Coming out of retirement at the age of 82, the founder of the Benetton Group, Luciano Benetton is planning to salvage his clothing company by bringing back the bright colours and imaginative yet controversial advertising campaign.
Founded in 1965 with his three younger siblings, United Colors of Benetton became successful due to its brightly coloured jumpers and rather unique marketing campaign.
Some of the photographs from the advertising campaigns include an AIDS sufferer on his deathbed, world leaders kissing each other on the mouth, as well as a black woman suckling a white baby. His advertising campaigns have garnered many complaints to the British Advertising Authority.
Blooming in success, the company was making a profit of €155 million when Benetton decided to step down in 2008. However, the tables have turned and the company loss €81 million last year.
Luciano Benetton said, “It's an intolerable pain for me. That's why I am stepping in again, together with my sister Giuliana, who has returned to making sweaters at the age of 80. While others were imitating is, United Colors was was switching off its colours. We have defeated ourselves. The shops, which were pools of light, became dark and dreary like those communist in Poland.”
