René Lacoste

Born on the 2nd of July 1904 into a wealthy Parisian family, Jean René Lacoste rose to high levels of fame thanks to his achievements in two very diferent areas: sports and fashion. Not only was he ranked as one of the world's top tennis players between the years of 1926 and 1927, but he also designed a very innovative new tennis shirt that became the cornerstone of a now world famous fashion empire.

Lacoste began playing tennis when he was 15 years old. Although he wasn't initially naturally talented, his drive, discipline and strategic intelligence turned him into a tennis phenomenon, winning him seven major titles in his career: the French Open in 1925, 1927 and 1929, Wimbledon in 1925 and 1928, the U.S. Open in 1926 and 1927 and the Davis Cup in 1927 and 1928. Unfortunately, a respiratory disease finally caused him to retire from the tennis game at the young age of 25 after winning the Prize of the French Open.

From then onwards, Lacoste became a producer of high quality sports clothes. In 1933, he founded 'La Societe Chemise Lacoste', which began producing a revolutionary new tennis shirt that Lacoste began sporting on the courts himself: instead of the long-sleeved, stiff-collared shirt that made up the typical tennis outfit at the time, Lacoste introduced a short-sleeved cotton pique polo shirt.

Nicknamed 'The Crocodile' by the American press, Lacoste explains that: "The American press nicknamed me 'The Crocodile' after a bet that i made with the captain of the French Davis Cup team. He had promised me a crocodile-skin suitcase if i would win a match that was important for our team. The American public stuck to this nickname, which highlighted my strong tenacity and will on the tennis courts, never giving up my prey! So my friend Robert George drew me a crocodile which was embroidered onto the blazer that i wore whilst playing on the tennis courts."

Lacoste tennis wear then slowly began to influence what people would wear when they would practice sports. René Lacoste's son Bernard Lacoste said that the company really began to expand when, in 1951, it branched out from "tennis white" and introduced a line of colour shirts. The Lacoste shirt reached the peak of its popularity in the U.S.A during the 1970s, when it became the essential accoutrement for preppy teenagers. Lacoste was himself quite amazed by the appeal of the crocodile emblem. This famous first logo has then given way to dozens of imitators.

In 1996, René Lacoste died, aged 92 in St.-Jean-de-Luz, France, but his famous crocodile logo is today alive and well, gracing approximately 25 million new items of clothing each year.

Today, the Lacoste company is a nearly $1 billion international business, selling everything from watches to lingerie. In 2000, French designer Christophe Lemaire was hired to give Lacoste a more upscale look, and its popularity has once again picked up.

Find fashion by Lacoste @ the following eshop: