Diesel Blows Up Attention On Runway With ‘World’s Largest’ Inflatable Sculpture
By Nicole Rodrigues, 28 Sep 2022
The world’s largest inflatable statue was the centerpiece for Diesel’s latest Spring/Summer 2023 runway show in Milan this past week.
Standing at almost 46 feet tall, 124 feet wide, and 164 feet long, this record-breaking statue reportedly trumps the current Guinness World Record set by Shaoju-Ju Chang in 2009.
The silver sculpture, placed upon a Diesel-branded stage, took the form of four people whose limbs were so intertwined you wouldn’t be able to tell where one ended and the other began.
Studio Dennis Vanderbroeck was brought onto the project, and the team also worked with inflatable manufacturer Bigger Than Life. The enormous piece was designed through 3D modeling to bring life and fluidity to the motion of the four bodies.
The overwhelming presence of the inflatable was only further enhanced as the arms and limbs reached into the audience.
In an interview with Dezeen, Vanderbroeck mentioned that to find inspiration for the studio, he looked to extreme sports, contortionists, dancing, and ancient sculptures.
Almost 5,000 people attended Diesel’s show, 3,000 of whom were members of the public who were allowed free entrance on a first come, first served basis. According to Vogue, the decision to open the show to the public was in accordance with Diesel’s creative director Glenn Martens’ vision of selling the brand as a “democratic luxury.”