NEW YORK, Sep 24, 2002/ FWD/ --- Diesel isn't shy about its commercial intentions.

The show notes for the DieselStyleLab show offered highlights of the collection within a mock annual report and, before the models appeared, eight executive types filed in to take their seats at a long boardroom table on the runway, presumably to pass judgment on the clothes' retail viability.

The octet, dressed in conservative dark suits, also served as a perfect foil to a collection filled with pieces that could be described as funky, to say the least.

Diesel created DieselStyleLab, its most fashion-forward sportswear line, in 1998 as a forum for experimentation within its design team.

For spring, long hours in this street-chic lab produced men's and women's pieces that ranged from tanks and tees printed with India-inspired graphics to plaid silk tunics.

And of course, as you'd expect from part of a $500 million jeans business, there was lots of denim.

Standouts included women's two-toned jeans, cinched a bit with elastic at the back of the ankle, and a very tailored (at least for these deconstructed looks) dark denim three-button jacket.

Every model was layered to the extreme, particularly the men, wearing jackets over hooded sweatshirts over sleeveless vests over tees.

Women sported tanks over tunics, or long-sleeved shirts under tees.

Matchy-matchy is certainly not in the DieselStyle Lab spirit, and many ensembles featured neutral browns or off-whites as well as several bright primary colors.

At the close of the show, DieselStyleLab's first in New York, the judges/board members rose to their feet, whispered amongst themselves and then broke into a rendition of West Side Story's "America."

We think that means they liked it - or at least concur with the annual report, which concludes that the collection is "as wise an investment as offshore banking."

We'd have to agree: The young and hip will surely shell out for StyleLab’s latest.

DieselStyleLab

DieselStyleLab