In 1978, Renzo Rosso put his love for fashion into practice and started working for a clothing manufacturer called Moltex, which was owned by Adriano Goldschmied. Goldschmied is known as the Godfather of denim, being behind AG Jeans, Citizens of Humanity and Goldsign. After working for Adriano for a while, Renzo used a loan from his father to buy a 40% holding in the company, which he then changed the name to Diesel.

What Rosso really pioneered with Diesel was distressed denim and clever marketing. He envisaged a brand that would stand for passion, individuality and self-expression. Today, it is available in more than 80 countries with 5,000 points of sale, including more than 400 company owned stores.