Crocodile International

Crocodile International Pte Ltd, commonly known as Crocodile, is a Singapore-based garments company and fashion brand. It was established in 1947 in British Singapore by Tan Hian Tsin, an immigrant from Swatow, China, whose family had longstanding involvement in the garment trade and in the manufacture of knitting machinery. The company’s early development therefore grew out of a family-linked textile and apparel background rather than from a later licensing arrangement with another crocodile-themed fashion label. The brand expanded beyond Singapore during the post-war period. In 1953, it opened its first factory in British Hong Kong, giving the business a manufacturing and commercial foothold in another major Asian apparel center. This expansion helped establish Crocodile as a regional clothing brand rather than a company confined to its founding market. By 2016, the brand was reported to have approximately 3,000 outlets across 14 countries, indicating a substantial retail presence in Asia and other markets, although the available reference material does not provide a complete country-by-country breakdown or current store count. Crocodile’s visual identity is built around a crocodile emblem facing left. According to the brand’s history, Tan Hian Tsin selected the animal because he regarded it as tough and long-lived, qualities that he wanted to associate with the company and its intended longevity. The logo was created by Tan in 1947 and was accompanied by his handwriting. This emblem became central to the company’s identity and also became the subject of intellectual-property disputes with Lacoste, the French fashion company whose logo depicts a crocodile facing right. Crocodile International and Lacoste have been involved in trademark and logo-related proceedings in several jurisdictions, including China, Myanmar, Japan, and the Philippines. The two companies also have an agreement dated 1983 under which their marks are permitted to coexist in certain markets. The disputes reflect the commercial importance of the crocodile symbol in apparel branding and the difficulty of distinguishing similar animal devices across multiple trademark systems. The available material does not establish a single global resolution covering every jurisdiction. The reference material identifies Crocodile International primarily as a garments company and does not specify a detailed current product architecture, executive roster, ownership structure, financial results, or official website. Its documented identity is consequently strongest at the level of regional apparel history, manufacturing expansion, retail distribution, and trademark positioning. The brand remains described as active in the supplied material.

Crocodile International was founded in 1947 in British Singapore by Tan Hian Tsin. Tan was an immigrant from Swatow, China, and came from a family connected with the garment trade and the manufacture of knitting machines. This background provided the company with an early connection to textile production and apparel manufacturing. The business adopted the name and image of the crocodile as a central part of its identity. Tan selected the animal to express toughness and longevity, linking those qualities to his ambition for the company to endure for a long time. The original crocodile emblem was created by Tan in 1947. It depicts the reptile facing left and was accompanied by Tan’s handwriting. The logo was not merely a decorative mark; it represented the founder’s intended corporate character and became the principal visual identifier of the apparel business. The emphasis on durability and long life also gave the brand a distinct narrative at a time when many Asian manufacturing businesses were developing local and regional identities in the post-war period. Crocodile International expanded its manufacturing footprint in 1953 when it opened its first factory in British Hong Kong. Hong Kong was an important center for garment production and trade, and the factory gave the Singapore-founded company a base from which it could develop production and distribution beyond its original market. The Hong Kong expansion marked an early step in the company’s transformation from a Singapore business into a broader Asian garments enterprise. Over subsequent decades, Crocodile developed as a fashion and clothing brand with a substantial retail presence. The supplied reference material states that by 2016 it had approximately 3,000 outlets in 14 countries. That figure indicates broad international distribution, although the available material does not specify whether all outlets were company-operated, franchised, licensed, or a combination of formats. It also does not provide a current store count or a full list of operating territories. The documented markets associated with the company include Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Myanmar, Japan, and the Philippines. The crocodile emblem later became the focus of trademark conflicts with Lacoste. Lacoste uses a right-facing crocodile, while Crocodile International’s mark faces left. Despite the directional difference, the companies’ use of similar animal imagery in clothing and fashion branding generated intellectual-property disputes. Legal proceedings or cases involving the marks were reported in China, Myanmar, Japan, and the Philippines. Crocodile International and Lacoste also have an agreement dated 1983 allowing their brands to coexist in certain markets. The existence of that agreement suggests that the parties’ relationship has included negotiated territorial or market-specific accommodation as well as litigation, but the available reference does not establish the precise scope of the agreement or the outcome of every later proceeding. The supplied sources do not identify a current chief executive, detailed ownership arrangement, financial performance, official website, or a complete catalogue of product lines. Crocodile International is therefore best documented as a Singapore-origin apparel company whose historical development rests on family-linked garment expertise, early cross-border manufacturing, regional retail expansion, and a highly recognizable crocodile trademark. Its continuing brand distinction depends both on the longevity story created by Tan Hian Tsin and on the legal and commercial differentiation of its left-facing crocodile from competing crocodile imagery.

• 2016

  Reported network reaches approximately 3,000 outlets

  [1]Crocodile Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reported that the brand had about 3,000 outlets across 14 countries by this year.

• 1983

  Crocodile and Lacoste establish a coexistence agreement

  [1]Crocodile Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  The two crocodile-logo apparel brands entered an agreement permitting their marks to coexist in certain markets.

• 1953

  First factory opens in Hong Kong

  [1]Crocodile Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  The company opened its first factory in British Hong Kong, extending its manufacturing presence beyond Singapore.

• 1947

  Crocodile International is founded in Singapore

  [1]Crocodile Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  Tan Hian Tsin founded the garments company in British Singapore and created the crocodile emblem used for the brand.

A long-established Asian apparel brand positioned around durability, longevity, and a distinctive crocodile emblem.

• Garments · 1947

  Crocodile apparel

  Crocodile International is documented as a garments company and fashion brand. The available reference material does not provide a reliable itemized catalogue of current collections, but establishes clothing and apparel as the company’s core commercial offering.

• 1983

  Agree to market-specific coexistence with LacosteOther

  Background

  Crocodile International and Lacoste used similar crocodile imagery in apparel branding, creating intellectual-property tensions in several markets.

  Action taken

  The companies entered an agreement allowing their brands to coexist in certain markets.

  Aftermath

  The coexistence arrangement did not eliminate all later disputes, with cases subsequently reported in China, Myanmar, Japan, and the Philippines.

  Source

• 1953

  Expand manufacturing to Hong KongStrategy

  Background

  After being founded in Singapore, Crocodile International sought a broader production and commercial base in the regional garment economy.

  Action taken

  The company opened its first factory in British Hong Kong.

  Aftermath

  The move established an early cross-border manufacturing presence and supported the brand’s subsequent regional development.

  Source

1. 1Crocodile Internationalen.wikipedia.org