DO YOU REMEMBER?

From the moment that Benetton clothing hit the stores in the mid-60s, the brand has always been recognized for their affinity for bold colorful designs that epitomized the look of European fashion. But they will probably be better remembered for the steady stream of controversial ads that propelled them from a small clothing manufacturer into an internationally recognized brand. Promoting an image of social consciousness and cultural diversity that often disturbed and shocked the buying public, they shrewdly used controversy to promote their colorful clothing all around the world, selling an enormous amount of attire in the process.

The Benetton family, led by fashion designer Luciano Benetton and his three siblings, first introduced their fashion designs from their small shop in Treviso, Italy in 1968. Within a decade, they had expanded to five stores but if they ever wanted international recognition and acclaim for their product, they needed a bold image to match their bold designs. A photographer named Oliviero Toscani would help them achieve that image beyond their wildest dreams in the early 80s, thanks to a series of shocking and often disturbing advertisements that would grow their modest collection of five outlets into a chain of 800 stores over the next decade.

These advertisements started out innocently enough. The United Colors of Benetton campaign featured plenty of adults and children with smiling faces adorned in a stunning array of color. The company’s popularity began to rise and eventually they expanded their line to include everything from sports gear to mineral water, housewares, and even condoms. As time went on, however, their ads became more and more shocking, focusing on cultural diversity and social awareness of such controversial topics as AIDS awareness and the death penalty None of this had a whole lot to do with clothing, but it sure got everyone talking…and buying.

By 2000, the Benetton Corporation was selling upwards of 160 million garments from their 5,500 stores located worldwide. The controversy eventually died down, but not before giving them an internationally recognized product image that continues to this day.