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About Lacoste

He who dares wins - that was Jean René Lacoste's life motto. It may seem like a platitude, but in this case it is actually justified. Lacoste revolutionised tennis fashion, introduced countless technological innovations and established a cult label selling clothing, accessories and of course glasses and sunglasses that the whole world knows today. But let's start from the beginning: what is this green crocodile logo all about?

How Young René Became the Crocodile

René Lacoste was born in Paris in 1904. At the age of 15, he began playing tennis and quickly became a highly successful player. Apparently talent played less of a role than iron discipline and strategy. He analysed all his opponents meticulously, kept lists of their weaknesses and strengths, rehearsed every stroke a hundred times until he was satisfied. This strategy helped him to ten Grand Slam victories in the 1920s, an Olympic bronze medal and two Davis Cup titles - and thus to a place on the eternal list of tennis heroes. Before a match in the Davis Cup in 1923, his team captain apparently promised him a crocodile skin suitcase, which the latter found particularly beautiful, if he won the match. Unfortunately, nothing came of the victory - and thus also of the suitcase. But an American journalist who had overheard the bet described Lacoste as a "crocodile" in his article. Lacoste liked the nickname so much that he had the green reptile applied to his white tennis blazer. At the time, however, no one could have imagined that the gag would become the logo of a global brand.

From Sportsman to Fashion Designer

The nickname was indeed a perfect fit. "The crocodile stands for my tenacity on the court. I never give up my prey," he once said. His steely will, however, did not help against a lung disease that eventually forced the tennis player to give up his sport in the early 1930s. But Lacoste would not have been Lacoste if he had not come up with something new. At that time, tennis players still sprinted around the court in pleated trousers and long-sleeved shirts with cuffs - an elegant but also very uncomfortable sports outfit. With the help of textile manufacturer André Gillier, Lacoste had a short-sleeved shirt with a collar tailored from light cotton piqué and - of course - decorated with his crocodile on the chest. The polo shirt was born and caused a real scandal when he played in it at the US Open in 1926 (and won!). Soon after, the polo shirt began its triumphal march across the tennis courts of the world. After all, who wouldn't want to look like the best tennis player of the time on the court? Lacoste thus became the first brand to use their logo offensively - a real stroke of genius.

The Hype About Shirts

In 1939, the white polo shirt with mother-of-pearl buttons and green crocodile had already sold more than 300,000 units. John F. Kennedy was also a self-confessed polo shirt fan. In the Fifties, coloured polo shirts brought the breakthrough, and in the Eighties, the shirts with the crocodile became a real mass phenomenon: there was hardly a popper who didn't present his reptile with a raised collar and proud chest. For the image of the Lacoste brand, this logo hype was a double-edged sword, because in the nineties of the grunge era, polo shirts became as uncool as anything for precisely this reason.