COMPANY

55 DSL is a subsidiary company of Diesel, and it has focused its market to young adults who are closely tied to what’s new in pop culture (ie. me). 55 DSL has been around since 1994 and identifies itself as an “experimental spin-off” from Diesel that “both complements and defies its parent.” Taking one look at 55 DSL’s website is a good way of quicly getting aquainted with the attitude that the company exudes.

Bright colors and flashing images pop out at you just as the clothes do. Pushing their college-esque risque appeal is an ad for 55 DSL’s summer internship program called Junior Lucky Bastard. The image is simply a naked guy who looks to be in his late-30′s standing over a 20-something naked girl both smiling. Further down the page is a banner for 55 DSL’s t-shirt celebrating the 30th anniversary of Space Invaders. It’s obvious that the company knows who it’s targeting, and they don’t pretend to be anything other than a place for hipster culture & clothes.

SPRING/SUMMER ’08 COLLECTION

Getting back to the clothes, 55 DSL’s Spring/Summer ’08 collection takes fairly conventional pieces and put a bit of a flare onto them. On the guy’s side (the side that I paid the most attention to), you have your typical subdued shorts, pants, and shirts that aren’t too unique but would look good on anyone. Apart from these normal pieces, there’s some stuff thrown in that doesn’t really fit with the rest, but I find to be the most interesting. These pieces are what make the collection stick out, and in my opinion, fit best with the 55 DSL attitude.

On the girls side, I found the collection to be more forward-looking, but not to the point of being runway clothes (you know that stuff that comes down and looks like a costume). These pieces are much more identifiable at 55 DSL than the majority of the male collection.

In addition to the male/female collections, the Spring/Summer lineup also includes a good number of “eyewear” and “props” (sunglasses/hats/backpacks/belts).

In summary, the Spring/Summer ’08 collection from 55 DSL has its strong points, but I feel that the company’s image lacks a cohesiveness with its clothes. Maybe it was the informal (bordering immature) tone of the website or the scattered thoughts of the guy’s collection, it just didn’t all come together for me.