Diesel: An Unconventional, Innovative, International-Lifestyle, Italian Company

Diesel represents a successful case of an Italian company in the fashion industry. This international lifestyle company succeeded in the creation and development of the denim fabric in a mature market, where the competition led by American multinationals is strong. Innovation, creativity and nonconformist choices are the fundamental roots of the company. Founded in the 1970s, Diesel immediately approached the international markets. The engine of the company’s success is its founder, Renzo Rosso. Rosso managed to merge the philosophy of Diesel with the challenges of the market. Thanks to Rosso’s marketing strategy, the company reaches young consumers across the globe. The marketing mix is based on an intense knowledge of the business and on Rosso’s personal intuition. These characteristics made Rosso a pioneer of many trends that came to be established in the market. This case analysis enables the study of the company’s internationalization process, the development of a brand identity, as well as the structural, cultural and human resource variables that favor innovation. The case study also presents how the company succeeded in repositioning a mature product. This repositioning permitted Diesel to experience continued growth in the national and international markets.