To celebrate the launch of Diesel's D by Diesel fragrance, we asked Ella Snyder, Salem Mitchell and more to highlight how they’re evolving their creative spaces by embracing their own fluidity
Diesel Watches & AccessoriesBy now, we all know that fashion’s attitude towards gender and sexuality has shifted away from traditional, clean-cut binaries. Instead, the industry today is embracing beauty in all forms in an effort to champion and be more inclusive of the communities which have shaped culture and continue to evolve the world around us.
Diesel and its creative director Glenn Martens share this ethos. And for the Italian fashion brand’s newly launched, and first ever gender fluid, fragrance: D by Diesel, the pair joined forces with Dazed for a launch campaign driven by changemaking, multi-hyphenate creatives from around the world. Starring Crystal Murray, Omizs, Salem Mitchell, Deaken Bluman, Adam Rhazali, Ella Snyder, Nathan Hopkinson, and Wiz the MC, the hero film paints a moving portrait of a generation that’s defying the definitions of the industries that they are in from an intimate, first-hand POV.
Created in collaboration with similar young changemakers and produced in partnership with L'Oréal, the D by Diesel eau de toilette features recycled packaging; a refillable bottle; and sustainably sourced Bourbon vanilla from Madagascar and Diva lavender heart from Provence to create an addictive, fresh and dynamic experience with a responsible, eco-conscious impact. Shifting in notes and adapting to skin throughout the day, it’s a fragrance that befits flexibility and change.
“I think what keeps my creativity fluid is my constant need to find new forms of self-expression,” says model and trans activist Ella Snyder, who opens up the video by modelling the D by Diesel bottle from her Los Angeles home. Meanwhile, French R&B singer Crystal Murray logs on from the recording studio, expressing how her generation refuses to fit into the boxes they’ve been placed into. Back in 2016, the musician came on the scene via Gucci Gang – a Paris-based fashion collective rejecting typical French fashion with online and IRL creativity. Feeling restricted by the music industry, Crystal started her own label Spin Desire – allowing her to do things her way.
Actor and model Deaken Bluman – who brought some of the issues that queer people face to the forefront in his role as queer character Winston in 13 Reasons Why – shares how he stays in touch with his fluidity. “(It’s) about having fun,” he tells us, as shots of him climbing a tree, hiking by a waterfall, and spritzing the fragrance in nature fill the screen. “You can’t have fun without creating.”
Model, TikTok creator, and activist Salem Mitchell – who first went viral for speaking out for beauty positivity after being bullied for her freckles – agrees. “I think of activities that take me away from my work and social media, so that I feel the best as a person,” she says.
Throughout the film, the creatives also share how their unique qualities shape their creativity. “I show (it) through the incorporation of my condition into my style,” says model Adam Rhazali – who has alopecia – while dying his hair on-screen. “It helps me to stand out from the crowds.” Model and content creator Nathan Hopkinson is pictured throughout the video showing off his own creative, gender fluid style, wearing a denim-printed jumper and long floral skirt, layered over jeans.
On the other hand, musician Omizs notes that fluidity is all about “love” and “bringing people together”. “Fuck the boundaries,” he says. Speaking to the way that this concept has shaped the world, South African-born and German raised rapper Wiz the MC, adds: “The greatest artists have always been fluid and have been pushing the envelope.”
D by Diesel is available here.