Lacoste

At the age of 18, Lacoste founder, René Lacoste lived in Bordeaux, and was a gifted student & tennis player. This passion finally led him to abandon his studies to invent his own life. Match after match, René Lacoste wrote the history of tennis until he became the best player in the world (1926-1927). In Boston in 1923, his captain promised to buy him a crocodile leather suitcase he had been admiring in a shop window if he won his next match. René lost, but in tribute to his tenacity on the court and in reference to this unusual bet, the American press christened him “the crocodile.” René himself even encouraged it, asking his friend and stylist Robert George to sew a crocodile onto the white jackets he wore when arriving onto the court. And with that, the legend began.

In 1933, René Lacoste, alongside a gent named André Gillier, founded athleisure label, Lacoste - bringing a revolution to the courts in the form of a flexible, lightweight polo shirt in “petit piqué” cotton. face of the regular shirts imposed on tennis players. Lacoste became the first brand to feature a logo on its clothing – a logo that you’ll still see on their polos today.

During the 1950s, Lacoste clothing began to be exported across the world. With the development of a children’s line, this period heralded a change: the birth of a transgenerational icon. Beyond its products, Lacoste is also defined by a sporting spirit that continues to guide the brand’s choices today in both its collections and commitments to society and sustainability.

In the freedom-loving late 1960s, Lacoste moved close to the net with its first Eau de Toilette. The brand designed the fragrance in collaboration with French fashion designer and perfumer, Jean Patou. This was followed by eyewear in the 70s, leather accessories in the 80s and footwear in the 1990s.

Flashforward to 2018, and British designer, Louise Trotter, becomes Lacoste Creative Director. With her talent for defining elegant silhouettes, Louise takes over the Lacoste Collections and gives them a new lease of life with her visionary approach on lines and materials – proved particularly with Lacoste womenswear.

At BrandAlley, we offer up to 50% off Lacoste womenswear, including their casual clothing, sportswear and trainers – as well as the piece that started it all, the Lacoste polo. Shop today.