Benetton gets a new creative director who hopes to strike a balance between fast fashion and luxury.

In the mid-’60s, when the Benetton family introduced the idea of saturated color to the masses, it was that color that would become their trademark. At the time, 30 year-old Luciano Benetton – the eldest of four children – was a salesman in Treviso, Italy, and saw a market for colorful clothes. He sold a younger brother’s bicycle in order to buy his first second-hand knitting machine.

His initial small collection of sweaters received a positive response in local stores in the Veneto region, and soon after he asked his sister and two younger brothers, Gilberto and Carlo, to join him forming the “Benetton Group.” The concept was very cool and shoppers knew from the minute they walked into a Benetton shop, they were part of something strangely revolutionary and fun. Looking back, Benetton might even be credited with the blueprint for fast fashion, with how convenient they made it to energize sullen wardrobes and pick up our spirits in the midst of war and racial chaos that was the ’60s, ’70s and early ’80s.

Benetton sweater, 1989

Italian-made Benetton. We loved to wear it, walking proudly into a room, hopefully emulating the high-profile, exotic models of all colors that graced editorial spreads in glossy fashion magazines. When the Benettons created their strategic advertising campaign in 1991, it would be what we all remember, even today as the dawning of a youthful global consciousness – The United Colors of Benetton.

Controversial, albeit racial Benetton, fall 1991 campaign, “The Angel and the Devil”

But what happened? Where did it go? While it may have lost its presence in the U.S., in China, India and Russia over 400 stores have done very well.

The Independent says “Alessandro Benetton, head of the family firm, is banking on Italy’s giant retailer becoming as famous again as it was during the 1980’s and lasting another 40 years.” They’ve given the reins to this new strategy with the appointment of You Nguyen, the former vice president of Levi Strauss, now Benetton’s head of design and merchandising and in charge of everything from fashion to store architecture.

“You is a cosmopolitan and international designer who will be able to take us to the new chapter. The rise of disposable fashion – and many new competitors in an overcrowded market – has meant we have had to evolve further. This is a new chapter for the 46-year-old company – but the book is the same,” Alessandro says.

The Independent writes: “As Mr Nguyen said, who would ever have thought that luxury designers such as Karl Lagerfeld would design ranges for H&M, totally upsetting the market. Instead, he said his vision for Benetton was not fashion per se, but for classic and timeless pieces.”

Here are some of their s/s ’11 looks:

Benetton, S/S ’11

In addition to being committed to global social issues, Benetton has recently taken on initiatives to combat fast fashion by also reducing six hundred tons of plastic in the environment in 2011 implementing 100% biodegradable and recyclable eco hangars this past February. They will be pulling in more organic cotton garments and eco-friendly paper shopping bags, as well.

In the Benetton children’s collections alone, organic cotton already accounts for over 30% of all cotton apparel, and with the spring-summer 2011 collection, organic cotton garments will reach a total of 13 million across the Group’s various brands. These products are all certified according to the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) ethical and environmental criteria, focusing on ethical and environmental sustainability (ensuring that products are GMO-free and come from low-impact farming).

The impact Nguyen could have on Benetton could prove impressive given his significant nod to sustainability introducing Levi’s first organic jeans, and his work promoting quality and a sensitivity to nature towards a younger generation brainwashed by disposable fashion.

Back in 2006, when Nguyen was still with Levi’s and he’d helped to launch the eco jean of the year, he told The Guardian: “The whole organic and sustainable platform is one that is growing,” Nguyen said. “In future, if this is successful we may look at ways of expanding it, but it will never be 100% of the Levi’s product. This is because the availability of organic cotton is limited,” he said. “We are hoping that as a leading player we may be able to persuade producers to grow more.”

Let’s hope he takes the same philosophy to Benetton.

Images: Benetton and Josh Olins

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