It has been a mainstay in global fashion for years, but the story behind the crocodile started in Boston, 1923. René Lacoste was strolling through the city’s streets with his tennis team’s captain, Alan Muhr, before the afternoon’s upcoming game. In a store’s window display, an elegant crocodile skin suitcase caught his eye. Time for a bet: if René won the match, Alan would buy him the suitcase. As it turned out, René didn’t win, but journalist George Carens heard the story and mentioned it in his article in the Boston Evening Transcript: “The young Lacoste has not won his crocodile skin suitcase but he fought like a true crocodile.”
And so in 1933 it was born. Frenchmen Rene Lacoste and Andre Giller founded the Lacoste brand that would go on to see worldwide success in the fashion industry from its tennis roots.
The idea was that Lacoste’s shirt allowed free movement while remaining elegant. The shirt has redefined men’s sportswear, replacing the popular long-sleeved, starched, woven shirts of that day. Because it had a collar, the shirt looked equally as stylish off the court as it did on.
Now, the legacy of Rene Lacoste lives on in an expansive collection of sportswear, fashion, fragrance and importantly eyewear. The green crocodile remains a key theme throughout all of the Lacoste products and has since been taken on by the french youth making it a very young, playful looking brand. Far from when it first started.
The collections remain varied in style and colour because of the brands hugely diverse range of fans. This can be seen with the Lacoste eyewear more than most, where bold colours make some frames really stand out while some collections have a much more sophisticated approach. What’s undeniable, though is the effortless style that each of the frames embody. The collection includes ranges in both sunglasses and glasses, as well as a Lacoste Kid’s range that really emphasises the brands playful side.
On each pair of the Lacoste sunglasses and glasses, the famous crocodile can be found on the temple. This is a reminder of the brand’s legacy and gives a feeling that you are wearing a real piece of history, whilst also remaining current and stylish. A real variation in styles means that the brand can continue to grow with more contemporary pieces as well as put their own twist on classic styles.
Each pair is hand finished using a range of high quality materials, and is meticulously checked along the design and manufacturing process to ensure each product is of the highest quality. The lenses on the Lacoste sunglasses offer full UV protection, and come in a huge variety of gradients and colours depending on the style. The glasses are made in the same precise way to ensure they are of a supreme quality and will last the test of time.
