The history of the Lacoste brand began in 1933. The French campaign produces fashionable clothes for men, women, children. The brand also specializes in the production of high-quality footwear, sports equipment, and perfumes. Company founder Jean René Lacoste is a famous tennis player. To date, the brand has passed into the hands of a Swiss corporation.
The campaign is known and respected throughout the world. At Fashion Week in New York, she takes her rightful place among other famous participants.
Brand lines
Everything that the company produces is divided into niches:
- Lacoste - the main line. It includes men's and women's clothing and accessories. These are outfits in a sports style and everyday (casual).
- Lacoste Kids - clothes for babies.
- Lacoste Lab - equipment for sports.
- Lacoste L! Ve - an unusual line of youth fashion for free-spirited. She is famous for the fact that every season free street artists work on a product in this niche.
- Lacoste Jewelry - status jewelry.
- Lacoste Watches are watches for men and women that are recognizable all over the world.
- Lacoste Eyewear - glasses for both men and women. There are optical and sunscreen series.
Who is Lacoste?
Familiarity with the brand should begin with a story about its founder. Lacoste Rene was born in the family of an ordinary poor Parisian industrialist. At 13, his father, Jean Lacoste, sends him to study in the UK. The parent could not even imagine that at the age of 22 years (1926) his son would become the first racket of the world.
The history of the famous crocodile
The trademark emblem appeared before the idea of the production of clothing itself arose. Thanks to an American journalist whose name is unknown, the whole world knows the story of the legendary alligator.
So, where did the history of the Lacoste brand begin? This happened in 1927. Shortly before the very important tournament for the French team at the Davis Cup, Renee and his captain walked around the city. They wandered into one of the elite leather accessories stores. There, Rene Lacoste liked the crocodile leather suitcase, which cost quite an impressive amount. The athlete jokingly said that if he won the tournament, the captain would have to buy him an expensive accessory.
Unfortunately, Renee lost, but the next day all the newspapers wrote that he fought as an alligator. It was very difficult to win against him. Robert George, Rene’s best friend, gave him a picture of a green crocodile with its tail up. Lacoste took this drawing to the workshop with a request to embroider the same alligator in his jacket. Since then, they began to treat the tennis player as an athlete with a crocodile grip.
Legendary t-shirt
The history of the Lacoste brand began in a simple way. Rene, already an athlete already quite famous at that time, ordered from the tailor a T-shirt, which he was supposed to wear at the American Championship. He was tired of colds due to the fact that after an intense load on the court, he stood in the wind in wet clothes.
The Lacoste T-shirt was made of specially ordered breathable cotton fabric with a combined weaving of threads. Matter was called "pique." The polo had three buttons, a turn-down collar and sleeves to the elbow.
It is worth noting that at that time they played tennis “at the parade”. Athletes wore classic trousers and shirts, which was very inconvenient, but since the sport was considered aristocratic, the players had to have a decent appearance. Rene himself was very pleased with his find. People around her very soon drew attention to her and began to copy the tennis player's uniform. The athlete didn’t like it, and the idea occurred to start his own production.
Brand foundation
In 1933, the career of the legendary tennis player ended, and he decided to do business. Paired with the manager of the knitwear factory, Andre Housing launches a collection of polo t-shirts. The brand bears the name of a tennis player - Lacoste.
The trendsetter Coco Chanel also appeared in the history of Lacoste. It was thanks to the fact that she introduced a sporty style into fashion, the idea of Rene worked. The first collection from the brand consisted of previously famous white T-shirts and with a green alligator. Since then in the fashion industry it was fashionable to number their products, the model was called "1212".
There is evidence in the history of the Lacoste brand that the first reaction to the new product was mixed. The public felt that T-shirts from this brand are too tight-fitting clothes for the strong half of humanity. In addition, for the first time in fashion history, a clothing logo was placed on the front side, which seemed rather strange.
A little later, the polo was still appreciated and little by little the brand began to appear fans. Among the first people who wore Lacoste clothes were athletes, film actors, politicians, and aristocrats. Thanks to the example of celebrities, polos became popular quite quickly. In t-shirts, they not only played tennis, but also engaged in other sports:
- Golf
- basketball;
- football
- sailing.
Color variations
In 1951, the brand again amazes the imagination of its fans. Lacoste is the first company to produce colored T-shirts for a tennis court. Until that moment, tennis players wore exclusively white polos for competitions. There was even a definition for this color - "tennis white." In 1952, the brand began exporting its products to America.
In 1963, a new round of development took place: the eldest son of Rene, Bernard, became the head of the company. The company's products have gained great popularity. Brand sales reached a high level. In the year the company began to sell 300,000 units. Products have become popular in many countries. Since 1970, the range of the brand has expanded. Not only T-shirts “Lacoste” appeared on sale, but also:
- cardigans;
- sweaters;
- accessories (glasses, bags);
- perfumery;
- leather goods;
- clock.
Over time, the popularity of the brand only increases. Polo and other clothes have long moved from tennis courts to wardrobes of fashionistas and women of fashion. Now on the streets of big cities you can see young people dressed in clothes from this brand. Lacoste stores open around the world. At first, the products of this brand enter the USSR as smuggling, which is imported by sailors. The first boutique in the Russian capital appears in 1996. In the same year, a sad event takes place - at the age of 92 Rene Lacoste dies.
Not only polo
Few people know that Rene Lacoste invented not only tennis shirts. What else was one of his inventions?
- The world's first metal tennis racket with special string fastening.
- A special sticker to prevent dislocations of the hands during the game.
- A gun for shooting balls on the court in different directions. It is needed so that the tennis player can train alone and practice the kick.
Among the achievements of Rene are also several very significant awards:
- The French government awarded the tennis player the Legion of Honor.
- In the center of Paris there is a monument to the designer.
In 2001, the talented and creative designer Christoph Lemaire joined the team. As a lover of experimentation, he breathes new life into the brand. The brand, as before, actively sponsors prestigious tennis tournaments and supports young and talented tennis players.
In 2005, it became known that Bernard Lacoste had a serious ailment. He hands everything to Michel Lacoste, his younger brother. This man has been helping him for forty years and knows everything about the brand. The fashion house continues to be an exclusively family business. At that time, the company's products are known and loved in more than 100 countries. In Russia, opened more than 15 official stores. Plans to expand their number to 40.
Over time, the reins pass to Philip Lacoste - Rene's grandson. In 2008, at a grand celebration on the occasion of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the company, he spoke with the words that the brand is constantly improving and is not going to stop there.
Perfumery
In addition to clothing and accessories, perfumes for men and women from the Lacoste trademark are very popular:
- Lacoste pour femme;
- Touch of sun;
- Touch of spring;
- Inspiration
How to protect yourself from buying a fake?
Unfortunately, all popular aromas begin to fake over time. How not to make a mistake and purchase the original Lacoste perfume? The following are some effective tips:
- Ask the seller for a certificate of conformity.
- The original perfume is not produced in bottles of less than 50 ml.
- The box in which the bottle is packed must be made of high quality cardboard. The inscriptions on it are stamped and filled in tone.
- The original is always marked with the date of manufacture.
- If possible, then inspect the bottle. The cover should be absolutely smooth, without rough seams and scuffs. The bottle for the original perfume is made of glass with a bluish tint.
Using these simple recommendations, you will protect yourself from buying a fake.
The history of the Lacoste brand is bright and dynamic! She looks like a fairy tale with a happy ending. It all started with the desire to make your life more comfortable and a dispute between two people, and ended with the birth of a fashion house, which has no equal in the world of fashion. Visiting the Lacoste stores, customers get to a holiday where a sense of style triumphs.