwood. It’s great to be the ones who discover new areas that are about to become cool,” he added. Although Las Vegas has long been a destination for high-end retail, this marks the first major investment of a fashion brand in a residential or hospitality space in the city. Rosso touted Bel Invest Group’s prowess in the residential arena and described the deal as following the great Wynwood experience. Sales of apartments and penthouses in the Miami complex have started this year with 20 to 30 percent of units already optioned. As reported, the Wynwood condo marked Diesel’s foray into real estate and contracting. The sale of the 143 apartments was launched in tandem with an irreverent campaign called “The Condo T-shirts: The Most Expensive T-shirts Ever,” whereby T-shirts coming with a printed graphic of an apartment at the Diesel Wynwood condo has a price tag reflecting the unit. “We have worked a lot over the past 10 to 12 years to group [under the Diesel Living banner] an exceptional group or artisans and Made in Italy brands to create a Diesel concept for home,” Rosso said. Diesel Living, which is presenting its latest collection at Salone del Mobile furniture and design fair in Milan this week, has evolved from a textile collection launched in 2008 to a full-fledged interiors line, relying on several premium partners such as Moroso, Berti, Iris Ceramica and Seletti. “As an innovator in the real estate market, BelVillage wants to shift the perception of residential living from a necessity to an excitement by offering a lifestyle that comes together with the apartment,” said Maximilian Beltrame, president and chief executive officer of Bel Invest Group, in a statement. “We are happy to have found with Diesel the perfect partner in this endeavor.”
DIESEL Residential Project in Las Vegas
 
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DIESEL to unveil residential project in Las Vegas

Image: Diesel; Eraldo Poletto

Diesel, part of the OTB Group, has promoted Eraldo Poletto to global chief executive officer, replacing Massimo Piombini.
Poletto is currently chief executive officer of Diesel North America and will take up his new role on July 1.
Commenting on the promotion, Diesel said in a statement that Poletto, who has more than 30 years of experience in the luxury and retail industry, has “extensive know extensive knowledge of the company and has already been instrumental in developing Diesel's new market strategy”.
Before working at Diesel, Poletto served as chief executive and brand president at footwear brand Stuart Weitzman and chief executive at Salvatore Ferragamo and Furla, where he drove the global growth of the brands.
Replacing Poletto as head of North America will be Donald Kohler, a seasoned executive with “considerable knowledge of the international fashion industry”. Kohler has held key positions such as president of Burberry Americas, chief executive officer of Americas and chief retail officer at Ferragamo and president of Ann Taylor Group.

Diesel names Eraldo Poletto as global chief executive

Posted On May 31, 2022 CPP-LUXURY 0
Diesel has named Eraldo Poletto to be its new global CEO, in a major management shake-up at the Italian jeans brand. “Diesel, an OTB Group brand, today announces a top management reorganization. Eraldo Poletto will be appointed Global CEO of the brand,” the house said in a terse release. In a surprise move, Poletto replaces Massimo Piombini, who only joined Diesel in December 2019, after two and a half years as CEO of Balmain in Paris. “Massimo Piombini, upon fulfilling the task entrusted to him by Founder and Chairman Renzo Rosso and the Group’s Board of Directors to design the strategy and repositioning plan for Diesel, will hand over the helm to Eraldo Poletto, who will lead the company from 1 July 2022,” Diesel added. Diesel is the single largest brand within OTB, the Rosso-controlled group that also controls Martin Margiela , Marni and Viktor & Rolf, as well as owning the ready-to-wear license to DSquared2. Poletto currently holds the position of Diesel CEO for North America and thus has extensive knowledge of the company. The new CEO has 30 years of experience in the luxury and retail industry and has held senior positions throughout his career, including CEO and brand president at footwear brand Stuart Weitzman, owned by the Tapestry Group, and CEO at Salvatore Ferragamo and Furla, where he drove the global growth of the brands. In a related move, Donald Kohler has been appointed to succeed Poletto as Diesel CEO for North America. Seen as a seasoned manager, Kohler has held key positions such as president of Burberry Americas, chief executive officer Americas & chief retail officer at Ferragamo and president of Ann Taylor Group. “Diesel extends its sincere thanks to Massimo Piombini and wishes Eraldo Poletto and Donald Kohler the best of luck as they navigate these exciting times the company has been experiencing since creative director Glenn Martens joined Diesel,” the house added. Eraldo Poletto new CEO DIESEL
 
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Diesel names Eraldo Poletto as global CEO, in a major management shake-up

Just five months after being named Diesel ’s CEO for North America, Eraldo Poletto is going global. The OTB Group-owned brand announced Tuesday that it will elevate Poletto to Diesel global CEO beginning July 1. The former CEO and brand president of Stuart Weitzman and CEO of Salvatore Ferragamo and Furla has 30 years of experience in the luxury and retail industry. In statement, OTB Group said Poletto has “already been instrumental in developing Diesel’s new market strategy.”
Poletto will replace Massimo Piombini, who has served as Diesel CEO since December 2019. Eraldo Poletto
Courtesy
OTB lauded Piombini for “fulfilling the task entrusted to him by founder and chairman Renzo Rosso and the Group’s Board of Directors to design the strategy and repositioning plan for Diesel.”
Since Piombini’s arrival , Diesel gained Glenn Martens as creative director, introduced a buyback program in Europe, refreshed stores’ designs and stepped into the metaverse. With influential celebrities like Kyle Jenner and Julia Fox wearing the label’s runway collection earlier this year, Diesel landed on the Lyst Index of the hottest brands for the first time in Q1. Its “pantaboots,” which feature faded jeans that flow into heeled boots, earned the 10th place in the Lyst Index’s ranking of hottest women’s products. Donald Kohler, a seasoned executive who has held positions such as president of Burberry Americas, CEO Americas and chief retail officer at Ferragamo and president of Ann Taylor Group, has been appointed to succeed Poletto as Diesel CEO for North America. Read More About

Diesel Promotes Eraldo Poletto to Global CEO

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