About Lacoste
René Lacoste set up a company to make the famous logo-embroidered shirt in 1933 with André Gillier, the owner of the largest knitwear manufacturer in France. The champion had designed the shirt for his own use on the court, as well as a number of other shirts for tennis, golf and sailing.
The brand lacsote has become a worldwide phenomenon and the high-end designer label sells clothing, accessories, shoes, perfume, small leather goods (such as wallets), bags, luggage, watches, eyewear and more.
History of Lacoste
It is said that René Lacoste’s logo-embroidered shirt of 1933 was the first ever time that a brand name appeared on the exterior of clothing. Furthermore the shirt was uniquely different to the standard woven, starched shirts of the time. Indeed the initial Lacoste tennis shirt was shorter, with lighter knit fabrics but offered better quality and comfort for the man wearing it.
In 1951 Lacoste began to expand the colour range of the “petit pequé” cotton shirt from the single white shirt to a myriad of vibrant colours. In addition the company started exporting to Italy and within another year, to the United States.
In 1960 the company introduced a collection of shorts to supplement the famous polo short, and in addition, a range of striped polo shirts. By 1964 Lacoste’s worldwide expansion continued in Japan. Further expansion continued with manufacturing and distribution licences in USA, Japan, Brazil and Australia.
Lacoste expanded into other accessory lines such as Lacsote Eau de Toilette (in 1968), Lacoste sunglasses (in 1981), Lacoste toiletries (in 1984) and Lacoste watches (in 1993). All the aforementioned initiatives were achieved through licensing of the Lacoste brand.
The Lacoste "Crocodile"
"I was nicknamed "the Alligator" by the American press, after I made a bet with the Captain of the French Davis Cup Team concerning a suitcase made from alligator skin. He promised to buy it for me if I won a very important match for our team. The public must have been fond of this nickname which conveyed the tenacity I displayed on the tennis courts, never letting go of my prey!" stated René Lacoste, who continued "So my friend Robert George drew a 'crocodile' which I then had embroidered on the blazer I wore on the courts".
