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An Entrepreneur’s Fashion Renaissance

Viktor & Rolf haute couture, inspired by the paintings of Vincent van Gogh.
Viktor & Rolf haute couture, inspired by the paintings of Vincent van Gogh. Photo: Philip Riches

Fashion entrepreneur Renzo Rosso was born in an Italian village that had just one car and one television. He is now the billionaire president of the OTB group — the parent company of Maison MargielaMarniDiesel (which he co-founded), and others — as well as owner of the company where he got his first job, located 100 kilometers from the farm where he grew up.

The book Radical Renaissance: OTB 60 (Legends), released earlier this month from Assouline and assembled in honor of Rosso’s 60th birthday, illuminates Rosso’s swift rise and breadth of work with a collection of photographs from fashion campaigns, magazine features, and runway shows, and biographical text by Dan Thawley. Focusing on Rosso’s rebellious streak, the book traces his career from unorthodox pioneering of the Diesel brand to uniting the disparate, conflicting styles of his group’s many brands.

Click ahead to see pockets of Rosso’s fashion world: a bold bridal look from Maison Margiela, edgy leather in a Diesel campaign, and Rosso’s own tattoo, which inspired the bottle design for Diesel’s Only the Brave fragrance.

Diesel Black Gold F/W 2013 ad campaign.

Viktor & Rolf haute couture S/S 2015 collection, inspired by the paintings of Vincent van Gogh. 

Bijoux from Marni’s F/W 2015 collection.

The finale bridal look from Maison Margiela’s Artisanal F/W 2015 collection, designed by John Galliano.

The design process behind the pieces in Maison Margiela’s Artisanal F/W 2015 collection, designed by John Galliano.

Rosso’s tattoo inspired the design for the fist-shaped bottle of Diesel’s Only the Brave fragrance, launched in 2009.

Labels from the major brands handled by Rosso’s group.

Rosso, photographed in 2014 by Martin Schoeller.

Photo: Courtesy of Assouline Publishing

A 3-D image of the book’s cover.