Andreas Melbostad's Diesel Black Gold Fall/Winter 2018-19 collection was unveiled on January 13th, the first day of Milan Fashion Week Men's. The theme of this season is clear: "A journey around the world. A great voyage in search of discovery. Meeting new tribes." The show's background music was "Princess Mononoke," highlighting designer Andreas Melbostad's global mix of styles.

Since the previous show, the full women's collection has been unveiled at the same time, and this time the first look began with the women's collection.

Smock dresses reminiscent of the folk costumes of Eastern Europe and South America were decorated with tribal motifs in embroidery and brocade, while white peasant dresses and knee-length Wallabee boots were paired with a rock-inspired style, mixing ethnic and hippie-rock styles. The models had braided hair and face painting, creating an opening full of nature.

The men's models wore long kaftan-style shirts, black mouton blousons, and denim shoes with fringed moccasin boots. The Asian models had samurai-style shaved topknots, Fair Isle-motif knit parkas, leather blousons, and 1960s-style knitted leather pants. The leather jackets were also adorned with multi-studs of Indian stones in a tribal pattern.

The runway alternated between men's and women's, but there were also many looks for women. Tunic-length suede, denim, and leather tops were mixed with Afghan motif patterns and paired with flared, slit pants embroidered with Arab motifs, creating looks that evoked a globetrotting journey.

While many collections have a travel theme, the show was livened up by a presentation that clearly expressed DBG's contemporary wardrobe, based on its signature denim and leather, in women's items under the keyword "New Tribe."

Items that are easy to understand in the social media age were introduced one after another, including rider jackets and sports jackets with a multicolored Navajo carpet pattern, an Eskimo jacket with a military-style nylon quilting and mouton, leather shirts and skinny pants decorated with Native American stone studs, and a jacket lined with Navajo blankets.

This unplugged collection is filled with items and motifs that pair perfectly with denim, including a diagonal Ikat pullover, a Peruvian Baja hoodie with a square motif, and a Vietnamese Hmong cross-stitch skirt.

Text: Tatsuya Noda