Fuel to the Fire

Diesel's new flagship ups the denim ante in L.A.

May 11, 2007—L.A. needs another denim outlet like it needs another underemployed actor—yet Diesel's new Melrose Place flagship still promises to stand out. Housed in a refurbished fin de siècle–era building, the 3,500-square-foot space was chosen to "express Diesel's design aesthetic more freely," says founder Renzo Rosso. Translation: exposed wood beams, austere cement floors, moody lighting, and towering Gothic front doors (recovered from a castle)—not to mention a denim wall that's embellished with hardware from the cockpit of an F-16.

Interior design isn't the only way Rosso & co. hope to distinguish themselves from Fred Segal, American Rag, and other local competition. On offer will be a prefall collection, tantissimo exclusives, and the brand's ultra-high-end Diesel Denim Gallery collection, which starts at $235 for a T-shirt and tops out at $3,945 for a shearling coat. And, while the area is already a celeb magnet, the store's May 30 opening party promises to increase the star wattage. "It's going to be like a block party barbecue that all the bad kids crash," promises the company. Sounds like an invitation to us.

Diesel, 8401 Melrose Place, Los Angeles, (877) 433-4373; www.diesel.com