OTB Group is celebrating its presence in Venice with the opening of the stores of all its brands – Diesel, Jil Sander, Maison Margiela, and Marni – in the iconic Piazza San Marco, on the occasion of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition ‘Biennale Architettura 2025’.
OTB Group opens Diesel, Jil Sander, Maison Margiela and Marni in Venice
“Venice is my adopted city, an extraordinary place with special people where I love to spend my time, and to contribute to its beauty I decided to fund the restoration of the Rialto Bridge. The opening of our boutiques in Piazza San Marco is another concrete gesture of care toward this one-of-a-kind city, because I believe that companies own the responsibility to promote the well-being of the territories in which they operate,” said Renzo Rosso, Chairman and Founder of the OTB Group. “We wanted to enhance the Napoleonic Wing of Piazza San Marco by bringing more elevated contents through our boutiques, to make this place even more iconic”.
The stores, located in the Napoleonic Wing of Piazza San Marco, have been restored in respect of their historical and architectural features, breathing new life into Venice’s most symbolic places. The boutiques were conceived to reflect the unique identity of each brand, with a design that merges modern aesthetics and historic context.
OTB’s relationship with Venice is long-standing; in 2014, the Group funded the restoration of the Rialto Bridge, one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. OTB oversaw the project, working closely with the experts of the Municipality of Venice and local artisans to achieve the best result. Thanks to a successful public-private collaboration and budget management, the work was complete ahead of schedule, allowing for additional conservative restoration of the paving beneath the Rialto arcades.
OTB GROUP
OTB is an International fashion group comprising the iconic, unconventional luxury brands Diesel, Jil Sander, Maison Margiela, Marni and Viktor&Rolf. It also controls the Staff International and Brave Kid companies and holds a stake in American brand, Amiri. OTB – short for “Only The Brave” – believes in the possibility of pushing beyond the frontiers of fashion to support the creativity of international talents and express the innovative spirit and courage of its founder and chairman, Renzo Rosso. With more than 7,000 employees worldwide, the Group is founded on a digital approach centred on the consumer, a concrete long-term commitment to the creation of a sustainable, technologically driven business, and close attention to social issues through OTB Foundation.
OTB Group is committed to reducing its environmental impact by integrating responsible production methods, ethical sourcing, and circular economy. A key initiative is its investment in alternative materials, such as organic cotton and recycled denim, which significantly lower water consumption and carbon emissions. Additionally, OTB prioritises transparency in its supply chain, ensuring fair labour practices and ethical working conditions in its factories.
Beyond environmental responsibility, OTB Group actively engages in social sustainability through community -focused initiatives. The company’s “Brave Actions for a Better World” program supports global projects that promote education, gender equality, and disaster relief. For instance, Diesel’s “Upcycling for” project breathes new life into discarded garments, collaborating with emerging fashion designers to create unique, sustainable collections. Similarly, Maison Margiela embraces “Artisanal” craftsmanship, reinforcing the luxury brand’s dedication to slow fashion by repurposing existing materials into high-end couture.
The group is a key player in initiatives such as the “Fashion Pact”, a global coalition committed to reducing fashion’s environmental footprint. By embracing technological innovation, OTB also explores digital fashion and blockchain-based traceability systems to enhance sustainability and accountability. Through these efforts, OTB Group demonstrates that luxury and sustainability can coexist, setting a precedent for responsible fashion in the modern era.
Jasmeen Dugal is Associate Editor at FashionABC, contributing her insights on fashion, technology, and sustainability. She brings with herself more than two decades of editorial experience, working for national newspapers and luxury magazines in India.
Jasmeen Dugal has worked with exchange4media as a senior writer contributing articles on the country’s advertising and marketing movements, and then with Condenast India as Net Editor where she helmed Vogue India’s official website in terms of design, layout and daily content. Besides this, she is also an entrepreneur running her own luxury portal, Explosivefashion, which highlights the latest in luxury fashion and hospitality.
