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 Among the many grand fashion houses that can boast a
rich and long history of success, only few have a truly recognizable character.
Lacoste is one of those brands. It's impossible to confuse is crocodile logo
with that of any other brand, and its name is closely associated not only with
the fashion world, but also with big tennis. Though Lacoste is known primarily for
its crocodile logo and polo shirts, it's much, much more, but without the
instantly recognizable logo the history of the brand would not be so
interesting, and if it hadn't been for tennis, there would be no Lacoste brand
today.
The Alligator Legend is Born
The history of Lacoste reads like a history of
tennis.
It was founded by legendary tennis player Rene Lacoste, who with his
teammates
«The Musketeers» won the Davis Cup in 1927. Even the crocodile logo
associated
with the brand came from tennis. Rene Lacoste was nicknamed «The
Crocodile» by
the U.S. press. He won seven Grand Slam singles titles in the French,
American,
and British championships but never made the long trip to Australia to
play in
their championships.
According to the official Lacoste company history,
in
1927, Rene Lacoste made a bet with the Captain of the French Davis Cup
team
concerning a suitcase made from alligator skin. The team captain
promised the
formidable player that he would buy the suitcase for Rene Lacoste if he
won
every important match for the team. He did win all those matches, and
since
then, the young player became «The Crocodile».
Revolutionizing Fashion and
Sports
A true innovator, Rene Lacoste revolutionized the
tennis men's sportswear. The traditional tennis court wear for men was a
long
sleeved starched shirt made of the classical woven fabric. Rene Lacoste
designed a shirt with short sleeves, a ribbed collar and slightly
shorter than
what was the fashion during those days. The logo was drawn by Robert
George, a
friend of Rene Lacoste, who in turn embroidered it on the blazer that he
wore
on the courts.
Together with Andre Gillier, the owner of the
France's
largest knitwear company during that time, the tennis champ set up a
company to
manufacture the crocodile logo embroidered shirt he designed. Using a
new
fabric called «Jersey petit pique», the first Lacoste shirt was born in
1933. By
this time, Lacoste had already designed a lot of tennis shirts for his
personal
use, and Lacoste and Gillier wanted to make a profit out of the concept.
The La
Societe Chemise Lacoste was born.
The first catalogue was then released, containing
shirts for all sports, including golf, sailing, and tennis. The first
collection was also released in that same year. This also marks the
beginning
of having the logo or brand outside, instead of inside. And on its own,
this
action contributed to the logo craze and merchandising of sports related
products which would become big in the latter half of the 20th century.
Since
then, the shirt has brought a lot of changes in men's sportswear,
replacing the
woven fabric of classic sports shirts.
In 1951, the company began to expand as it branched
from «tennis white» and introduced color shirts. In 1952, the shirts
were
exported to the United States and advertised as «the status symbol of
the
competent sportsman», influencing the clothing choices of the
upper-class. It
is still one of the most popular brands in the United States, sporting
the «preppy
wardrobe».
In 1963, Bernard Lacoste took over the management
of
the company from his father Rene. Significant company growth was seen
under
Bernard's management. When he became president, around 300,000 Lacoste
products
were sold annually. The Lacoste brand reached its height of popularity
in the
US during the late 1970s and became the signature 1980s «preppy
wardrobe» item.
The company also began to introduce other products into their line
including
shorts, perfume, optical and sunglasses, tennis shoes, deck shoes,
walking
shoes, watches, and various leather goods.
The original market of tennis enthusiasts would
expand
to the general public. When Rene Lacoste died in 1996 at the age of 92,
«The
Crocodile» lived on. And like most great brands, it continues to adapt
to the
changing marketplace.
Up the Fashion Staircase
After the entire world was conquered by the
«crocodile»
fashion in the 80's, in the new millennium, Lacoste is still topping the
fashion charts as a result of combining sports and casual wear. Lacoste
continues to produce sports equipment, clothing and accessories,
perfumes, and
other items designed for those who are not sports enthusiasts. The
Lacoste Club
division produces fashion collections, which offer casual wear for men
and
women.
Lacoste had a long standing dispute over the logo
and
clothing lines with Crocodile Garments. Crocodile Garments uses a
crocodile
logo that faces left while Lacoste uses one that faces right. The two
fought
for the logo rights in China, which was won by Crocodile Garments in
2003.
Crocodile Garments in return agreed to change its logo to have a more
vertical
tail and more scales.
However, starting in 2000, with the hiring of a new
fashion designer Christophe Lemaire, Lacoste began to take over control
of its
brand name and logo, reigning in their branding arrangements. Currently
Lacoste
has once again returned to the elite status it held before a brand
management
crisis circa 1990.
Lemaire debuted for Lacoste during the
Spring/Summer
2002 season. In 2003, 70 years after it was founded, Lacoste is sold in
over
109 countries with a turnover of 860 million euros. It currently owns
731
Lacoste shops and 1700 corners.
From the first Lacoste shirt, the crocodile would
become one of the world's most recognized logo, appearing on men's,
women's and
children's clothing, footwear, perfume, leather goods, eyewear, watches,
and
underwear. Over the years, the brand has certainly improved a lot in
terms of
quality, stability, and comfort.
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