LACOSTE AND TENNIS: 5 CURIOSITIES FROM ALMOST A CENTURY OF HISTORY
Very recently we told you about Roland Garros the relationship between the firm Lacoste and that championship in question. Today we want you to discover 5 curiosities about Lacoste, the sports brand that has known how to adapt to the times:
1. RENÉ LACOSTE, A MAN AHEAD OF HIS TIME
René Lacoste was one of the most famous tennis players in France in the 1930s. Once he played a bet with a friend, in which if he won a game the prize would be a crocodile wallet, he won it and from there his nickname was born. After retiring from the courts, he created a fashion firm that would become the brand par excellence for tennis players; and of course, he chose the iconic green crocodile as his logo.
2. POLO INVENTOR
Do you know who invented the polo shirt? In 1933, René Lacoste pioneered the creation of a garment never seen before. Taking inspiration from the English polo players, he designed a new garment to play on the slopes. He started from a tennis shirt and cut off the sleeves; this is how the pole L would be born.12.12, a garment synonymous with comfort and lightness with a new fabric: petit-piqué. This model is the firm's most characteristic garment, almost 100 years later.
3. LACOSTE: ELEGANCE AND COMFORT
Lacoste wanted his signature to be worn by athletes both on and off the track. He worked on his designs based on elegance, with that minimalist and French touch, but looking for comfort and versatility at the same time. His designs were aimed not only at the world of tennis, he also designed for other sports such as golf or sailing. In 1933 he launched his first campaign, with the slogan “Pour le tennis, le golf, la plage”. Lacoste's style is quite reminiscent of preppy fashion.
4. A BRAND THAT HAS KNOWN HOW TO ADAPT
Next 2023 Lacoste will be 90 years old, almost a century of history. It is a brand that has known how to adapt to different times, but without ever losing its essence. It began dressing the tennis elite and has reached all closets, positioning itself as a leading brand in urban fashion. He has maintained elegance in all his designs, combining a younger and more casual style. Today, Lacoste has 1,165 stores spread across 114 different countries.
In 2011, he launched a new line for a younger audience: Lacoste L!ve, a more street-oriented collection, very colorful and with a crazy touch.
This 2022 Lacoste collaborated with Minecraft creating a collection of clothing that would be worn in the video game, as well as a map called “Croco Island”. These clothes were also sold with real designs to wear on a daily basis.
5. LACOSTE, A COMMITTED BRAND
Almost 90 years old, Lacoste has proven to be a committed brand that is involved with the problems of today's world. Let us remember, for example, 2020, when in the midst of a global pandemic, the firm designed the “L.12.12 Polo Merci” and donated all its profits to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies as a sign of gratitude to the volunteers who fought to save so many lives.
In recent months, given the refusal of its main ambassador Djokovic to get vaccinated against Covid to play the Australian Open, Lacoste managers have wanted to meet with the tennis player and review his contract .
We are not surprised that after 90 years Lacoste is still one of the most important brands in the market. It is a benchmark and a firm from which to learn every day.
