Luciano Benetton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carlo Benetton (brother)
Gilberto Benetton (brother)
Luciano Benetton | |
|---|---|
 Benetton in 2015 | |
| Member of the Senate | |
| In office 23 April 1992 – 14 April 1994 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 May 1935 Treviso, Italy |
| Party | Italian Republican Party |
| Children | 4, including Alessandro |
| Relatives | Giuliana Benetton (sister) Carlo Benetton (brother) Gilberto Benetton (brother) |
| Occupation | Co-founder of Benetton Group |
Luciano Benetton (born 13 May 1935) is an Italian billionaire businessman and one of the co-founders of Benetton Group, an Italian fashion brand. He served as the chairman of Benetton from 1978 to 2012.[1]
Luciano Benetton was born on 13 May 1935 in Treviso.[2] His father had a small business and following his death,[3] Benetton dropped out of school at the age of 14 to work in a clothing shop.[2] He saved money to buy a $200 knitting machine and teamed up with his sister to produce a collection of twenty pieces of yellow, green and pale blue sweaters.[3]
Career
In 1965, together with his siblings Giuliana, Carlo and Gilberto, he founded Benetton Group.[2][4] The starting point of the business was the production of brightly coloured knitted sweaters, made by Juliana Benetton on a home knitting machine.[5]
In 1992, he was elected to the Italian Senate.[6]
In 2003, he announced that his family is stepping down from running the company, due to decreasing sales and increased competition.[7]
In 2006, he founded the Imago Mundi Collection, a collection of contemporary art in 10 by 12 cm format from around the world.[8]
In May 2015, Forbes estimated the net worth of Luciano Benetton and each of his three siblings at US$2.9 billion.[9]
