That little green crocodile marked everywhere on the core of collared shirts! It’s a preppy status symbol, of course, but there’s a fascinating story about how that guy got there and how the whole logo or animal-inspired your polo shirt phenomenon.
About Lacoste
Lacoste is a French clothing company founded by French tennis player René Lacoste in Troyes, France, in the year 1933. Lacoste was previously sold as a tennis brand, as it introduced the sports with short-sleeved polo shirts. Soon after that, they also designed polo shirts for golf and sailing purposes.
About René Lacoste
René Lacoste was a tennis champion and was ranked number one in the world in 1927. He won seven Grand Slam championship tournaments during his tennis career. However, he is best known today as the founder of the sportswear brand, Lacoste.
Most people believed René found the traditional tennis attire, a long-sleeved button-down shirt, restrictive, mainly when shooting overhead. So he commissioned an English tailor to make a polo shirt with short sleeves and only three buttons. It is how the new short-sleeved version of the polo shirt was born.
But why the decision for a reptile?
The answer to this query is that “Crocodile” was the nickname of René. Are you curious to know how he earned it? Here is a detailed explanation for your query.
It was in the early 1930s when Renne played tennis (it was before the introduction of the Lacoste brand.) He spotted a crocodile skin suitcase from the window of a nearby store and set his heart on the piece. He wanted it, so he made a bet with the French Davis Cup team captain, stating that they would have to buy it for him if he would win the game. Unfortunately, he lost the match and also the most desirable crocodile skin bag. But he won something else; he won a nickname. Both the press and the general public started to refer him with his nickname “crocodile.” He was passionate about crocodiles, so he got a crocodile embroidered blazer and wore it in the court.
Expansion
In 1933 Lacoste invented and began to sell Renne’s favorite polo-shirt with the signature crocodile logo.
Lacoste evolved from the white tennis polo shirt in 1951 and started creating vibrant polo collection. Polos were everywhere, not only for sports but also for casual wear. The crocodile logo polo T-shirts became a common item and was recognized by one and all.
In 2013, Lacoste celebrated its 80th anniversary with the company gaining millions of reach from all around the world. Lacoste now markets a wide variety of clothes and accessories for fashion as well as sport. Two Lacoste sub-brands – Lacoste Live, and Lacoste Sport, launched on the same day.
Winding up
The iconic crocodile logo on each Lacoste clothing is as much a part of the brand as its name. You cannot speak of Lacoste nowadays without thinking about the crocodile.
