Brand History - Lacoste
Today, the famous Crocodile logo is an icon of the fashion world that everyone instantly recognizes. As the first brand to ever feature a logo on its clothing, Lacoste and its Crocodile were pioneers of branding and bringing styles from the tennis court to the people. We want to take a deep dive in this Brand History - Lacoste.
René Lacoste, the brand's namesake, was always a passionate tennis player - he won ten Grand Slam titles during his career. He was also an inventor at heart, and sooner or later these two worlds would collide to create something new.
From Alligator to Crocodile
In 1923, 19 year old René Lacoste bet on winning a game against his team captain. The price? A suitcase made of Alligator leather he saw in a shop-window in Boston. Even though Lacoste lost the game and therefore also the bet, the news about the game and the stake spread amongst American journalists who eventually gave René Lacoste the nickname "the Alligator", not only as an homage to the suitcase but also to his unrivaled determination on the court. After coming back to Europe, the name changed through translations and the Alligator became the Crocodile. The foundation for the brand was created.
Four years later, in 1927, the Crocodile began to take more shape when Lacoste's friend and designer Robert George designed the famous logo. Lacoste liked it that much, that wanted his friend to put it on his blazer and white jackets that he wore before games - the first brand to ever feature a logo on its pieces was born.
The Beginning of the Polo Shirt
Together with French textile manufacturer André Gillier, Lacoste officially founded the eponymous brand in 1933. Soon after in the same year, Lacoste went on to revolutionized tennis clothing with the flexible, lightweight polo shirt made of petit piqué cotton everybody knows today. The modern polo shirt was created by René Lacoste, who found traditional tennis clothing too stiff and uncomfortable. This problem gave rise to the modern, short-sleeved polo shirt made of lightly knitted piqué cotton with a loose collar and button placket. Today you can buy the polo shirt in many different colors, but until 1950 it was only available in white.
Izod Lacoste
To venture into more markets, especially outside of Europe, Lacoste sold rights to market the brand in America to David Crystal, owner of Izod and Haymaker, an already established brand in the US. By adding Lacoste to his brand, Crystal hoped to enhance his brands' prestige and introduce a new name to the American market. Since Lacoste stood for a more luxurious status, Crystal decided on a mix of the two brand - creating Izod Lacoste.
The Rise of the Preppy Look
In the late 70s and early 80s, with the preppy style on the rise and becoming mainstream, Izod Lacoste hit peak popularity throughout the US. If you wanted to pull the preppy look of correctly, a Lacoste Polo Shirt with the Crocodile logo on the chest was a simple must-have! The popularity of the brand held on for a couple of years, until the the preppy hype started to cool down and the spotlight moved away from Izod Lacoste.
In the early 1990s, the Izod Lacoste name was eventually split up again and the original Lacoste brand moved upmarket to reestablish itself as a brand with an elite and luxurious image whereas Izod was reintroduced in the area of mid-ranged apparel. Not long after, Crystal sold his shares back to Lacoste; Izod was also sold. Today, Izod continues to produce similar piqué polo shirts as Lacoste.