What’s the best way to say goodbye to a beloved job you’ve worked so hard at for the last half-decade? With a massive orgy of course! Last week, Diesel announced that its creative director Glenn Martens would be leaving the brand after its SS27 show, “marking the conclusion of a transformative chapter in the brand’s history.” Along with great clothes and a brazen attitude, Martens’ tenure has been defined by the symbols of sex positivity, from the 200,000 boxes of Durex condoms at his AW23 show, to butt plug catwalk invites, to giant inflatable figures riding each other on the runway. That sexy ethos was crystalised at Martens’ final collection for the brand, as models planted in the audience descended into debauchery throughout the show…

But first: the clothes. Martens began his final collection with more expert inventions in denim and leather. A leather vest, topstitched with white contrast thread, was layered over a ribbed knit jumper, with jagged edges around its cuffs and neckline. Leather was buttery and cream or brown and distressed, while some denim-effect trousers were actually leather, lasered to make them look like jeans. The ribbed jumpers with jagged necklines continued to appear throughout the collection, while trompe-l’œil shearling appeared on jackets and coats. “The collection is the essence of Diesel: disruptive, sexy, fluid, fun,” said Martens in show notes. “We are all in this together. Let’s take a ride one more time.”

Talking of taking a ride, while the models were strutting down the runway, things started to get a little frisky in the audience. Much to guests’ surprise, Diesel models dotted throughout the tiered seating started making out with each other – in pairs, threes, and sometimes even more – in one final, sexed-up celebration of Martens’ tenure. Described by the label as a “series of performative interventions” by the French choreography collective (LA)HORDE, the Diesel-clad dancers kissed and canoodled as loud moans blared out from the speakers. What a way to bow out. God bless you, Glenn.

Scroll through the gallery above for backstage images from the show