Benetton launches new Made in Italy collection

London - Italian high street brand Benetton is bringing a portion of its production home, with a new collection made in Treviso, Northern Italy.

Famed for its controversial advertising, Benetton was a powerhouse in the 80s and 90s, before losing some of its fashion edge to companies such as Zara and H&M.

Benetton's new collection, called TV 31100 after Treviso's Italian post code, will feature innovative knitwear “stripped back to its yarns for a totally seamless model,” said Satish Tailor, head of innovation.

Benetton has dug deep in its pockets, investing 2 million euros to launch the collection, which includes acquiring 36 Shima Seiki machines, a production instrument that spins knits from one single thread and is highly efficient to produce ultrafine gauge whole garments.

The first designs are lightweight knits in a merino and cashmere wool mix, of which the fit adapts to the body, due to the technical capabilities of the machines. Other styles and gauges will be also be produced, including cotton options for the spring summer season.

Benetton can express its POV in colours

“We can express our point of view on colours,” said Alberto Bortoletto, head of knitwear development. The first products are available in six colors: yellow, which is the shade of the first-ever sweater produced by Benetton; an alternative to navy blue; green, symbolic of the brand and reproduced in its logo; purple; rusty red, and black, commented WWD.

The collection will be available in European stores from November, also rolling out in India and Mexico. The cost price is expected to be just under 80 euros.

According to WWD, Andrea Bressan, head of Benetton’s supply chain, said the machines have reached 85 percent of their production efficiency, working six days a week, also at night, and with employees working six-hour shifts. “It takes one hour for one knit and we produce 700 sweaters a day.”

Photo credit:Benetton knitwear, source: Benetton Facebook