Lacoste
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Definition
Lacoste is a fashion label famous for its crocodile logo.
History
Lacoste [1] was founded in 1933 by Rene Lacoste, a champion tennis player, and Andre Gillier. The company was originally called ‘La Societe Chemise Lacoste’. A catalogue was produced in the same year containing their logo embossed products including tennis, sailing and golfing shirts. The idea for the famous crocdile logo came from Lacoste's nickname. He explained that the origin of his nickname, "le Crocodile" came from the American press: 'They nicknamed me 'the Crocodile' after a bet that I made with the Captain of the French Davis Cup team. He had promised me a crocodile-skin suitcase if I won a match that was important for our team. The American public stuck to this nickname, which highlighted my tenacity on the tennis courts, never giving up my prey! So my friend Robert George drew me a crocodile which was embroidered on the blazer that I wore on the courts.'[2]. The crocodile logo was soon placed on all Lacoste merchandise and it is believed that this was the first logo to appear on the outside of clothing.
Over the next six years the company continued to produce its high quality clothing. The original shirt design was white, short sleeved and made from a light knitted fabric called ‘petit pique’, which was supposed to absorb moisture. This design was far removed from the typical sportswear of the day in which tennis players wore Oxford Bags and heavy long sleeved shirts. During World War Two production was interrupted but began again in France, in 1946.
In 1951, Lacoste began exporting their clothing to Italy and the US, and expanded the range to include coloured shirts. Lacoste also collaborated with David Crystal, owner of a clothing label called Izod. Together they produced polo shirts under the name Izod Lacoste until 1993, when quality control problems at Izod saw the end of the partnership and the Lacoste label reverted back to its original name. The partnership with Izod was quickly followed by the introduction of a children’s wear range in 1959. In 1960 Lacoste expanded their clothing ranges further and introduced shorts and striped polo shirts.
By 1964, Rene Lacoste’s son Bernard had taken over the management of the company and its success continues to grow. In the 1970’s, Lacoste reached the height of its popularity in the US and UK. Clothing with the crocodile logo became an essential purchase for those who wanted replicate the ‘preppy’ look that was sweeping the fashion and sportswear industries. Bernard introduced more lines to Lacoste’s already large range including, sunglasses, tennis, walking and deck shoes, watches and perfumes.
In 1996, Rene Lacoste died at the age of 92. In recent years, Lacoste has hired French designer Christophe Lemaire to re-design their range and give it a more modern look. He did this with great success and in 2005 Lacoste sold more than fifty million products worldwide [3]. It was also in this year that Bernard retired, and handed the company to his younger brother Michel. Today, Lacoste is as popular as ever and continues to sponsor sports personalities such as Andy Roddick and Colin Montgomerie.
Links
1. http://www.lacoste.com/intro.html
2. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/renelacoste.html
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacoste
Stella’s Take on Lacoste
I have always cited Jantzen Swimwear Company as being the first logo to appear on the outside of garments. Their diving lady is something I was aware of from childhood. Lacoste may be earlier, but here in England the brand was of limited reputation prior to the 1970’s. I was grown up by then and had absolutely no interest in sport or sportswear.
The little crocodile means a lot to a lot of people but I am not one of them. The idea of an outside logo does interest me, however. I liken the appearance of a Lacoste or Jantzen logo on a garment to the signature on a painting or a car badge on a vehicle. There was a furniture maker who always carved a little mouse on his wooden creations. Very much like the green crocodile on the Lacoste garment!
The idea of clothing bearing its own advertisement is very mid-twentieth century. Older people didn’t really take to the idea- I have met many who turn supermarket carrier bags inside out to prevent tem being an (unpaid) walking advertisement for the store. Not so the Lacoste and Adidas Generation. Their t-shirts carry slogans, their skin is tattooed. Doodles and graffiti is now allowed, and often far to aloud for my liking.
