For decades, Benetton has been acclaimed, and occasionally criticised, for its bold, forward-thinking and sometimes provocative campaigns. Through its collaborations with the late photographer Oliviero Toscani in the 80s and 90s, the brand repeatedly drew attention to the different social issues. During the 90s and beyond, Benetton became a byword for inclusive fashion and diverse representation, putting forward an idealised vision of global cooperation and racial harmony – a world which hadn’t yet arrived but was worth aspiring to.
The brand’s new AW25 campaign continues this tradition of experimentation, but with a twist: the cast of models, as diverse and smiling as ever, don’t actually exist. A collaboration with Italian digital artist Rick Dick, the campaign deploys artificial intelligence to provide a new vision of the brand’s aesthetic. The AI is subtle – you probably wouldn’t guess at a first glance – but it provides a shimmering, luminescent quality, and a rich texture to the knitwear pieces at the heart of the collection. These images and videos don’t appear fake, but like a hyper-real update of Benetton’s visual language; everything is more vivid and intense.
Dick has won widespread acclaim in the fashion industry, even though – or perhaps because – he is frequently satirising it. Blurring the line between memes and art, his work is an irreverent blend of celebrities, pop culture references and politics, and – much like Toscani’s collaborations with Benetton – he is often making a social critique. Benetton’s AW25 campaign is the latest in a long line of high-profile collaborations, including with Balenciaga, Moschino and Madonna.
The use of AI models is sure to spark some conversations, but Benetton has shown that it’s possible to embrace cutting-edge technology while staying true to its legacy and the inclusive, pioneering spirit which has always driven it.
Check out the full campaign above.