Lacoste
French premium casual and sportswear brand recognized for its embroidered crocodile emblem and polo shirts.
Last updated October 28, 2026
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Overview
Lacoste is a French designer fashion and sportswear brand founded in 1933 by tennis champion René Lacoste and knitwear entrepreneur André Gillier. Its origins lie in a short-sleeved knitted tennis shirt designed by René Lacoste and commercialized under the name La Chemise Lacoste. The shirt combined technical practicality with a more polished appearance than the long-sleeved tennis clothing common at the time, and it carried a small embroidered crocodile on the chest. The emblem derived from René Lacoste’s nickname, “the Crocodile,” which reflected his tenacity on court. The crocodile became one of the earliest highly visible clothing logos and developed into the central asset of the company’s identity. Lacoste’s core polo shirt remains its best-known product, but the brand has expanded into men’s, women’s and children’s apparel; tennis, golf and other sportswear; footwear; leather goods; bags; eyewear; watches and jewelry; fragrances; towels; and accessories. Its positioning combines French design, athletic heritage and accessible luxury, occupying a premium segment between performance sportswear and designer casualwear. From the 1950s, Lacoste clothing was distributed in the United States through an exclusive licensing arrangement associated with the Izod name. The Izod Lacoste partnership gave the crocodile shirt substantial visibility in American popular culture, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s. Lacoste eventually regained control of its American brand rights in 1993 and subsequently pursued a broader strategy of controlling its image, distribution and licensing structure. The company strengthened its fashion credentials after appointing Christophe Lemaire as creative director in 2001, followed by Felipe Oliveira Baptista, Louise Trotter and Pelagia Kolotouros. Lacoste’s commercial reach grew through company-operated boutiques, department-store concessions, wholesale partners, e-commerce and sports sponsorships. Tennis remains central to its identity, while golf has also been an important area of visibility. The brand has worked with prominent athletes and ambassadors, including Novak Djokovic, and has used collaborations with labels such as Supreme to connect its heritage with contemporary streetwear. In Asia-Pacific, it appointed Z.Tao as a regional spokesperson in 2019 and later expanded its ambassador network with figures including Wang Yibo. Maus Frères, a Swiss family-held group, acquired full ownership of Lacoste in November 2012. Under CEO Thierry Guibert, the company has emphasized tighter control over distribution and brand presentation, increased the relative importance of owned retail, expanded womenswear and brought selected categories back under direct control. Lacoste has also repurchased or internalized licenses covering areas such as footwear, leather goods and underwear, while retaining specialist partners for fragrances, eyewear, watches and jewelry. In 2024 it returned to presenting collections at Paris Fashion Week and announced the Lacoste Original fragrance. Lacoste remains active internationally as a privately held global brand, while continuing to manage controversies involving environmental impacts, labor-supply-chain allegations, artistic sponsorship and its continued presence in Russia.
History
René Lacoste’s crocodile identity originated before the company itself. In the 1920s, an American journalist gave the young French tennis player the nickname “the Crocodile,” referring to his persistent playing style and to a famous team bet involving a crocodile-skin suitcase. Lacoste embraced the nickname. Illustrator Robert George later drew crocodile designs for him, and Lacoste wore one embroidered on his blazer. In 1933, Lacoste joined André Gillier, head of a major French knitwear manufacturer, to commercialize a short-sleeved knitted tennis shirt designed by Lacoste. Sold under the name La Chemise Lacoste, it used a lightweight construction suited to movement and placed the crocodile emblem directly on the chest. This helped establish the idea of a visible clothing brand mark and gave the company a distinctive identity that could extend beyond a single garment. The brand expanded internationally during the postwar period. In the United States, clothing was produced and sold through the Izod Lacoste licensing arrangement beginning in the 1950s. The shirts became especially prominent in American youth and preppy culture in the 1970s and 1980s. Financial difficulties affecting the wider Crystal Brands business eventually contributed to the separation of the partnership. Lacoste regained control of its U.S. marketing rights in 1993, while Izod continued as a separate brand. Lacoste also developed a broad licensing model. Devanlay held the worldwide clothing license for many years, while other partners produced footwear, fragrances, luggage, eyewear, bags, jewelry and watches. This model allowed rapid category expansion but also created challenges in maintaining consistent control over the crocodile mark, product quality and distribution. Beginning around 2000, Lacoste increasingly sought to manage its name and logo more directly. The appointment of Christophe Lemaire as creative director in 2001 supported a more modern and upscale fashion image without abandoning the tennis foundation. The 2000s brought increased international visibility through athlete partnerships and retail growth. Lacoste products were sold in more than 110 countries by the middle of the decade, while the brand expanded e-commerce and developed stronger links to tennis and golf. Bernard Lacoste, a central figure in the company, became seriously ill in 2005 and transferred the presidency to his brother Michel. Bernard died in 2006. Creative leadership subsequently passed to Felipe Oliveira Baptista in 2010, Louise Trotter in 2018 and Pelagia Kolotouros in 2023. The company also formed a footwear joint venture with Pentland in 2018. In November 2012, Maus Frères acquired the remaining ownership interests and took Lacoste private under its Swiss family-controlled group. In the 2020s, CEO Thierry Guibert pursued greater control over distribution and category licensing. Lacoste increased the role of owned retail, expanded womenswear and brought selected footwear, leather-goods and underwear licenses back under its control. It retained specialist licensing relationships for fragrances and cosmetics with Interparfums, eyewear with Marchon, and watches and jewelry with Movado. Haddad Brands received a worldwide license for children’s collections in 2024. Lacoste also returned to Paris Fashion Week presentations and launched Lacoste Original fragrance. Its current identity remains anchored in the crocodile emblem and polo shirt, while its business spans premium everyday clothing, sportswear and lifestyle accessories. The company has faced several public controversies. Greenpeace linked it to pollution risks in Chinese supplier facilities in 2011. The same year, its sponsorship relationship with the Musée de l’Élysée ended after an incident involving Palestinian artist Larissa Sansour’s shortlisted work. Lacoste was later named in reports concerning Xinjiang supply-chain risks and said it would cease work with suppliers and subcontractors there. It has also been criticized for continuing business in Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Separately, Lacoste has engaged in long-running trademark disputes with crocodile-logo companies, including Crocodile Garments and Crocodile International.
