The Lacoste Brand History: A Legend
Prior to René Lacoste founding his iconic crocodile line of Lacoste clothing brands, he was a gifted student and talented athlete in Bordeaux, France. As an avid tennis player, at 18 years old he began focusing on the sport. He was so good in fact, that he went on to win 7 Glam Slam titles, and was dubbed the world’s best tennis player in 1926-1927.
Lacoste Case Study: 1923 The Crocodile
According to the Lacoste website, it was a crocodile leather suitcase René had been eyeing that inspired the name. This was in 1923 and his captain promised to give it to him if he won his next tennis match. Unfortunately he lost, but the name stuck and the American Press dubbed him The Crocodile.
The name stuck, and with the help of his stylist, soon René Lacoste could be seen commuting to and from to his matches with a crocodile sewn on his jacket—even before his brand was invented.
Lacoste Case Study: 1933 The Brand
In 1933 René Lacoste and André Gillier founded the Lacoste brand. In addition to being a style icon, the brand was ahead of its time, being the first to use a logo on its clothing. By the 1950s the Lacoste brand began selling its clothing globally.
Lacoste perfume for women and men was introduced in the late 60s, followed by Lacoste glasses in a collaboration with designer Cahours de Virgile in the 70s. It wasn’t until the early 90s that the famed Lacoste shoes leather and other styles began debuting. (See the brand highlight Lacoste shoes at the end of the article for details.) The Lacoste watch for men followed in 1994. Lacoste watch for men were just the beginning. Today, you can shop a plethora of timepiece styles, including designs of Lacoste watch for men, women, and even children.
Now 89 years later, their collection includes women’s and mens Lacoste sunglasses, Lacoste tennis shoes, baby Lacoste shoes, as well as apparel, which are readily available on their site and elsewhere. And as far as longevity goes, they continue to compete with the likes of style icons, Tommy Hilfiger which didn’t debut until the mid eighties, as well as another favorite, Ralph Lauren whose collection in 1967 only featured a necktie.
Best Customizable Lacoste Merch for Your Company
1. Polo Shirts
Definitely not their most expensive Lacoste shirt, the pique polo was the one that “bucked tradition.” Thanks to its flexible and lightweight design, it broke the mold for the standard tennis shirt and continues to be a favorite style.
2. Classic Tee Shirts
Featuring soft cotton jersey, these Lacoste tee shirt is a favorite among high quality merch that Gemnote can customize for your company.
3. The Golf Vest
Lacoste didn’t just corner the market on tennis styles, like the Lacoste tennis dress. In fact, René Lacoste married Simone Thion de la Chaume, a golf champion. And, in 1967 their daughter, Catherine Lacoste became the first amateur to win the most prestigious title in the women’s game, the US Women’s Open.
4. Lacoste Brand Bag Styles
Lacoste bags prices are in line with their apparel pricing. For example, you can get a roomy classic backpack for just under $100 and it offers plenty of room. Match the iconic green embroidered crocodile by customizing with your own embroidered logo or go simple with screen printing. If you’re looking to impress VIP clients, there are Lacoste bags prices around $138 for the Lacoste Petit Pique Classic Backpack which can also be customized.
Another example of Lacoste bags prices, can be found in their canvas zip bags which start at $88. Available in 2 corporate friendly colors, it’s also designed with room for your company’s customization.
5. Sport Hat
Lacoste is no stranger to the headwear game. From classic baseball style hats to sport-loving visors, you’ll find everything from modern, minimal—and customizable—high quality designs to fashion forward styles with larger logos and more vibrant branding.
When it comes to customizing hats, you can’t go wrong adding your logo to the following favorites:
6. Lacoste Outerwear
Another favorite style for the iconic brand, is their high-quality full-zip hoodie and the full zip fleece sweatshirt. A long way off from the most expensive Lacoste shirt, they still boast the name brand appeal and further pave the way to a more luxe Lacoste brand positioning.
Lacoste Brand Values
In 2006 the Lacoste Foundation was created to help those underprivileged young people as well as those with disabilities. This global initiative which is supported by the Fondation de France works with charities all over the world to provide financial and moral support as well as skills mentoring.
Lacoste Brand Positioning
The Lacoste brand positioning is considered somewhere between affordable and luxury, and so it’s referred to as a bridge to luxury, since while many people can afford it, the price tag is still considered steep. Although, according to Luxury Launches in 2010, Lacoste commissions the most expensive Lacoste shirt.
Endangered Species Shirt: A Collection of Limited Edition Lacoste Polo Shirts
While limited editions to support conservation efforts are common, Lacoste, launched their marketing initiative featuring their iconic Lacoste polo shirt in 1985 to support the fight for wildlife conservation. According to USA Today, the line debuted at Paris Fashion Week and featured a total of 10 rare birds, mammals, and reptiles. Proceeds benefited the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This marked the first time in Lacoste history to make a switch (even for a limited time) from the iconic crocodile.
Lacoste Case Study: Where to Buy
Looking for Lacoste merchandise, like Lacoste shoes leather and Lacoste jacket styles? In addition to their 32 online stores, including the Lacoste USA online store, Lacoste also has retail and outlet stores. In fact, they can be found in 1100 stores and 15,000 sales outlets and across 98 countries.
Furthermore, one can shop their favorite Lacoste styles, including Lacoste shoes for men and Lacoste shoes women in popular department stores like Bloomingdales, Dillards, Macy’s and Neiman Marcus.
Even a quick search for baby Lacoste shoes on Amazon Prime results in nearly 100 buying options. Lacoste shoes for men offer even more, roping 270 results. Not surprisingly, Lacoste shoes for women beat out both, Lacost shoes for men and infants, with results of almost 330.
Original Lacoste Bag Vs Imposters
With all of the hype around Lacoste, you may be wondering if your recent purchase is in fact an original Lacoste bag. Luckily, Lacosted, which is dedicated to Lacoste Style Fashion and Business, can help you ensure your bag is in fact, an original Lacoste bag.
Brand Highlight Lacoste Shoes
Lacoste could have a dedicated brand highlight Lacoste shoes that focuses solely on
Lacoste shoes women, Lacoste shoes for men and Lacoste casual shoes for children, including baby Lacoste shoes.
Lacoste Shoes men include
- Lacoste sneakers men
- Lacoste shoes leather
- Lacoste tennis shoes
- Lacoste casual shoes
Lacoste shoes women include:
- Lacoste tennis shoes
- Lacoste casual shoes
- Lacoste leather shoes
While we haven’t seen Lacoste womens boots on their site, we’re hoping that’s still to come as well as additional styles for their Lacoste leather shoes.
To conclude, Lacoste has proved time and time again that they are not a one hit wonder. In addition to having star athletes in their family, founder René Lacoste, also invented the tennis ball machine as well as the steel tennis racket.
From Lacoste brand bag mens styles and the iconic Lacoste jacket men and women to Lacoste glasses and even trendy Lacoste bucket hat styles, we expect to keep seeing these styles in the decades to come.
Tready to add Lacoste to your company’s swag collection? Talk to your Gemnote rep! They can help you get started by offering a curated collection of styles to resonate with your recipients and boost your swag game. From apparel to accessories and just about everything in between, they can help you navigate the waters of curation , customization, fulfillment and warehousing, and even creating your own swag store!
