1984

The beginning of the collaboration between Toscani and Benetton.
Oliviero photographs groups of children and young people from different ethnic backgrounds,
dressed in Benetton clothing, against a white background. Our brand’s colorful sweaters become a metaphor
for a utopian society, where individual differences are celebrated and tolerance is widespread.
Some of these early campaigns feature the slogan “Tutti i colori del mondo,”
Italian for “all the colors of the world,” which would later evolve into the brand’s name: United Colors of Benetton.

1985

Toscani took the idea of a united world to the next level in this campaign,
which depicts pairs of children holding flags from different, often opposing nations,
such as Israel and Palestine, Greece and Turkey, Argentina and the UK.
This image in particular is part of a series focusing on the conflict between the USA and the USSR,
which suggested and, in a way, predicted the end of the Cold War.
When Mikhail Gorbachev visited Paris on a diplomatic trip in 1985,
Toscani decided to cover the Champs-Élysées with images of two children—
one holding a USSR flag and the other holding a USA flag—kissing each other.
Legend has it that the Soviet president was struck by the billboards and
asked his collaborators, "Who is Benetton?"

1990

Two toddlers sitting on two potties, looking at each other.
An apparently innocent image, yet one that was interpreted and criticized in countless ways,
like many of Toscani’s campaigns for our brand. The Archbishop and the Municipality of Milan
stopped Benetton from displaying the advertisement on a massive billboard
(770 square meters) in Piazza del Duomo, citing the need to protect the sensibilities of churchgoers.
During Toscani’s years, our campaigns were rejected by several magazines and censored
for various reasons in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Norway, the Netherlands,
the Vatican, Japan, the United States, Germany, France, and the UK.

1992

This year marked a decisive shift in our advertising strategy.
Instead of taking the pictures himself, Toscani selected seven photographs taken
by journalists to document some of the most pressing social issues of the time,
simply adding the United Colors of Benetton logo to them. Shot in black and white by photographer
Therese Frare and later colorized, this particular image shows David Kirby, a US HIV/AIDS activist and patient,
surrounded by his family on his deathbed. Displayed in newspapers and on billboards around the world,
the advertisement sparked a global controversy: many criticized us and called for a boycott,
while others saw it as a way to raise awareness about the AIDS epidemic and encourage action
from political elites. When later asked about his perspective, Kirby’s father said:
"Benetton didn’t use us, or exploit us. We used them. Because of them,
[David’s] photo was seen all over the world, and that’s exactly what David wanted."

2000

The "We, on Death Row" campaign aimed to raise awareness about the death penalty.
Toscani visited several U.S. prisons and photographed some men who had been sentenced to death.
The images were published on billboards, in newspapers and magazines, as well as in a catalog.
Once again, they sparked strong reactions, both in favor of
and against United Colors of Benetton and Toscani.

2017

This is one of the last campaigns Toscani shot for us.
A classroom of 28 kids, coming from 13 nations and 4 continents, in a school near Milan.
“The main issue today is integration,” Toscani said at the time.
“The future will depend on how and how well we use our intelligence to integrate the different,
overcoming our fears.”

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