Brands don’t always leave us forever. Once hugely popular here, United Colors of Benetton is giving our island a second chance, but will we give it too?

Of late, there has been the return of brands that departed our shores but would not stay away for good. First that comes to our mind is the Finnish label Marimekko and then the Japanese burando Anteprima—their Wirebags are available again. Now, a brand that is very much associated with the ’80s and the ’90s, but has been through what was described in the media as “a period of decline”, is back: United Colours of Benetton—the cheerfulness suggested by its name intact. Benetton, as it is popularly known here among a certain demographic, has opened a new store at 313@Orchard on the 1 December. That it chose this Lendlease mall that is mostly enjoyed by the young for its comeback is understandable. The Italian brand—known for its knitwear—is in good company: local brands such as Charles and Keith; Love, Bonito; Pedro; and Sunday Staples are happy neighbours, adding if not to the colour of the floor, certainly to the mix.

The store is still (immediately) recognisable. At our first visit, we spotted it right away. The green box on which the full name of the brand appears sits right above the entrance and the stitch logo (a stylised knitting loop) embedded on a grey wall to the left of the entrance. At 1,318 sq ft (or 122. 5 sq m) in space, the store is not big. But its merchandise still covers womenswear (predominantly), menswear, and, surprisingly, children’s wear (as well as for toddlers). Inside, it seems that Benetton has not left. The clothes—mostly basics, as before—sat amid white fixtures, and stayed blissfully unchallenging, even if the colours remained bright and potent. Images of this season’s knitwear in bold horizontal stripes have been circulating online and appear as posters on one wall, but we did not see the actual pieces. T-shirts, with curiously wide and skinny ribbed neck and the brand’s name still emblazoned across the chest, and polo shirts in shapes, perhaps not changed since 1985, aroused the quiver of nostalgia.

What is available does not seem to correspond with the runway looks, shown during the autumn/winter 2023 season of Milan Fashion Week in the beginning of this year. Designed by Tod’s alum Andrea Incontri (in his second season for the brand), it was a fetching amalgam of vivid colours and charming prints captured within spiffy tailoring. And those twin sets, even for men! It was a brand rebirth that was rather lauded for its seeming aesthetical forwardness. When we asked the sole staffer at the store if what we saw was the latest collection, she said, “yes.” Yet, it was T-shirts with the eight multi-coloured letters of the brand that seemed to announce its comeback. We had excitedly expected more, but it was not the case. Perhaps, this was the first drop of the season. A December opening is. however, considered late for fashion retail. Benetton should be stocked to the rafters to wow. Could this be because it has, so far, been a “soft opening”?

We do not remember exactly when Benetton arrived on our shores, and then departed. The company has had a few ups-and-downs in their nearly 60-year history, including marketing direction deemed inappropriate (such as images that had nothing to do with the retailing of clothes). We do recall that Benetton shuttered their last store here—a clearance outlet at IMM—in 2002. Older folks we spoke to remember “a few Benetton stores between Wisma Atria and Marina Square, especially the one at Centrepoint”. One marketing executive said to a veteran journalist: “Benetton is the Uniqlo of your era, right?” It has been a while since United Colours of Benetton was relatable, or desirable. At the height of their popularity, their Euro-centric sophistication was a counterpoint to the ultra-relaxed style of competitor Espirit’s American West-Coast ease (also sputtering with a comeback of sort in various parts of the world). And many, then not yet so enamoured with street style, were sold.

Despite its Italian posturing, Benetton and our nation were somewhat linked. Back in 1992, Heshe Holdings (one time producer and retailer of Thomas Wee’s now-defunct Preta line), went into a deal with Benetton that allowed the former “to manufacture, market, distribute and sell fashion apparel in Indonesia,” according to The Straits Times. Heshe continued to support Benetton through the Hong Kong-listed company Benefun, until they no longer. Further down the road, in 2008, Reuters reported that GIC, our country’s sovereign wealth fund, bought “a 14.3 percent stake in Sintonia, the Benetton family’s holding company”. Benetton was indeed a brand to bank on. But despite their investable status, all was not rosy, especially on the marketing front. Using images shot by the Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani, the brand was pushing social messages through their advertising. These featured images of HIV individuals, victims of racism, refugees in a boat, and others conceived to provoke. And so affronting there were that magazines here had to be careful of the ads that Benetton submitted to run in their publications. In fact, in 2005, before GIC’s investment in the Italian company, our government banned the spring issue of Benetton’s magazine Colors (1991—2014) of that year for what was considered “explicit” (read: sexual) content.

Benetton’s presence in Asia was made possible through various other distributors too, such as Hong Kong’s Dickson Concepts and Malaysia’s Glam Rox, who was behind the brand’s relaunched in Malaysia and Singapore in 2007. Presently, the brand is distributed by Armaan, subsidiary of the Al Futtaim Group, the Dubai-based conglomerate that, in Singapore, operates stores of brands such as Massimo Dutti, Ted Baker, and Zara. As we understand it, Benetton’s return in Southeast Asia includes Malaysia, the Philippines (where they opened earlier), Thailand, and Vietnam (also opened). At the moment, there is this one store at 313@Orchard and a pop-up at Takashimaya department store. It is unclear how big Benetton intends to be this time. It faces competition from by-now-well-established brands such as Uniqlo and even the conversely less colourful, but not unappealing Muji.

We recall a visit to Rome in the winter of 2018, before the COVID pandemic. To escape the crowd in front of the Trevi Fountain, we had to escape into and seek refuge in the fontana-facing Benetton store on Piazza di Trevi. We had not planned to visit it, but once inside, we found the three-level space, opened in 2016, to be rather captivating. One store staff told us that it was a “new look” Benetton and that here, one could find designs in “Italian spirit”. Walking around, this Benetton did appear far more appealing than the discouraging press had made them out be. We found things we could buy, but they would not be suitable for the climate back home. If they were basic (as many often said they were), they were rather fashionably so. It helped that they did not shy away from colours (even in winter) or prints, or mixing both up. We were so charmed that we told ourselves that we would see if we could find the updated aesthetics back home. We could not. There was only that dreary IMM outlet store. And it eventually closed.

Five years on, the Italian spirit was not immediately discernible that afternoon we were in the new 313@Somerset store. Could it have dissipated? Or diminished in intensity? Or even disregarded as it tries for international expansion, again? The clothes are designed by an Italian, so that could not be true. At one time, in the ’90s, Benetton could boast 7,000 shops in 110 countries. But that success did not hold out for them for long. It did not help that other European brands, such as Spain’s Zara and Sweden’s H&M, were elbowing into what was once Benetton territory. By 2000, Benetton’s once-lofty perch was no more. An Interbrand ranking of that year placed them 75th on the rung of the “best global brands”. A year later, they fell to100th. In 2002, there were no where on the list. But that is no indication that they would remain out of the radar. When it was announced last year that Andrea Incontri would spearhead the brand’s new direction, and then his debut show (spring/summer 2023) took place, many observers held hopes for Benetton. We did too, and although the impact of the new store is not yet felt, we still do.

United Colors of Benetton is at #02-43, 313@Somerset. Photos: Galerie Gombak