- 2024
Lacoste expands children’s licensing and launches Lacoste Original
[1]The brand appoints Haddad Brands for worldwide children’s collections and announces Lacoste Original fragrance.
- 2023
Pelagia Kolotouros becomes creative design director
[1]Kolotouros succeeds Louise Trotter as the brand’s creative design leader.
- 2018
Lacoste forms footwear joint venture with Pentland
[1]The company deepens its relationship with the footwear licensee through a joint venture.
- 2017
Novak Djokovic joins Lacoste
[1]Djokovic becomes a major ambassador and is presented as a modern counterpart to René Lacoste.
- 2012
Maus Frères takes full ownership
[1]Swiss group Maus Frères acquires Lacoste outright.
- 2007
U.S. e-commerce site launches
[1]Lacoste introduces a dedicated online shopping site for the U.S. market.
- 2001
Christophe Lemaire becomes creative director
[1]Lemaire begins a modernization of Lacoste’s fashion image while retaining its sportswear heritage.
- 1993
Lacoste regains U.S. brand rights
[1]Lacoste resumes control of its U.S. rights after the Izod licensing relationship.
- 1950
Izod Lacoste licensing expands in the United States
[1]The brand enters a long-running U.S. licensing arrangement that gives its polo shirts broad American visibility.
- 1933
La Chemise Lacoste is founded
[1]René Lacoste and André Gillier begin commercial production of Lacoste’s knitted polo shirt with an embroidered crocodile.
Products and positioning
Premium French casualwear combining tennis heritage, sports functionality, recognizable logo branding and contemporary fashion.
Apparel · 1933
Lacoste polo shirt
Lacoste’s signature polo descends from René Lacoste’s 1930s knitted tennis shirt. It is typically defined by a short-sleeved construction, ribbed collar and cuffs, lightweight fabric and the embroidered crocodile emblem. The product has been adapted across men’s, women’s and children’s collections, with versions ranging from classic piqué styles to fashion, performance and seasonal designs.
Sportswear
Tennis and golf apparel
Lacoste’s sports collections extend its original tennis heritage into performance clothing for tennis and golf. These lines combine technical fabrics and movement-oriented construction with the brand’s restrained French styling and crocodile branding. Athlete partnerships and tournament visibility have helped keep these categories central to the company’s identity.
Footwear
Lacoste footwear
Lacoste footwear includes casual sneakers, tennis-inspired shoes and other lifestyle styles. The category was historically developed through licensing arrangements and later became part of the company’s effort to regain control over important product categories and brand presentation.
Leather goods
Lacoste leather goods
Leather goods and bags extend the crocodile identity into wallets, small accessories and carry products. Lacoste has used licensing partners in this category but has also pursued greater direct control as part of its broader brand-management strategy.
Fragrance
Lacoste fragrances
Lacoste fragrances translate the brand’s sporty, clean and casual positioning into perfumes for men and women. After a previous relationship with Coty, Lacoste entered a worldwide licensing agreement with Interparfums in 2022 and announced Lacoste Original in 2024.
Eyewear · 2010
Lacoste eyewear
The eyewear range includes optical frames and sunglasses designed and distributed under license. Lacoste began its relationship with Marchon Eyewear in 2010, extending the crocodile mark into another lifestyle accessory category.
Accessories · 2010
Lacoste watches and jewelry
Watches and jewelry provide smaller accessories built around Lacoste’s sporty-preppy visual language. The company entered fashion jewelry through a license with GL Bijoux and has retained specialist licensing arrangements for watches and jewelry.
