TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Carlo Benetton, co-creator of 'United Colours' brand dies

News Desk (Agence France-Presse)
Milan, Italy
Wed, July 11, 2018

Share This Article

Change Size

Carlo Benetton, co-creator of 'United Colours' brand dies A picture shows the logo of the Italian global fashion brand 'Benetton' in the center of Milan, on July 10, 2018. One of the siblings behind the famed 'United Colors of Benetton' brand has died aged 74, the company said on July 10. (AFP/Miguel Medina)

C

arlo Benetton, the youngest of the siblings behind the famed 'United Colors of Benetton' brand has died aged 74, the company said Tuesday. 

Benetton, a father of four, died in his home in the northern Italian city of Treviso. 

With his brothers Luciano and Gilberto and his sister Giuliana, Carlo Benetton founded  'United Colors of Benetton' in 1965 in Ponzano Veneto, a village in Italy's northeast. 

Their signature soft wool jumpers made in a variety of colours quickly seduced the masses.

Read also: Benetton condemned for using rescued migrants in adverts

The company went from strength to strength especially between 1982 and 2000 -- its fame fuelled by daring ad campaigns by Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani such as a 1989 poster which featured a black woman breastfeeding a white baby. 

But for over a decade the brand has been hit by dwindling sales.

In 2017, following heavy losses, the 83-year-old Luciano Benetton announced he was coming out of retirement to retake the reins of the company.

In an interview in November 2017 with Italian daily La Repubblica, Luciano Benetton said that witnessing the downfall of the United Colors of Benetton was "an intolerable pain". 

He cited straying too far from the company’s signature look as one of the reasons for the company's woes and vowed to relaunch the brand to its former glory.

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.