Lacoste: History Review
René Lacoste was a famous tennis player who was awarded a lot of top prizes (French Open (1925, 1927), Roland Garros (1929), Wimbledon (1925,1928) and U.S. Open (1926, 1927)). He was given a nickname ‘Crocodile’ by the American journalists following the agreement between René Lacoste and the French captain at Davis Cup in 1923. The latter undertook to buy René a crocodile suitcase if René won the tournament.
The company La Chemise Lacoste was established in France in 1933 by René Lacoste and Andre Gillier who was the head of a full-fashioning mill to produce tennis, golf and sailing garments. The first Lacoste shirt made a splash in tennis fashion industry. It was white, much shorter than the previous ones and had short sleeves. Moreover, the logo was on the face side of the shirt.
In 1951 the company began to export its produce to Italy and widened the range of the shirts, having added coloured Lacoste tennis shirts. In 1952 La Chemise Lacoste began to deliver the garments to the USA where they were advertised as ‘the status symbol of the competent sportsman’.
In 1963 the company’s management was passed into the hands of Lacoste’s son - Bernard Lacoste. It was the time when Lacoste shorts, footwear, perfume, clocks and different leather goods were designed. And track records of the famous family were the best advertisement for the company’s products. For example, in 1969 Catherine Lacoste, René Lacoste’s daughter, won the U. S. Ladies Golf Open.
In fact, René Lacoste invented a metal tennis racket that took the place of the wooden one. Sportsmen from Jimmy Connors to Billie Jean King preferred this metal tennis racket to other ones. Later on Lacoste products were put on the markets in Japan (1966), Brazil (1978), Australia (1982), and in 1982 Lacoste company opened its first boutique in Paris (avenue Victor Hugo).
At the end of 2008 Lacoste brand celebrated 75th anniversary of the crocodile logo. And the company decided to emphasize its French origin one more time. As a result a black French beret and sneakers were designed.
Zaha Hadid, a famous architect who worked on such projects as BMW Central Building, London Aquatics Centre and many others, has designed new Lacoste shoes styles. The shoes perfectly flow round the feet, which seems to be very comfortable. The first part of the new Lacoste-Hadid collection will be launched in March 2009, following by the second part in May.
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