Controversies
2026
Lacoste Named Among Brands in Suspected Counterfeit Goods Case
Sneaker Freakz owner Nathaniel Petersen paid a R100,000 admission-of-guilt fine following a Hawks investigation into the alleged sale of counterfeit Adidas and Nike sneakers and Lacoste T-shirts. The merchandise was suspected of being counterfeit; the article does not report a determination that the brands themselves committed wrongdoing.
2022
Criticism over Russian operations
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, advocacy organizations criticized Lacoste for continuing operations in the Russian market and argued that its presence could support the Russian economy.
2020
Xinjiang labor-supply-chain allegations
A report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute listed Lacoste among brands allegedly exposed to forced-labor risks connected with Xinjiang supply chains. Lacoste later said it would stop activity with suppliers and subcontractors in the region.
2011
Dirty Laundry environmental allegations
Greenpeace reported that facilities linked to suppliers used by Lacoste and other brands discharged hazardous and persistent chemicals into Chinese river systems. The report associated the named facilities with risks involving hormone-disrupting substances and other pollutants.
2011
Larissa Sansour and the Lacoste Élysée prize
Lacoste was accused of objecting to Palestinian artist Larissa Sansour’s shortlisted work, Nation Estate, and asking for her removal from the competition. The Musée de l’Élysée ended the sponsorship relationship, citing artistic freedom.
Marketing campaigns
- 2019Z.Tao Asia-Pacific ambassadorship
Asia-Pacific
Chinese singer and actor Z.Tao became Lacoste’s first specifically identified Asia-Pacific brand spokesperson.
Outcome. Expanded regional celebrity marketing and local cultural visibility.
- 2017Novak Djokovic partnership
Global
Lacoste made Novak Djokovic a central tennis ambassador, presenting him as a contemporary successor to the brand’s founder and using the partnership across advertising and appearances.
Outcome. Strengthened Lacoste’s connection with elite tennis and global sports audiences.
- 2017Lacoste x Supreme
Global
Lacoste and Supreme released co-branded apparel collections in 2017, with further collections in 2018 and 2019.
Outcome. Connected Lacoste’s classic sportswear codes with contemporary streetwear culture.
- 2009Challenge fragrance campaign
Global
Actor Hayden Christensen served as the face of Lacoste’s Challenge fragrance for men.
Outcome. Used entertainment celebrity to broaden the fragrance line’s appeal.
Brand decisions
2024
Lacoste Original fragrance launchProduct launchBackground
The launch followed Lacoste’s new worldwide fragrance licensing arrangement with Interparfums.
Action taken
Lacoste announced the launch of Lacoste Original.
Aftermath
The product marked a new phase in the brand’s fragrance activity.
2023
Lacoste increases control of distributionStrategyBackground
Management sought tighter control over brand image, retail execution and pricing after years of extensive wholesale and licensing activity.
Action taken
Under Thierry Guibert, Lacoste shifted toward a larger share of sales through owned retail and bought back selected category licenses.
Aftermath
The strategy supported greater direct control, womenswear expansion and a renewed presence at Paris Fashion Week.
2022
Lacoste appoints Interparfums for worldwide fragrance licensingStrategyBackground
Lacoste’s previous fragrance licensing relationship with Coty was ending.
Action taken
The company signed a long-term worldwide fragrance and cosmetics licensing agreement with Interparfums.
Aftermath
The agreement supported a new fragrance program, including Lacoste Original announced in 2024.
2012
Maus Frères acquires Lacoste outrightM&ABackground
Lacoste had developed internationally through a mixture of owned operations and licensing relationships.
Action taken
Maus Frères completed the purchase of the remaining interests in Lacoste.
Aftermath
Lacoste became a privately held brand within the Swiss family-owned group.
Recent events
Business owner pays fine over suspected counterfeit branded goods[3]
Reported:
Sneaker Freakz owner Nathaniel Petersen paid a R100,000 admission-of-guilt fine following a Hawks investigation into the alleged sale of counterfeit Adidas and Nike sneakers and Lacoste T-shirts. The merchandise was suspected of being counterfeit; the article does not report a determination that the brands themselves committed wrongdoing.
- Unconfirmed
Lacoste fires CEO ahead of Paris runway show[4]
Reported:
French fashion brand Lacoste fired its chief executive officer ahead of its Paris runway show, according to sources cited by Reuters.
Lacoste launches Loop Polo made with upcycled cotton[5]
Reported:
Lacoste launched its Loop Polo in partnership with Maison de Mode. The polo is made from 30 percent upcycled cotton sourced from surplus polos, blended with virgin cotton.
- Unconfirmed
Lacoste featured Arón Piper in an underwear campaign[6]
Reported:
Arón Piper appeared in Lacoste’s latest underwear campaign. The source does not specify when the campaign began.
- Unconfirmed
Lacoste opens store at Tokyo Haneda Airport[7]
Reported:
Lacoste opened a new travel retail store in Terminal 1 at Tokyo Haneda Airport.
Sources7 sources
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