Benetton

Benetton is Europe's largest clothing manufacturer and the world's largest consumer of wool in the garment sector. It represents an Italian success story which begins in 1965 with a teenage Luciano Benetton deliveringhis sister Giuliana's handknit sweaters on his bicycle.. Soon he quit his job in a fabric store to start a business with her. They were later joined by their two younger brothers Gilberto and Carlo. In 1969 the Benettons opened their first store in Belluno and the year after in Paris. Today Luciano is the chairman and creative mind of the Benetton Group, Giuliana has total control of the design staff and the twice yearly collections, Gilberto is in charge of the company accounts and Carlo of production.

At the start, the Benetton business was confined to sweaters in classic colors. But Luciano decided to change things: he attracted the attention of the younger generation creating sweaters in bright, fun colors. His slogan became United Colors of Benetton. He also treated the wool to make it softer. And by making the garments and then dying them in bright colors according to demand and thereby providing faster delivery of desired product, Benetton took long strides ahead of the competition.

So if the demand is blue, Benetton dyes the majority of its colorless garments in that color to satisfy the desires of the public at a very short notice. Luciano Benetton's ability to identify such a market and fill it led to the company's incredible growth. Its stores sprung up like mushrooms all over the world. Today there are nine factories in different parts of the globe and over seven thousand sales outlets, present in one hundred countries including Eastern bloc ones. Benetton has been referred to as the McDonalds of the fashion industry. And the Benetton legend has become a textbook phenomena studied in business schools such as Harvard and Stanford.

Casual wear for men, women and children increased and the company diversified from its original woolen garments to cotton and denim. Then, during the 80s Benetton sunglasses, watches, bags, shoes, glove, hats, jewelry and even car parts appeared. Production of Benetton cosmetics also started and included a women's frangrance known as Colors of Benetton.

Organization, efficiency, clear image and effective advertising are all ingredients that led the Benetton name to fame. But not to be forgotten are some of the business' many faithful collaborators who have contributed to its success: the architects Tobia and Afra Scarpa, who designed the bright green prototype store, and Oliviero Toscani, mastermind of Benetton's powerful advertising campaigns and image guru.