The name Oliviero Toscani, who died today in Cecina, Italy, is inextricably linked to that of the Benetton family. For the Venetian brand, which is currently in deep crisis and is being restructured under the leadership of managing director Claudio Sforza, Toscani created the historic campaigns that marked the global success of United Colors of Benetton.
Oliviero Toscani created the image of United Colors of Benetton from 1982 to 2000
From 1982 to 2000, Toscani shaped the image, identity, communications strategy and online presence of United Colors of Benetton, making the brand one of the best known in the world. In 1990 he conceived and directed Colorsthe brand’s first global magazine, and in 1993 he created and directed Fabrica, a research center for creativity in modern communications.
“Oliviero Toscani’s goal will be to tell the shared stories of Jews and Palestinians who live, communicate and work together every day, overcoming the barriers of hatred and differences of race and religion,” it said a press release from Benetton dated September 10, 1997. “The images will be taken from September 15th to 23rd in Israel, in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Hebron, and for used the United Colors of Benetton Spring/Summer 1998 catalog. Toscani will be accompanied by a team from the Rai news channel TG3, which will exclusively document this path to peace between Israel and Palestine throughout the photographer’s working hours,”
A few months later, the photographer realized another successful campaign that attracted the attention of the press and public worldwide. “A red ribbon, symbol of awareness and prevention against AIDS, attached to the underwear of young women and men: this is the image of Benetton’s new international communication campaign, realized in collaboration with LILA, the Italian League to Fight AIDS and will be launched on December 1st on the occasion of World AIDS Day. “These are three photographs by Oliviero Toscani, signed by Undercolors, Benetton’s underwear brand, which offer a witty and clear reflection on the need to avoid the risks of infection through prevention,” says a press release from Benetton dated November 27, 1997.
The campaign was published in some of the most important newspapers in Italy, France, Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, Portugal, Greece, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Serbia.
Photography, fashion and activism
About a year earlier, Benetton, in collaboration with the FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, had designed the official image of the World Food Summit: “A wooden spoon on a white background as a symbol of man’s relationship to food or hunger. The most basic tool to remember the oldest gesture: that of nourishment. This simple and direct image by Oliviero Toscani will appear on the pages of the main international newspapers and on posters in the main European capitals, as Benetton Group’s contribution to the communication of the next World Food Summit to be held in Rome from November 13th to 17th, 1996 .” In October 1996, the Benettons reported on this initiative.
AIDS, racism, international conflicts and violence against women are some of the topics that also appear in the magazine Colors the first global magazine founded and directed by Toscani in 1990, some of whose covers are featured in this FashionUnited article.
The break with the Benettons
The extremely successful creative and entrepreneurial alliance with the Benettons ended abruptly in 2020. On February 6, 2020, the Benetton Group announced the end of the collaboration with photographer Oliviero Toscani in a statement.
“Benetton and its President Luciano Benetton strongly distance themselves from Oliviero Toscani’s statements about the collapse of the Morandi Bridge and are forced to end their collaboration with the creative director. Luciano Benetton and the entire company renew their sincere condolences for the families of the victims and all those affected by this terrible tragedy,” the statement said.
Toscani’s apology to the families of the victims of the Morandi Bridge collapse in August 2018 was not enough to put to rest the controversy surrounding his unfortunate remark. During a live interview on “Un giorno da Pecora”, Toscani had said: “Who cares if a bridge collapses?”
The Benetton Group, then the largest shareholder in Atlantia, the holding company that controls Autostrade per l’Italia (returned to public ownership in May 2021 and part of the holding Reti Autostradali spa), then decided to end its collaboration with the photographer.
“I apologize. What’s more, I’m ashamed to even apologize. “I am personally devastated and deeply saddened,” Toscani said in an interview with La Republica. “I said those unfortunate words, but my sentence was taken out of context.”
This article previously appeared on Fashionunited.it and was created using digital tools translated.
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