HIStory
Rene Lacoste was a French tennis player who won 7 Grand Slams in the 1920’s. These included 3 Roland Garros titles, 2 Wimbledon & 2 US Open titles. Known forever in tennis circles as ’’The Four Musketeers, ’’ Rene Lacoste, Henri Cochet, Jean Borotra and Jacques Brugnon led France to their first Davis Cup success by winning the revered competition for six years straight between 1927 to 1932.
Rene Lacoste was nicknamed ’The Alligator’ by the American press since he won a bet with his Davis Cup captain by winning a very important match. The captain had to buy Lacoste a suitcase made from alligator skin. The name stuck & an artist friend, Robert George, drew the crocodile emblem in 1926 and Lacoste had it embroidered on a blazer.
Lacoste retired in 1929 and decided to market his shirt with the famous emblem. It was introduced to the public in 1933 in France, but wasn’t sold in the USA until 1952. President Eisenhower began wearing the shirt for his highly publicized golf games.
Rene Lacoste passed away on October 12, 1996. Today, Lacoste is an international brand that has a range of clothing, footwear, perfume, leather goods, eyewear & watches.
Lacoste shirts are available in a variety of sizes & styles for men, women & children. They are available in the club, sports-wear & sport range. Being an international brand, it is available at shopping malls & are priced in the range of Rs.1000.
Personal Experience
I have been wearing ribbed collar Lacoste shirts since I was a 12 year old. The shirt has a small ribbed collar, short sleeves with ribbed bands, and a slightly longer shirt tail so that it does not pullout during active sports. I remember the occasional comment from a friend stating that it is an expensive buy. My dad who used to bring me these shirts from the Middle East, used to advice me to wear something more casual while playing, but I was extremely comfortable in my Lacoste. In those days, I wore Lacoste because they could be slipped on rather than buttoned up.
I still wear the dark blue Lacoste shirt that I wore 14 years back & no one can tell the age of the shirt. Still looks great. I am the proud owner of 4 Lacoste shirts, one white & three in different shades of blue. All these shirts have a ’Made in France’ imprint, very unlike the ’Made in Thailand’ or ’Made in China’ that can be found in Nike & Reebok garments & shoes. They come in the 100% cotton & the polyester variety. These shirts last for a long time & can be worn to parties or while playing.
Online Store
https://lacoste.com