In the early 1930s French tennis player René Lacoste –nicknamed ‘the Crocodile’ – had a motif of the animal embroidered on the blazer and polo shirts he wore on court.
Such was Lacoste’s enthusiasm for the design that in 1933 he founded La Chemise Lacoste together with the owner of the largest French knitwear manufacturer at the time, André Gillier. The pair went into production with a collection of tennis clothing all embroidered with the now familiar green crocodile logo.
Now, 80 years later, Lacoste is celebrating its roots in tennis wear with an exclusive collection which gives the brand’s timeless style a contemporary twist. Alongside limited-edition Boston sports bags and the original white polo shirt embroidered with the Lacoste crocodile are more modern pieces such as a leather polo dress and a punched-leather reinvention of the 1963 René Lacoste-developed tennis shoe.
If you’re a fan of tennis, or even if you’re not, any of these pieces will add a touch of preppy chic to your wardrobe this summer – we’ll definitely be donning the straw hat.
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