A tribute to industrial production, innovation and colour, the Rainbow Machine was United Colors of Benetton's first runway show at the ongoing Milan Fashion Week, under the artistic direction of designer Jean-Charles De Castelbajac. The runway featured actual knitting machines in a set with enormous close-ups of products photographed by Oliviero Toscani.

The fashion event will conclude on February 25. Milan Fashion Week is dubbed as the most prestigious fashion event organised by the leading council Camera Nazionale della Moda Italian. The two annual editions of Milan Fashion Week take place in September/October (spring-summer) and February/March (fall-winter) representing key meetings between the prêt-à-porter and market operators.

"Rainbow represents a vision shared by Luciano Benetton and me. While, Machine is a tribute to Benetton’s great industrial tradition, its know-how and its one-of-a kind technological expertise.

Luciano and I are all about colour," said the French designer, who explained that the collection’s palette were mainly based on the primary colours of the rainbow – yellow, red, green, blue – with some touches of black.

United Colors of Benetton chose to stage a show with ideas that represented only a part of its seasonal production, but which embody the new creative direction the brand is taking. A disciplined, pared down fashion that reprises some of the iconic pieces that are in every fashion lover’s wardrobe.

Raainbow Machine is the updated basics, designed by JCDC, who identified the strongest characteristics of the Benetton DNA and enhanced them to create a collection that is both up to date and conceptual, while remaining deeply rooted in the brand’s heritage. The collection paid homage to original features of the brand – like the logo, the colour element (particularly green), garment-dyed knitwear and a certain sporty, easy chic attitude – that, over the past 30 years, have made fashion history.

It was style that was extremely strong in terms of identity, which is not surprising considering how identity has always been fertile ground for reflection for UCB. Today, when all the brands embrace the concept of inclusion, Benetton stands out for its pioneering spirit. (RR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India

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