Luis Fernando Romo

Updated Monday, February 26, 2024-21:26

  • Leaders The return of Luciano Benetton, the man who filled fashion with colors: "I am not eternal"

Orphaned by his father at the age of 9,

Luciano Benetton

(88) had to pitch in to help at home, since his mother had to raise several children alone.

One of his jobs was as a

tailor's assistant

in a small shop in Treviso.

In a short time, the destiny of that young man and that of his family would change forever when his

sister Giuliana (87) knit him a

yellow wool sweater that dazzled the people who worked with his brother.

Luciano glimpsed his great

opportunity

.

He proposed to his sister that she knit

more brightly colored pieces

that he would be in charge of selling.

That initiative was very well accepted by the population that until then was besieged by

a monochromatic gray life

after the end of World War II.

Little by little they increased their

assets,

which allowed their little brothers, Gilberto (administration) and Carlo (production), to end up working alongside Luciano and Giuliana.

To know more

Death.

Furstenberg's Wrath, the life on the edge of the princess who did whatever she wanted

  • Editor: MARÍA EUGENIA YAGÜE

Furstenberg's Wrath, the life on the edge of the princess who did whatever she wanted

Italy.

Marella Caracciolo: billions of euros, tax havens, fake signatures and a major dispute over an inheritance

  • Editor: LUIS FERNANDO ROMO

Marella Caracciolo: billions of euros, tax havens, fake signatures and a major dispute over an inheritance

It no longer mattered that Luciano had had to

leave school at the age of 14

and, therefore, break his dream of

devoting himself to medicine.

He had found his way in the world of fashion along with the invaluable help of his sister, who

knitted non-stop from dawn to dusk.

With money obtained from small savings and the sale of a bicycle and a harmonica,

they opened their first store

called My Market in 1964, 60 years ago, in Belluno, about 80 km north of Venice.

The following year they founded the

Maglierie Benetton

company , which was the

seed

of the Benetton brand.

With

its own factory

on the outskirts of Treviso, everything was a matter of course.

Little by little they

opened stores in Italy

until in 1969 they dared to do so abroad, specifically, in Paris.

That same year

they acquired Villa Minelli

in Ponzano Veneto (Treviso), made up of a group of 18th century buildings.

In

these 55 years

since they crossed the Italian borders and inaugurated what is still the company's headquarters today, the Benettons became one of the

capitalist symbols of the moment

along with the

Agnellis

.

The businessman, in the 90s.GTRES

The great secret of the empire was color.

They created a range of

36 chromatic variations

that dazzled the world.

In 1980 they opened in New York, then Tokyo, London, Rome, Barcelona, ​​Moscow... and even

Havana would come.

Merkel and Sarkozy kissing, one of the brand's controversial advertising campaigns.GTRES

In 1982 the company would make history by

hiring photographer Oliviero Toscani

to be in charge of advertising campaigns

whose controversies

did not leave rulers, international media and clients indifferent.

The first was called

All the Colors of the World

, which showed a group of young people of different ethnicities.

The big news would not be long in coming when they took advantage of

taboo and controversial topics

to attract attention.

In the collective imagination there still remains an AIDS patient, clothes dyed with the blood of a soldier killed in the Balkan war, an American girl and a Russian boy hugging, a Palestinian and an Arab holding a world map, world leaders of the same sex kissing...

In addition to fashion, they invested their profits in

transportation, catering

and in having

their own F1 team

in which Rocco (54), one of Luciano's sons who is mainly dedicated to

investment funds, competed.

His brother Alessandro (59) is the current president of Edizione (Atlantia, Generali, Cellnex), the parent company that last year had a

market price of almost 2.5 billion

euros and which employs

almost 8,000 people.

Of the founding quartet only Giuliana and Luciano live.

The latter has a golden life with a

fortune of

$3.3 billion according to

Forbes

.