Lacoste: How was the most famous fashion crocodile born?

René Lacoste was a sportsman before becoming a stylist. He was a wonderful tennis champion who between 1925 and 1933 won everything from Roland Garros to the US Open, from the Wimbledon competition to the Davis Cup. And during the Davis Cup the “crocodile” was born, from a bet with the captain of the French team: if Lacoste had achieved an important victory for the team, the captain would have given him a travel bag made of crocodile. Is thanks to this anecdote that Lacoste receives the nickname “crocodile“, perfect for him because he never leaves his prey (opposing). So his friend Robert George designed a crocodile for him which was embroidered on the jacket that Lacoste wore on the tennis court.

After a few years, after having created the famous “1212” polo model, Lacoste founded the Maison with his friend André Gillier. The polo that the tennis player has designed, according to tradition, was born from the desire to create a comfortable and perfect garment for playing tennis. This is the reason why he started with a shirt and t-shirt, which in the past was used only as underwear, and then he created the polo as comfortable as a t-shirt, but with a sophisticated style, thanks to the buttons and ribbed collar. The polo will become unique thanks to the iconic crocodile embroidered on the heart side.