UCB partners Netflix to launch pop culture-inspired collection
16 December 2025, Mumbai
United Colors of Benetton (UCB) is leveraging pop culture nostalgia and experiential retail to drive growth in the competitive Indian market. The brand has launched its Stranger Colors of Benetton collection in collaboration with Netflix to capitalize on the sustained popularity of 1980s fashion, which is a key trend globally and seeing a significant resurgence in India in 2025. This move recontextualizes UCB's vibrant, archival '80s aesthetic, shifting it from mere heritage to a cutting-edge consumer hook for younger demographics.
The collection's debut was accompanied by an innovative Augmented Reality (AR) experience at UCB’s Mumbai flagship, transforming the shopping environment into a ‘phygital’ journey - a format recognized at the Images Retail Awards 2025 as the Most Admired Retail Launch of the Year. This blended approach is crucial for capturing the attention of India’s increasingly digitally native shoppers.
Financial momentum and strategic rollout
Offering men's, women's, and children's wear, the collection is designed to support Benetton India’s medium-term revenue growth target of 6 per cent-8 per cent annually, following a strong turnaround from previous losses. The first drop in stores and online is set to be followed by a second, highly-anticipated wave in February 2026, coinciding with the final season’s marketing push and maintaining demand through the key spring-summer buying cycle. ‘Collaborations are a critical way to create urgency and relevance for the young consumer,’ noted an industry analyst, adding that such limited-edition drops attract a design-conscious audience.
By fusing authentic '80s archive pieces, co-designed with Amy Parris, Costume Designer, Stranger Things, with the show's cult status, UCB is successfully transforming its knitwear and casual wear categories into highly collectible, fast-moving apparel, an essential strategy to improve operating margins, projected to reach 3 per cent-4 per cent over the medium term, in the intensely competitive Indian apparel sector.
Founded in 1965 in Ponzano Veneto, Italy, United Colors of Benetton is a global fashion brand renowned for its colorful knitwear and historically bold, socially-charged advertising campaigns. The brand operates in over 120 countries, with key markets including India, where it sells fashion apparel for men, women, and children through a large network of franchisee-operated stores and e-commerce channels. Benetton India (BIPL) has nearly 300 standalone stores and is focusing on an asset-light, omnichannel expansion, particularly scaling up its footwear and women's wear segments. BIPL reported revenues of Rs 775 crore in FY24, with the parent company providing continued strategic and financial support to underpin future growth.
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