Diesel's New Madison Avenue Store Catches Up to the Brand's Current Look

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Bigger isn't always better when it comes to store size, and nowhere is that better illustrated right now in New York City than in the new Diesel flagship store on Madison Avenue, which celebrated its grand opening over the weekend with a star-studded New York Fashion Week party (Naomi Campbell, Joe Jonas, Travis Scott, Virgil Abloh...you get the idea) after it quietly opened to holiday shoppers on Black Friday.

"Big was beautiful until a few years ago," CEO Alessandro Bogliolo told WWD when the store was initially confirmed to move here from Fifth Avenue last spring, downsizing from more than 20,000 square feet to just under 3,000 square feet. "Consumers have changed a lot, now they are looking for a strong experience, but more elevated and personalized."

That elevated and personalized experience comes courtesy of Japanese-based firm Wonderwall, who worked in tandem with artistic director Nicola Formichetti to create the brand's new retail look. Customers who loved the punk-vibe exterior on Fifth Avenue should be equally pleased with the interlocking silver triangles providing texture to the corner of 59th Street (it emulates the "V" stitching on the back of its jeans). But all that sleek metal isn't what you'll see when you first walk inside.

The store was designed to evoke an apartment, with the "foyer" entryway housing the Diesel Black Gold collection. Opening the drawers of the antique dressers pictured here unveils more merchandise, but you might be more distracted looking at the ceiling than at the clothes in this area (we won't spoil the surprise — just go see it for yourself).

Further back, you'll find the main Diesel collection and accessories surrounded by and adorning more antique furniture, with Persian rugs laid over concrete floors underneath. The separate section just for denim is where you'll see the metal exterior translated inside — this is supposed to be the "wine cellar" — that precedes the dressing rooms, each individually designed.

Piped neon lighting and digital screens can be found everywhere, the latter of which are displaying customized digital artwork from the art collective known as Field.

This isn't the only new Diesel space in the city: The brand opened in C. Wonder's old space at Columbus Circle at the same time. And as for Fifth Avenue, the major gap it left there will soon be filled by Coach.