This way, which started with the nickname of a former tennis player, became the first brand that comes to mind when it comes to polo shirts. All the details for those who are curious about the story of Lacoste, one of the biggest brands in the world today...
Rene Lacoste was a famous French tennis player and also a fashion designer. When he won the championship in 1926, he wore a white shirt designed by himself. This shirt was a shirt made of lightweight fabric that serves to retain moisture. During the Davis Cup in 1927, the American press nicknamed him the 'crocodile' after a bet on an alligator skin suitcase. His friend Robert Geore painted a crocodile on the outfit he wore on the courts. And thus the brand's Crocodile logo was formed.
Lacoste brand was founded in 1933 with Rene Lacoste and French textile manufacturer Andre Gillier. Andre Gillier was one of the important textile manufacturers of that period. They began producing the revolutionary tennis shirt Lacoste designed and wore on the tennis courts and embroidered with the crocodile logo on the chest. And it became known for its crocodile crest. According to the company's claim, Lacoste was the first company to use a logo other than the label.
1951 is one of the critical dates in the growth of Lacoste. In 1951, the US license rights were given to the American manufacturer Izod. And this brand started to produce t-shirts under the name of Izod Lacoste. The awareness of the brand in America has also started to increase. In these years, the production of t-shirts and shirts in different colors was also accelerated.
The person who accelerated the growth of the company was Bernard Lacoste, son of Rene Lacoste. He took over the company in 1963. And he made advertising campaigns to increase the awareness of the company. In particular, export activities to the USA intensified. Lacoste made the real boom between 1970 and 1990. Lacoste's t-shirts have become popular. It has become a brand liked and preferred by famous names.
Lacoste's crocodile logo began to be seen as a status symbol. Special attention was given to the crocodile logo, and a perception began to emerge that t-shirts with this symbol were of higher quality. It became like the special uniform of college students in America. This has become a very preferred brand among people and has become a symbol.
The fact that many celebrities of that period wore Lacoste t-shirts was also effective in this situation. During this period, Lacoste also expanded its product range. It started to produce products in many product groups such as glasses, watches, perfumes and shoes.
Lacoste parted ways with the American manufacturer Izod in 1993. Its founder, Rene Lacoste, died in 1996 at the age of 92. The company continued its production with shoes, glasses, leather, perfume, towels and watches. In the early 2000s, French designer Christophe Lemaire brought a new and modern twist to the brand, and Lacoste brand increased its sales worldwide. In 2005 alone, 50 million Lacoste products were sold in 110 countries around the world.
Bernard Lacoste, the head of the company, had a serious illness in 2005 and left the management of the company to his brother. He died in 2006. The Lacoste Foundation was established in 2006. It was a foundation that worked to encourage children and young people to do sports.
Between 2006 and 2012, some conflicts began to occur within the Lacoste family. Disputes between family members began to increase. This caused the company's influence to diminish. In 2012, some of the family members wanted to sell their Lacoste shares. The majority shares of Lacoste were sold to the Swiss Maus Frenes textile company in 2012.
The brand signed with Novak Djokovic in 2017. And made her the face of the brand. Novak Djokovic is the world's #1 tennis player. This cooperation was also supported by various advertising campaigns. In addition, the brand produced the Djokovic collection and offered it for sale. With this sale, both sides made great profits.
Moving beyond being a sportswear brand, Lacoste has become a company that designs and produces many products from clothing to accessories. Today, it has become one of the important brands with more than 1500 stores with 6,000 employees and sold in 120 countries.