{{Short description|Italian businessman (born 1935)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = Luciano Benetton.jpg | caption = Benetton in 2015 | name = Luciano Benetton | office = Member of the Senate | term_start = 23 April 1992 | term_end = 14 April 1994 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1935|05|13|df=yes}} | birth_place = Treviso, Italy | death_date = | death_place = | death_cause = | alma mater = | occupation = Co-founder of Benetton Group | party = Italian Republican Party | children = 4, including Alessandro | relatives = Giuliana Benetton (sister)<br /> Carlo Benetton (brother)<br /> Gilberto Benetton (brother) }}

'''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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=319906&privcapId=319904&previousCapId=18501&previousTitle=21%20Investimenti%20SGR%20S.p.A.|title=Luciano Benetton: Executive Profile & Biography – Bloomberg|website=www.bloomberg.com|access-date=22 November 2017}}</ref>

== Early life == Luciano Benetton was born on 13 May 1935 in Treviso.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica">{{cite web|title=Luciano Benetton|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Luciano-Benetton|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|accessdate=10 September 2016}}</ref> His father had a small business and following his death,<ref name="Berend">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Ok8DQAAQBAJ&q=the+benetton+opened+their+first+store+in+1966&pg=PA299|title=An Economic History of Twentieth-Century Europe: Economic Regimes from Laissez-Faire to Globalization|last=Berend|first=Ivan T.|date=22 September 2016|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-316-54628-4|language=en}}</ref> Benetton dropped out of school at the age of 14 to work in a clothing shop.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica" /> 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.<ref name="Berend"/>

== Career == In 1965, together with his siblings Giuliana, Carlo and Gilberto, he founded Benetton Group.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1993/02/17/the-true-colors-of-luciano-benetton/4a8bfcab-ed6a-42bd-80bf-27901ef9b9de/|title=THE TRUE COLORS OF LUCIANO BENETTON|last=Waxman|first=Sharon|date=17 February 1993|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=21 November 2017|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The starting point of the business was the production of brightly coloured knitted sweaters, made by Juliana Benetton on a home knitting machine.<ref>{{Cite web |title=История компании Benetton Group |url=https://benetton-italy.ru/ |access-date=2026-02-05 |website=benetton-italy.ru}}</ref>

In 1992, he was elected to the Italian Senate.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QpLtCQAAQBAJ&q=Luciano+Benetton+biography&pg=PT342|title=The Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising|last1=McDonough|first1=John|last2=Egolf|first2=Karen|date=18 June 2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-94913-6|language=en}}</ref>

In 2003, he announced that his family is stepping down from running the company, due to decreasing sales and increased competition.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Luciano-Benetton|title=Luciano Benetton {{!}} Italian manufacturer|work=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=22 November 2017|language=en}}</ref>

In 2006, he founded the Imago Mundi Collection, a collection of contemporary art in 10 by 12&nbsp;cm format from around the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mission |url=https://fondazioneimagomundi.org/en/about-us-fondazione-imago-mundi/ |website=Fondazione Imago Mundi |access-date=11 November 2023}}</ref>

In May 2015, ''Forbes'' estimated the net worth of Luciano Benetton and each of his three siblings at US$2.9&nbsp;billion.<ref name=Forbes>{{cite web|title=Luciano Benetton|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/luciano-benetton/|website=Forbes|accessdate=25 May 2015}}</ref>

== Personal life == He is married with four children and lives in Treviso.<ref name="Forbes" /> His son Alessandro chaired Benetton Group from April 2012 to May 2014.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UKk0DwAAQBAJ&q=alessandro&pg=PT18|title=How to Engage Youth to Drive Corporate Sustainability: Roles and Interventions|last=Wojewoda|first=Nicolò|date=8 September 2017|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-351-27546-0|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-06/benetton-heir-alessandro-goes-it-alone-with-private-equity-firm|title=Benetton Heir Alessandro Goes It Alone With Private Equity Firm|date=6 April 2016|work=Bloomberg.com|access-date=22 November 2017}}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == *Files about his parliamentary activities (in Italian): [http://www.senato.it/leg/11/BGT/Schede/Attsen/00000216.htm XI] legislature

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Benetton, Luciano}} Category:1935 births Category:Living people Luciano Category:Italian billionaires Category:Italian Republican Party politicians Category:Formula One team owners Category:Italian motorsport people Category:Benetton Formula Category:Compasso d'Oro Award recipients

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