In a touch of ’90s nostalgia, United Colors of Benetton is back

ONE of the most well-loved brands of the 1980s and ’90s is making a comeback in the Philippines, with United Colors of Benetton opening its “first” store at the Shangri-La Plaza’s East Wing earlier this month.

While the brand’s store has been open since Sept. 16, it had a grand launch party with a fashion show on Sept. 27. New branches are slated to open this year: one in SM Mall of Asia, and another in Okada. Eight more are planned to open in two years, according to Hench Tobias, General Manager of United Colors of Benetton in the Philippines.

Metaretail Ventures, Inc. brought the brand back to the Philippines. This company is under the Adrenaline Group, which has brought brands Porsche Design and Le Petit Bateau to the Philippines. It is also a sister company of the Washington Watch Group, which distributes Rolex in the Philippines (among other brands).

Hans Clifford Yao, Co-Founder of Metaretail Ventures, Inc., said in a speech, “I’ve had pretty good memories of the brand from my younger days,” he said. “Benetton as a brand has always been way ahead of its time. Many of the issues the brand tackled in its ad campaigns — we can talk about diversity, inclusivity, sustainability — they are of course very important for all the brands currently.”

Benetton was clothing for the preppy set of the ’80s and ’90s, but it came with a conscience. In its ads it featured multiracial families, AIDS activists, and other then-controversial topics. Founded in 1965, the brand is still controlled by the Benetton family (though it had been publicly listed; it reverted to family control in 2012 through its Edizione holding company).

The last time a Benetton store was open in the Philippines was in 2014 (following an announcement on Facebook in that year). After that, no more announcements concerning the brand were found. Meanwhile, the SSI Group’s blog says that United Colors of Benetton was the first luxury brand it brought to the Philippines, in 1998.

As for Benetton’s initial departure, Mr. Tobias said, “They wanted to concentrate on the European stores and the European market.” The brand pulled out not only in Asia, but also from their markets in North America and Australia, he said. According to a 2017 article from Reuters, the company “in 2013 embarked on a restructuring plan aimed at cutting down losses and retaking its place amongst forefront fashion brands.”

Now it is back with a vengeance. During the Shangri-La launch, it was announced that Benetton was also about to open in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Benetton’s return to the Philippines signals the continued popularity of ’90s nostalgia, in the manner of the cyclical nature of fashion. Mr. Tobias said, “’90s fashion is back, and people are looking for this brand, because this brand has a connection to a lot of Filipino people.” — JL Garcia