In 1933, tennis player Rene Lacoste teamed up with one of France’s largest knitting manufacturers to produce the first ever Lacoste polo shirt. The shirt immediately transformed sportswear and fashion alike. Gone were the long sleeved, woven and starched shirts of past sporting matches. In its place the light knitted Lacoste polo shirt with its signature alligator logo visibly on the front. Making a designer logo visible is something the brand claims they were the first to ever do.
Lacoste continued to go from strength to strength, with the introduction of their collection for children in 1959. With so many sportsmen in their family, Catherine Lacoste (daughter of Rene) won numerous golfing tournaments, again throwing the Lacoste brand into the limelight and launching the brand across a broad number of sporting events. Lacoste soon became favoured sporting attire across the globe for golfing and tennis games.
By the late Nineties the Lacoste empire had taken over. With a full range of fragrances and toiletries on offer, Lacoste’s fragrances had become bestsellers, surpassing the fame of many traditional perfume labels. Lending the Lacoste name to a wide range of accessories, as well as having two runway shows a year sealed Lacoste’s worldwide fashion status.
Having celebrated over 75 years in the business, nowadays Lacoste is finding new ways to share its wealth by supporting the Global Environmental Fund. Lacoste work with the Global Environmental Fund to ensure the protection of the natural habitats of alligators. The animals hold a special place for Rene Lacoste, who was nicknamed ‘The Alligator’ during his tennis playing days. This is the reason why an alligator is part of the infamous Lacoste logo.
Deeply rooted in sports, Lacoste’s style mantra is a relaxed elegant take on fashion. Renowned for their classic polo shirt, Lacoste is known to revisit wardrobe essentials each season for a timeless look.
Lacoste’s classic polo shirt was an innovation for both the sports and fashion worlds. Today it continues to be more than just a bestseller. Since 2003 over a staggering 68.8 million Lacoste polo shirts have been sold. The polo shirt encompasses everything the Lacoste brand is about, classic, innovative and mobile.
Keen to reinvent their style, Lacoste’s polo shirts have seen many variations through different collections such as the Red! Collection, an urban and youthful style, and the Club Collection which launched in 2008 to celebrate the brand’s 75th anniversary. For the past few years Lacoste have introduced limited edition polo’s by different designers to reinterpret the classic polo with their vision. Designers in the past have included Tom Dixon and Michael Young.
Aside from their sporting roots, Lacoste is well regarded in the fashion industry too. The brand is known to usually show in New York for Fashion Week each season. Creative Director Christopher Lemaire designs for Lacoste, updating their sporty chic style for a contemporary look that makes an impact on the runway, and on boutique mannequins just as well. The easy to wear nature of Lacoste makes it favourable, a style that is simple yet refined.
With the same philosophy applied to their fashion translated over to their accessories, eyewear and cosmetics, Lacoste is brand you can trust to always deliver timeless sporty chic.
ADVERTISEMENT
